Gundala (2019):
A REVOLUTION IN THE INDONESIAN MOVEI INDUSTRY

When you ask an average person about a ‘superhero’, they will most likely answer superhuman figures originating from the West, along with the likes of Captain America, Ironman, Thor, (all from the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and other figures that have been popularised and heavily marketed by the Western media. Such a trend is prominent in many countries globally-- Indonesia included; since the introduction of modern cinema, many Indonesian citizens, ranging from the youths to the more elderly, have spent their time in the many cinematic masterpieces Western production companies have to offer. Though, the saturation of imported films such as those from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has led to an underappreciation of locally-made films. According to past data, the difference in screening of imported and locally made movies reached proportions as high as two-folds, showing just how locally-produced movies fail to compete with the popularity of foreign ones (Pasaribu, 2015). Despite that, a major milestone within the Indonesian film industry has been made with the introduction of an Indonesian-crafted cinematic universe in 2019, the ‘Bumilangit Cinematic Universe’ (BCU), with its first movie, ‘Gundala’.

 

Gundala is a movie that has been directed by Joko Anwar-- a well-known and critically acclaimed Indonesian director-- which takes its plot from a 1960s comic book series authored by Harya ‘Hasmi’ Suryaminata. Generally speaking, the film follows the story of the protagonist known as Sancaka, who fights the injustice around him that has been stirred by a crime boss under the name of ‘Pengkor’ through his rampant acts of corruption with regard to local legislatures. The movie featured many prominent actors of Indonesia, such as Tara Basro, Rio Dewanto, and Ario Bayu (The Jakarta Post, 2020). The production process of Gundala could be described as hectic; during an interview with Joko Anwar, he highlighted that in shooting the film, he managed to go across five cities and 70 different locations, all under 50 days, and that all of the stunts were rehearsed only once before the actual shoot. Despite the production being rushed and somewhat compromised, the end result was an ambitious, yet amazing movie that managed to garner popularity from Indonesian moviegoers and part of the international community (Motomayor, 2020).

 

With that being said, Gundala is probably one of the most significant revolutions for the Indonesian film industry as a whole. For one, the movie was selected for a premiere screening in the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), one of the biggest and well-known film festivals that is held annually and recognized by international critics and audiences. The executive producers of the movie have even expressed their gratitude in having Gundala selected for the prestigious event, with some even saying that through the success of the movie at TIFF, an important legacy will be made: that there is a possibility for the Indonesian film industry to create a great economic impact (Anisa, 2019). Even though the production cost of the movie was also quite high, costing up to about 30 billion Rupiahs, the movie managed to become one of the most successful local movies within Indonesia’s box office, gaining 1 million viewers in a single week, and a final revenue of about 67 billion Rupiahs (Film Indonesia, 2019)

 

Aside from its commendable performance within the box office and high ratings, one of the things that truly sets Gundala apart is how it incorporates Indonesian values and history within the duration of the movie. As the original comic serving as the blueprint of the movie was published during the turbulent times of Indonesia, many themes within the movie could be seen correlating to the era, such as the violent oppression of voices and the public that could be seen in the society within the movie-- illustrating the respective period in 20th century Indonesia. Moreover, the movie also takes a lot of inspiration from Javanese mythology, as the character name ‘Gundala’ is actually derived from the Javanese word ‘gundolo’ which means lightning-- the power the main character holds in the movie. The superhero seems to have also taken inspiration from a legendary Indonesian figure, Ki Ageng Sela, who is also said to bear the power of lightning (Guild, 2019). With that being said, Gundala is certainly a movie many Indonesians should be proud of; being a cinematic masterpiece which incorporates traditional values of Indonesia that is able to gain international recognition is certainly a monumental feat for the Indonesian movie industry. It is hoped that with Gundala, the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe-- along with the entirety of the Indonesian movie industry-- could take one more step further into becoming a reckoned force in the international stage of film.