Teguh Karya returns to motherhood theme in TV film

By Yenni Kwok

JAKARTA (JP): Motherhood appears to be Teguh Karya's fascination. A glance at the 61-year-old filmmaker's distinguished career reveals it as a central theme in several of his movies.

His highly acclaimed Ibunda (Mother), for which he received the Indonesian film community's Citra award for best original screenplay, revolves around the matriarch of a Javanese family. Doea Tanda Mata's protagonist is the nationalist Gunadi, who has two women giving him motherly protection.

Teguh recently finished a television movie on motherhood entitled Perkawinan Siti Zubaedah (Siti Zubaedah's Marriage). Scheduled to be aired on May 27, it is the last part of Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia's (TPI) trilogy dealing with maternity, childbirth and motherhood. The series is a joint-production between TPI, John Hopkins University in the United States and the National Family Planning Coordinating Body (BKKBN).

The first part of the trilogy, Garin Nugroho's Angin Rumput Savana (The Wind in the Savannah), detailed conflicting modern and traditional values as the main character finishes her schooling and is coerced into an arranged marriage. Slamet Rahardjo directed the second installment, Oh Ayah Oh Ibu Selamat Pagi (Good Morning, Mom and Dad), with the focus on a woman's lingering trauma from witnessing her mother's death after childbirth.

Each director has stamped his individual approach on exploring the theme of maternity. Garin's Angin Rumput Savana is an anthropological journey to the remote Sumba island, while Slamet's film is a psychological observation.

Perkawinan Siti Zubaedah appears more like a light theater piece than a straight television film. The occasional dim lighting, the down-to-earth costumes (instead of the flashy wardrobe that has invaded Indonesian television films), dramatic dialog and expressions give away the theatrical traits.

Set in a Jakartan kampong, the film explores the tortured relationship between a devoted wife, Zubaedah (Ayu Azhari), and her arrogant husband, Kodjat (Alex Komang). Although newlyweds, their marriage has soured since the beginning.

Kodjat looks at Zubaedah with disdain because he believes she was too easily seduced into sleeping with him before their marriage. Indeed, Kodjat married Zubaedah because he had to take responsibility for taking away her virginity.

Most of the time, Zubaedah has to bite her lip to endure her husband's orders and demands. Not to mention his unreasonable jealousy that Zubaedah is still attracted to her high school sweetheart, Duduh (Jedi Saputra).

Although Zubaedah becomes pregnant, Kodjat's chauvinistic and authoritarian attitude does not change. He still demands that his wife do heavy household chores, which almost cause her to miscarry. Kodjat's heart is finally softened when she delivers the baby.

"Kodjat is very proud of his male nature. He still has some old values that a man has to dominate and take control of things," said Alex, who has been a mainstay of Teguh's films.

In contrast to Kodjat's heartless character, Zubaedah is depicted as almost saintly. Although she lives in cosmopolitan Jakarta, the idea of woman's independence does not seem to touch her life. She is perhaps an ideal wife for traditional men. She stays home, attends her husband's needs and is devoted to him. She hardly raises her voice to him; when she is upset, she cries.

But Ayu argues that Zubaedah is in fact a strong woman. "She has an inner strength. When the husband leaves her, she tries to make her own living by selling banana fritters."

Teguh, who also wrote the film's screenplay, has his own reasons why the character Zubaedah is so submissive. "It is a depiction of a traditional Betawi family," he said. "In a Betawi household, a husband is higher in the hierarchy than his wife."

Interestingly enough, although the 59-minute film is about a traditional community, it does not carry any preaching tones about morality. It does not condemn Kodjat and Zubaedah's premarital sex. The concern is more about people's traditional place and responsibility in the community. Women, such as Zubaedah and her mother, belong in the home. Even if a woman goes out, such as Zubaedah looking for her absent husband, she needs to be accompanied by the protective male presence of her brother.

Shot mostly in Teguh's own neighborhood of Kebon Pala, Tanah Abang, the film captures the realistic scene of a Jakartan kampong. However, don't expect coarse dialog like in television series Si Doel Anak Sekolahan, which is also about a Betawi family. Teguh's script does not use Jakartan slang words like gue (meaning "I") or elu ("you"), and opts for polite Indonesian words of saya and kamu instead.

"Elu and gue originated from Chinese language," reasons the winner of seven Citra awards as best director and five for best film. "They are not Indonesian words."

To avoid too serious dialogs, which are alien to a Betawi community, Teguh maintains their witty and direct expressions. When Zubaedah tells Duduh about her marriage to Kodjat, she says, "I apologize... My fate is in the hands of that bearded man."

Although the idea of the trilogy originates from concern about the country's high maternal mortality rate, Perkawinan does not fall into a health propaganda film or moral diatribe.

No medical professional appears to give cautionary lectures on the issue. Instead, most of the film is played out in the family house because Teguh believes efforts to save a mother's life should begin in the home.