Representations of Indonesia in Dutch Cinema: Media Analysis of the Films De Oost, Gordel van Smaragd, and Oeroeg

Abstract

In the modern era, film has become a medium for cultural communication in creating public understanding of history and collective memory. Within the framework of Dutch-Indonesian relations, colonial and post-colonial films not only attempt to show the past, but also become a place for negotiating meanings related to colonialism, violence and national identity. This study seeks to understand how Indonesia and Dutch colonialism are represented in three Dutch films, namely Gordel van Smaragd, Oeroeg and De Oost, and how the representations in these three films serve to frame colonial memory in the public sphere. This study uses a qualitative approach with a comparative media analysis design. The analysis is based on Stuart Hall's framework of representation, supplemented by visual semiotics and postcolonial discourse analysis. Various data are analysed through the identification of narratives, characters, visuals, and storytelling structures in the three films to reveal patterns of representation. The results of the study show that the three Dutch films consistently focus the narrative perspective on the experiences of Dutch characters. Gordel van Smarang frames colonialism with imperial nostalgia that normalises colonial life. Meanwhile, the film Oeroeg attempts to reflect on the post-colonial situation in a more critical manner, although it still limits itself to the moral dilemmas of Dutch characters.