Merah Putih

Merah Putih ("Red [and] White") is a movie, directed by Yadi Sugandi (director of photography for Laskar Pelangi and The Photograph), brought out in Indonesia in 2009. This film is an adaptation of Japanese propaganda film Air dan Api by Andreas Liong and Ignatius Matulessy in 1943. Genre After a silence of almost two decades, Indonesian war-themed movies made a return with the release of Merah Putih. Janur Kuning (Young Yellow Coconut Leaves), Enam Djam di Jogja (Six Hours in Yogya), Serangan Fajar (The Dawn Attack) and Cut Nyak Dien are just few of many war movies screened in cinemas years ago, portraying the spirit, struggles and courage of Indonesians in fighting the Dutch and Japanese colonialists to gain independence and freedom. Story Set against a historically authentic backdrop of Indonesia's struggle for independence in 1945-1949, during the Van Mook offensive into the heart of republican territory in Central Java in 1947, Merah Putih is a story about young Indonesian cadets who bond together despite their differences in religion, ethnicity, class and culture, to become guerrilla fighters for Indonesia's independence. The film was inspired by the real-life experiences of the brave cadets massacred in Lengkong, and all the men and women who fought for a free and united Indonesia between 1945 and 1948. The movie depicts the diversity of Indonesians through its unique and different characters. There is Amir, a quiet and devout Muslim, (played by prominent actor Lukman Sardi) who gives up his job as a teacher and even leaves his beloved wife to become a cadet, while hot-headed Tomas (Donny Alamsyah) a farmer and christian, comes all the way from Sulawesi to be a soldier in a bid to get revenge against the Dutch soldiers who slaughtered his family. There is also a cocky and elitist playboy Marius (Darius Sinathrya) and his best friend Soerono, who is a priyayi (Javanese aristocrat), as well as the Balinese Hindu street Dayan (T. Rifnu Wikana). The movie starts with the tough lives of the aforementioned characters in a military school, showing friendship and even competition among them. But the lives of the young cadets changes when Dutch soldiers suddenly attack their camp, tearing them apart. With limited weaponry and forces, they decided to unite to fight against the Dutch and defend their freedom.