yuni movie review

Yuni Review: One Girl’s Struggle for Independence in a Traditional Indonesian Society

Yuni tells the story of a teenage girl with bigger dreams than the expectations put on her.

Southeast Asian cinema remains one of the most under-appreciated regions when looking at global cinema, but as more films begin to gain traction on the international film festival circuits, perhaps winds of change are coming. One of the more recent films titled Yuni , hailing from Indonesia, has made its mark. Director Kamila Andini, in her third feature film as a director, along with co-writer Prima Rusdi, joined their producer (Andini’s husband) in laying the foundations down for Yuni ’s story in 2017. Four years later, in 2021, the movie made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival .

At TIFF, the movie won the Platform Prize . It then progressed to film festivals in Busan, Philadelphia, and many more, before landing the spot as Indonesia’s entry for the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. Ultimately, the film did not make it to final consideration, but Andini’s recent successes as a filmmaker show exceptional promise for Indonesian and Southeast Asian cinema. Yuni ’s lead actress, who gives a nuanced performance as the struggling teenager Yuni, is Arawinda Kiranda. This marks her first leading role in a feature film. The film was released in Indonesia in December 2021 but continues to make its way around the world. There is a particular sense of timeliness with this movie as women’s rights, especially when it boils down to reproduction and birth control, have become a hot issue in the Western hemisphere.

A Teenager Clings to Her Independence

The movie's titular character, Yuni, seems to have it all when the camera first focuses on her for the first time. She is in high school and thriving socially and academically, and if she wanted to date someone, it seems like there are quite a few boys interested in Yuni. However, with the film’s opening shots, this expectation is subtly subverted as Yuni slowly gets undressed inside her room, the camera lingering slightly to the side to allow her some privacy. This simple moment, the changing of the guard is a brief flash of vulnerability and intimacy that establishes that she is more than her superficial outward appearance. It also provides the context that she is not a young child anymore and is stuck in the transition phase between childhood and adulthood.

One day, as Yuni and her female classmates head into school, the Islamic club’s president and an older teacher stand in front of the students for a meeting. They are announcing that to combat the sin of sex before marriage, the school will now be conducting mandatory virginity tests on female students. As these students, protagonists of their own coming-of-age stories in this time of their lives, grapple with the impacts of their budding crushes growing into something more, the Islamic club also bans activities like singing and playing instruments. These two notions juxtaposed against each other set the backdrop of Yuni , which grapples with Yuni’s specific coming-of-age story in modern Indonesia.

With her friends, they talk about boys and look at their Instagram accounts after school, giggling about their crushes and applying makeup in-between classes. A female teacher, after scolding Yuni for taking her classmate’s hair tie, even asks her what her plans for college are--if she has any. It has a sense of normalcy, a familiar routine of girlhood. However, things drastically begin to change for her when she comes home one day to discover she has a marriage proposal. All of Yuni’s plans, if she had any that were genuinely her own, start to unravel with this occurring, and she declines the proposal, only for it to lead to a series of consequences that marks the departure of one chapter of her life.

This departure is expedited by the forced belief systems and society that ultimately ends up consuming Yuni. She finds her fleeting moments of freedom with the divorced woman who owns a hair salon, going to the club while bringing the boy Yuni truly likes with her. Yet, when Yuni returns home to her traditional grandmother, she confronts the ideologies of the society she was born into and eventually succumbs to the pressure being put on her. These tense moments, as Yuni becomes angrier and more frustrated with the circumstances she is surrounded by, are relieved by Yuni spending time with her best friends and talking about their boyfriends, sex, and the other girls in their year getting pregnant and thus becoming isolated in the school setting.

Yuni’s age is not specifically pointed out until towards the end of the film: she is sixteen, almost seventeen. Some of the most beautiful scenes in the movie are when she is allowed to exist in her age bracket, not having to worry about getting married. She can think about getting a scholarship and going to college, defying the expectations that one of her friends ultimately falls. People talk when she denies proposals, giving her the side-eye as she walks past, but she holds strong until everything begins to spiral out of her control. These scenes are tender, evoking sensations and feelings that go beyond borders and cultural differences. And that is the magic behind movies like Yuni .

Related: Best Women Coming-of-Age Movies, Ranked

A Portrait of Girlhood

Yuni grounds itself in the performance of its lead actress, Arawinda Kirana. This is her acting debut, but it does not feel like it during the movie’s run time. The camera is constantly on Yuni as a character, even when it pivots away to another character’s perspective, such as her classmate with a crush on her. But as strong as she tries to appear on the surface, Yuni is still a teenage girl trying to navigate through a patriarchal society as a young woman. She tries to keep it together and hold onto a semblance of control by her stealing purple things from everyone around her. Whether they are hair ties, notebooks, or pencils, and no matter how many times Yuni is scolded for this behavior, still she continues to do it. Her life as she knows it is constantly shifting, with men offering proposals to her, but this little action provides the stability for her to keep it all together mentally.

Her parents are missing from her life, as they work in Jakarta, and she lives with her grandmother. Yuni shows she is intelligent behind the front she puts on by complaining about literature assignments, but, at the same time, as she lays in the grass with her friends, gossiping about a fellow student who is now pregnant, she is still a girl at the cusp of adulthood. She looks up on the Internet the things she was never allowed to learn in class, and, in the background, the television discusses how virginity tests in schools were deemed illegal. Through eavesdropping on conversations with the adults in her life, Yuni comes to realize that girls in her circumstances, in the socioeconomic position and region she was born into, find no way to truly get an education in the way that she desires.

She has glimpses of that filtered world she dreams of through the older woman she hangs out with, going to clubs and discussing how the woman’s marriage ended in divorce and that everyone said she was lying when she admitted that he was beating her. The older woman serves as a foil to Yuni in a way that is also subtle: while Yuni is angry about the world and the life she seems to have been forced into, this woman provides the perfect outlet and representation as someone who made it. But, at the same time, certain sacrifices were made to get to this point. The woman’s family accuses her of being the source of the problem when it comes to her failed marriage, and there are some burned bridges because of that. She still manages to live a carefree life despite that, choosing to move on from her wounds and make the best of the situation that fate gave her.

Some may think that having a lack of women directors might be an issue only in contemporary Hollywood, but it is a global issue. A certain level of authenticity when it comes to depicting the lives of young women, girls and the feminine experience as a whole has been consistently missing in the history of cinema in its entirety. It is because of the lack of women directors and storytellers in the writer's room. What is incredible about Yuni as a movie is that it refuses to lay the blame on anyone, bringing a different kind of compassion to the table, but perhaps if more women filmmakers had equitable access to resources and funding, the world would see more of this.

Yuni was screened as a part of the 2022 Asian-American International Film Festival .

Cinema Escapist

Explore and connect the world through a cinematic lens

Review: “Yuni” Offers a Fresh Indonesian Perspective on Female Coming-of-Age

Indonesian film "Yuni" centers on the struggles of a 16-year-old girl in West Java amidst religious conservatism and traditional societal expectations.

By Anthony Kao , 11 Aug 22 00:51 GMT

English-language discourse on Indonesian cinema usually gravitates towards action (ex. The Raid: Redemption ) or horror (ex. Pengabdi Setan ) flicks, often set in Jakarta and containing testosterone-fueled narratives. Director Kamila Andini’s 2021 feature Yuni bucks that trend.

The film, which premiered at 2021’s Toronto International Film Festival and became Indonesia’s submission for the 2022 Best International Feature Oscar, centers on a female high school student who must contend with a string of marriage proposals in her small West Javan city. Yuni offers a distinctive artistic vision with its usage of poetry and color, and is all the more remarkable for emotively addressing potentially sensitive topics amidst Indonesia’s ongoing rise in religious conservatism .

Star Student in a Small City

Yuni begins in the bedroom of its eponymous protagonist, and presents her dressing for the day: underwear, a school uniform and, last but not least, a headscarf. It’s an understated yet powerful introduction to the different layers of Yuni’s identity—as a young woman, as a student, as a member of a traditionalist society—that the film sets out to explore. We learn that Yuni, a 16-year-old who lives in the West Javan city of Serang , is one of her school’s top students. A female teacher encourages her to apply to college, but Yuni isn’t quite sure. Her parents, who work away in Jakarta, can’t afford the tuition, which means she must compete for a set of limited scholarships.

Money isn’t the only obstacle towards Yuni’s potential college education. A school announcement reveals a government plan to subject female students to virginity tests ; the Islamic Club is also conducting a review of student activities, and already determined that the music club is haram . “You must understand, parents here would rather their daughters get married than go to university,” the school’s principal chides at one moment.

It’s amidst this environment that marriage proposals begin landing on Yuni’s plate—first from a young construction worker, then from an older businessman, and finally Yuni’s handsome Indonesian literature teacher. As she considers each proposal, Yuni embarks on a journey of self-discovery; her interactions with other community members including a free-spirited hairdresser, a shy male classmate, and her coterie of female high school friends help Yuni learn what becoming a woman entails.

Lyrical, Colorful

Away from the gritty Jakartan urban hustle, Yuni pioneers its own aesthetic, and draws viewers into dimensions of Indonesia not often seen in international cinema. For one, director Andini’s choice to weave the poetry of Sapardi Djoko Damono throughout Yuni proves fruitful. Andini brings Sapardi’s poems to life at key plot junctures—for instance with scenes of pouring summer rain mirroring voiced-over descriptions in verse—and in the process imbues Yuni’s struggles with a lyrical, literary quality. In fact, the film is dedicated to Sapardi, who passed away in 2020 .

Director Andini also leans heavily on the color purple as a motif. It’s Yuni’s favorite color, to the extent that she will steal classmates’ purple accouterments if they’re not careful. While at first the constant usage of purple might seem a bit on the nose, it grows more layered as the film progresses. Practically, purple becomes an easy way to distinguish Yuni from a sea of other young Indonesian women veiled in white school uniforms, a calling card for her fragile individuality. Purple is also the traditional color for widows in Indonesia, a realization that unlocks more meaning when mentioned later on in the movie. It’s a motif that has striking though likely completely unintended parallels with the 2019 Asian-American film Ms. Purple , which also uses the notion of purple as a mourning color in Korean culture to enrich a female-centric coming-of-age story.

Artistry Amidst Conservatism

Yuni is perfectly praiseworthy as a piece of art, but it’s even more intriguing when juxtaposed against Indonesia’s contemporary social environment. Over the past decade, Indonesian society has actually gotten more conservative , especially among younger people. For example, the phenomenon of “ marriage without dating ” has gained traction among Gen Z Indonesians , some of whom see premarital love and dating rituals as sinful Western influences. Religious conservatives have also started gaining more political power , and tried to push for measures including the aforementioned high school virginity tests. Female filmmakers whose works address women’s rights have been jailed and censored in recent years as well.

As such, it may initially seem somewhat surprising that Yuni —a movie that depicts likely haram topics like premarital sex, alcohol consumption, and masturbation—screened throughout Indonesia during 2021, won numerous awards at the government-supported Indonesian Film Festival , and also received production funding from Indonesia’s Culture Ministry.

However, Yuni is more a work of art than an activist screed, and that might’ve been its shield against potential controversy. The film never judges, and doesn’t cast anyone as an obvious villain. It simply depicts, and does so with grace and poise. This might feel like a letdown for those who want a more emotionally pitched film, but it’s perfect for those who want an authentic, lyrical depiction of life for women in Indonesia beyond the Jakarta bubble.

Yuni —Indonesia. Dialog in Bahasa Indonesia and Javanese. Directed by Kamila Andini. First released September 12, 2021 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Running time 1hr 35min. Starring Arawinda Kirana, Kevin Ardilova, Dimas Aditya.

This article is part of Cinema Escapist ’s dedicated coverage of the 2022 Asian American International Film Festival .

Want more? Join our 30K+ followers on Facebook and Twitter .

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

What's the Tomatometer®?
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening this week
Top box office
Coming soon to theaters
Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

Fandango at Home
Netflix streaming
Prime Video
Most popular streaming movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Link to Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Link to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Babes Link to Babes

New TV Tonight

Evil: Season 4
Trying: Season 4
Tires: Season 1
Fairly OddParents: A New Wish: Season 1
Stax: Soulsville, U.S.A.: Season 1
Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza: Season 1
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory: Season 1
Mulligan: Season 2
The 1% Club: Season 1

Yuni Reviews

Yuni is a beautiful, spiritual, and genuinely authentic experience of a movie which shines a light on the difficulties of coming of age in a society which tends to snuff out individualism and uniqueness.

Full Review | Original Score: A | Apr 25, 2024

There’s a casualness to how Andini depicts the oppressive forces in Yuni’s life; the walls close in on her out of nowhere. One day...she [hears] about virginity tests for female students; [suddenly] her band practice is being canceled by the Islamic club.

Full Review | Mar 22, 2024

Yuni is a beautiful, tender film with strong characterizations. The cast is excellent, and the subtle direction reinforces Yuni’s overwhelming feelings.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Mar 20, 2024

The film is stunning, with an astounding amount of depth for a mere 95 minutes. Yuni is the sort of emotional gut punch that cinema does best.

Full Review | Mar 17, 2024

Yuni offers a distinctive artistic vision with its usage of poetry and color, and is all the more remarkable for emotively addressing potentially sensitive topics amidst Indonesia’s ongoing rise in religious conservatism.

Full Review | Aug 21, 2022

While there is an inevitability to the course of events in Yuni, the exemplary execution of each element makes the all too familiar feel freshly upsetting.

Full Review | Original Score: 8.6/10 | Mar 15, 2022

Its director Kamila Andinis ability to gracefully navigate between the at times cruel world of teenage marriage and Yunis pursuit of youth and freedom that makes iYuni/i a captivating coming-of-age affair.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 7, 2022

A coming-of-age story with a twist in the tale.

Full Review | Mar 5, 2022

Theres no finger-wagging and no hand-wringing, just an extremely engaging story, well told and exceptionally well acted. It just also happens to make some acute observations along the way.

Full Review | Original Score: 4 | Mar 5, 2022

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 4, 2022

Yuni makes its point clear about the illusion of modernity in a society still operating by tradition, leaving a haunting impression that lingers long after its over.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 12, 2022

Andini's straightforward but moving account moves quietly, with an emphasis on emotional and social realism.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 3, 2022

"Yuni" is an excellent film that manages to be both entertaining and filled with social commentary, while also highlighting Andini's diversity.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Dec 26, 2021

Andini never tips into sentimentality. Things that start out as a joke at the beginning of the film, like Yuni's obsession with the colour purple, quickly become sinister when you learn it's the colour of widows.

Full Review | Nov 26, 2021

The story has a universal appeal, and is a compelling watch of a bittersweet story that's sensitively told.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Sep 22, 2021

Feels both specific and universal in its concerns...

Full Review | Sep 20, 2021

For all its cultural specificity, the sincerity and authenticity of Yuni grant it a universal quality that makes it compelling, moving viewing.

Full Review | Sep 18, 2021

Yuni is a deeply honest and unflinching approach to the coming-of-age genre, thanks to the thoughtful direction and writing of Kamila Andini and Arawinda Kirana's performance.

Full Review | Original Score: 10 | Sep 18, 2021

The third feature directed solo by Kamila Andini tackles topics that need to be discussed and further enhances her standing as a vital and intelligent voice in contemporary Indonesian cinema.

Full Review | Sep 17, 2021

Yuni movie review Kamila Andini Indonesia Arawinda Kirana

‘Yuni’ review: a tender and thoughtful Indonesian coming-of-age story

An Indonesian teen girl’s personal desires are stifled by gendered cultural expectations in this lyrical character study

Over the past decade, Kamila Andini has proven to be one of the most invigorating filmmakers in Indonesian cinema. Her first two films, The Mirror Never Lies and The Seen and Unseen , garnered international awards and critical acclaim for their sensitive portraits of marginalised local communities facing sociocultural issues. That quality streak continues with her poetic and lyrical third feature, Yuni , which recently won the prestigious Platform Prize at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.

READ MORE: Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash review: a retro-action exploration of machismo and impotence

Set in the rural Indonesian town of Serang, the film centres on the bright 16-year-old schoolgirl Yuni (Arawinda Kirana). Up till now, the most concerning aspect of her young life has been the constant trouble she gets into for stealing her classmates’ purple belongings to sate her unhealthy obsession with the colour. But otherwise Yuni is a straight-A student in line for a college scholarship – which is the only way someone in her financial position can continue her education.

Yuni begins the film on the cusp of graduation, considering a world of possibility, and like most people her age, unsure of what to do. But her personal desires soon become moot when she realises that the adults around her will be the ones shaping her future. In conservative and traditional areas like Serang, it is actually customary for girls Yuni’s age (and sometimes even younger) to get married. And so she is suddenly deluged with several marriage proposals that she desperately tries to fend off. While her family and friends all view matrimony as a blessing – a gateway to simple domestic comfort – Yuni sees it as a trap that will curtail her freedom for the rest of her life.

Andini and screenwriter Prima Rusdi deftly balance Yuni’s rising frustration with the narrow gender role society is foisting upon her with naturalistic scenes of her embracing life as a teenager, clinging to shreds of private autonomy away from judging eyes. Although she goes to a school where the Islamic club has enforced mandatory virginity tests for female students and banned music, her social life outside is filled with curiosity and self-discovery. Some of the film’s best scenes simply involve Yuni and her classmates lying around secluded fields as they furiously giggle through awkward conversations about boys, sex, orgasms and masturbation.

Yuni even forges a friendship with an older beautician named Suci, a happy divorcee whose liberal, Westernised lifestyle presents an alluring counterpoint to the advice of those closest to her. In a moment of boundary-pushing rebellion, Yuni accompanies Suci to a nightclub where she drinks alcohol and dances the night away. And while she’s clearly not ready to get married, she does spend a lot time pining for her handsome literature teacher Mr. Damar (Dimas Aditya).

Meanwhile, a shy younger boy named Yoga (Kevin Ardilova) is also harbouring a similar crush on her. Although his attempts to talk to her are adorably bumbling, a blossoming bond develops when he uses his literary talent to help Yuni with a tough assignment – to analyse a classic love poem entitled “Rain in June” (a poem that Andini has cited as the film’s inspiration).

Key to the film’s success is Arawinda Kirana’s magnificent performance as Yuni, a girl who feels the walls of religious restrictions and patriarchal societal expectations ceaselessly closing in on her. Arawinda vividly brings to life Yuni’s suffocating inner turmoil, highlighting her character’s innocence, hopes, fears and search for identity with marvellous expressiveness. Going through adolescence is confusing and challenging in any environment, which is why the coming-of-age genre has proven to be so timeless. But the cultural specificity and sensitive authenticity that Andini imbues such a familiar narrative with is what elevates Yuni above its contemporaries.

Director: Kamila Andini
Starring: Arawinda Kirana, Kevin Ardilova, Dimas Aditya, Marissa Anita, Asmara Abigail
Release date: December 9 (Indonesia)
Related Topics

Where to Watch

Arawinda Kirana (Yuni) Asmara Abigail (Suci) Sekar Sari (Rika) Marissa Anita (Bu Lies) Dimas Aditya (Damar) Kevin Ardilova (Yoga) Rukman Rosadi (Bagja) Neneng Wulandari (Sarah) Boah Sartika (Uung) Nazla Thoyib (Nenek)

Kamila Andini

In her last year of secondary school, a bright Indonesian student is determined to pursue her education and resist getting married, despite the expectations of her community.

Recommendations

Your browser is not supported

Sorry but it looks as if your browser is out of date. To get the best experience using our site we recommend that you upgrade or switch browsers.

Find a solution

Skip to main content
Skip to navigation

Back to parent navigation item
Digital Editions
Screen Network
Stars Of Tomorrow
The Big Screen Awards
FYC screenings
World of Locations
UK in focus
Job vacancies
Distribution
Staff moves
Territories
UK & Ireland
North America
Asia Pacific
Middle East & Africa
Future Leaders
My Screen Life
Karlovy Vary
San Sebastian
Sheffield Doc/Fest
Middle East
Box Office Reports
International
Golden Globes
European Film Awards
Stars of Tomorrow
Cannes jury grid

Subscribe to Screen International

Monthly print editions
Awards season weeklies
Stars of Tomorrow and exclusive supplements
Over 16 years of archived content
More from navigation items

‘Yuni’: Toronto Review

By Allan Hunter 2021-09-20T07:51:00+01:00

No comments

Kamila Andini’s Indonesian feature wins the coveted Platform prize at Tiff 2021

Source: 01 Courtesy of TIFF

Dir: Kamila Andini. Indonesia/Singapore/France/Australia. 2021. 95 mins Indonesian director Kamila Andini (2017’s The Seen And Unseen ) brings a light, lyrical touch to some hefty issues in Yuni. The tale of a teenage girl at the mercy of society’s expectations and deep-rooted superstitions feels both specific and universal in its concerns, and audiences will readily identify with a central character facing age-old dilemmas in a modern context. Winning the Platform prize at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival should only elevate the prospects for Yuni with festival programmers and arthouse distributors.

A touching, sharp-eyed tale that unfolds with a real generosity of spirit

Yuni (Kirana) is a young woman whose life is poised on the cusp of exciting possibilities. She lives in Serang with her grandmother whilst her parents work in Jakarta. A conscientous student at school, she may have the opportunity to further her education in college. Yuni has a passion for all things purple that stretches from jotters and underwear to hairbands and the shade of the motorbike that she rides to school. We later learn that purple is considered “the colour of the widow”. She is full of curiosity about everything around her, but there are already telling signs of how that world may shrink rather than expand. At school, an Islamic Club has banned musical activities and there is a proposal to introduce mandatory virginity tests for all female students. This still feels like a society in which nothing becomes a teenage girl more than a favourable marriage.

Arawinda Kirana plays Yuni with a serenity and spirit that makes us believe she can weather all storms and reach decisions that will work for her. Andini and co-writer Prima Rusdi paint Yuni as a girl who might have walked from the pages of Jane Austen or shared a sisterhood with the family in Little Women. She is interested in boys, has a crush on her teacher Mr. Damar (Dimas Aditya) and shares gossip and giggles with her pals. We are aware of her naivety as they all discuss sex - how little they know and how much they have to discover. Talk of masturbation prompts the question: “Isn’t that just for boys?”

Yuni already has a secret admirer in the bashful Yoga. Kevin Ardilova is sweetly endearing in the part, conveying all the tongue-tied, lovestruck shyness of a young man who cannot dare to dream that his feelings might be reciprocated. The relationship between Yuni and Yoga has the spirit of something Shakespearean ( As You Like It perhaps) with an echo of Cyrano De Bergerac. Love and romance are threaded through the film, especially when Yuni is given an assignment on the groundbreaking work of Indonesian poet Sapardi Djoko Damono. He died in 2020 and the film is dedicated to his memory.

Andini keeps the souffle airy but always undercuts the lightness with a serious point. Friends and acquaintances surround Yuni with a ribbon of cautionary tales on marriages that didn’t work, domestic violence and the stigma of pregnancy among unmarried girls. Inevitably, Yuni starts to receive marriage proposals, some financially tempting. There is an expectation that she should consider this a blessing. There is a superstition that refusing more than two will only result in misery.

How Yuni tries to discover what she wants and how she can achieve it becomes the basis of a touching, sharp-eyed tale that unfolds with a real generosity of spirit. Andini takes the risk of making Yuni seem unsympathetic in the way she cynically uses Yoga and there is an understanding by the conclusion that this is a society that doesn’t work too well for some men either.

Production companies: Fourcolours Films, Akanga Film Asia, Manny Films

International sales: Cercamon [email protected]

Producer: Ifa Isfansyah

Screenplay: Kamila Andini, Prima Rusdi

Cinematograpy: Teoh Gay Hian

Editing: Lee Chatametikool

Productiion design: Budi Riyanto Karung

Music: Alexis Rault

Main cast: Arawinda Kirana, Kevin Ardilova, Dimas Aditya, Marissa Anita

‘Anora’: Cannes Review

2024-05-21T15:20:00Z By Wendy Ide

Sean Baker turns to New York for this ’kick-ass Cinderella’ story

‘Eat The Night’: Cannes Review

2024-05-21T11:31:00Z By Robert Daniels

Three French teens juggle edgy real-life with gaming fantasy in this disappointing thriller from the ‘Jessica Forever’ team

‘The Village Next To Paradise’: Cannes Review

2024-05-21T11:30:00Z By Nikki Baughan

A family attempts to follow their dreams on the coast of Somalia in this Un Certain Regard debut

No comments yet

Only registered users or subscribers can comment on this article., more from reviews.

‘Baby’: Cannes Review

2024-05-21T11:16:00Z By Jonathan Holland

A young man abandoned by his parents turns to sex work on the streets of Sao Paolo in this upbeat Critics Week title

‘Misericordia’: Cannes Review

2024-05-21T08:08:00Z By Jonathan Romney

Alain Guiraudie returns to Cannes with a philosophical digression disguised as a French rural melodrama

‘The Story Of Souleyman’: Cannes Review

2024-05-21T07:16:00Z By Amber Wilkinson

A Guinean asylum seeker tries to work the gig economy on the streets of Paris in this propulsive drama

Advertise with Screen
A - Z of Subjects
Connect with us on Facebook
Connect with us on Twitter
Connect with us on Linked in
Connect with us on YouTube
Connect with us on Instagram>

Screen International is the essential resource for the international film industry. Subscribe now for monthly editions, awards season weeklies, access to the Screen International archive and supplements including Stars of Tomorrow and World of Locations.

Screen Awards
Media Production & Technology Show
Terms and conditions
Privacy & Cookie Policy
Copyright © 2023 Media Business Insight Limited
Subscription FAQs

Site powered by Webvision Cloud

Cast & crew
User reviews

In her last year of secondary school, a bright Indonesian student is determined to pursue her education and resist getting married, despite the expectations of her community. In her last year of secondary school, a bright Indonesian student is determined to pursue her education and resist getting married, despite the expectations of her community. In her last year of secondary school, a bright Indonesian student is determined to pursue her education and resist getting married, despite the expectations of her community.

Kamila Andini
Prima Rusdi
Arawinda Kirana
Asmara Abigail
11 User reviews
32 Critic reviews
17 wins & 37 nominations

All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

Trivia Official submission of Indonesia for the 'Best International Feature Film' category of the 94th Academy Awards in 2022.
Connections Remake of Love Is in a Slice of Bread (1992)
Soundtracks Mimpi Written & Composed by Pamungkas NM Produced by Harpa Record Performed by Anggun Published by Aquarius

User reviews 11

mazisramadhan
Dec 22, 2023
How long is Yuni? Powered by Alexa
April 21, 2022 (United States)
Stream Yuni officially on Disney+ Hotstar Indonesia
Banten, Indonesia
Fourcoulours Films
StarVision Plus
Akanga Film Productions
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 35 minutes
Dolby Digital

More to explore

Eye For Film >> Movies >> Yuni (2021) Film Review

Reviewed by: Jennie Kermode

The struggle faced by teenage girls to resist being pressured into marriage, and give themselves a better set of life options, is still playing out for tens of millions all around the world. When it’s addressed in cinema, we tend to see it in its more extreme forms: tales of forced marriage, ‘honour’ violence and girls whose choices are constrained by extreme poverty. This film addresses a situation in which the pressure is less extreme but more insidious. It is probably more representative of the majority of such struggles, and it allows for a more revealing exploration of how cultural norms can coerce and constrain.

Yuni (Arawinda Kirana) is in her final year of high school in Indonesia. She’s a capable student and her teacher urges her to consider going on to further education. If it’s difficult to find finance, then a scholarship could be the solution, though to get one she will need to finish as one of the top three students in her class. It goes without saying that she will also need to be unmarried. Nevertheless, her friends are shocked when she turns down a proposal from a guy who hangs around near the school. With his long hair and his motorbike, he’s considered by her peers to be a great catch.

Before long, Yuni has a second suitor: a wealthy older man who offers money and gifts to her family if she will become his second wife, as long as she’s a virgin on her wedding night. Whereas this scenario might often sound creepy to cultural outsiders, and there’s also a danger of such a man looking ridiculous for chasing after a teenager, writer/director Kamila Andini treats him sympathetically. He’s patient and polite, eventually confessing that the whole thing is really about his desire to impress his mother. Once Yuni starts to take control of her life, he seems distinctly more vulnerable than she is.

Kandini isn’t interested in stories about cruel, powerful men and helpless girls, or girls who are desperate to devote themselves to some other passion. Everybody here is complicated and insecure on some level. Life is messy, and most people do what’s expected of them without giving it much thought. At school, other girls’ gossip sets a moral agenda. There is superstition: to turn down two marriage proposals would be bad luck. Yuni develops a connection with shy boy who likes poetry. She’s exploring her sexuality; he’s sweet, devoted, available. In one scene, a group of girls discuss the possibility of female masturbation, and it seems to represent their dawning awareness that they are people, that they might be free to move through the world as men do if only they have the courage to seize that freedom.

Like most teenagers, Yuni doesn’t really know what she wants – except, perhaps, for the freedom to be confused and to figure it all out at her own pace. At school, she wears a uniform like everyone else, but always with a signature hint of purple. By the end of the film, she will have a purple streak in her hair, as if her vision of herself and the actuality are gradually coming together. It’s a colour traditionally associated with widows. Adopting it at this stage in her life. Yuni is breaking the mould.

Director: Kamila Andini

Writer: Kamila Andini, Prima Rusdi

Starring: Arawinda Kirana, Asmara Abigail, Sekar Sari

Runtime: 95 minutes

Country: Indonesia, France, Singapore, Australia

Search database:

News & Features

A HEARTBREAKING AND HONEST INDONESIAN COMING-OF-AGE STORY

IF - John Krasinski’s home for Imaginary Friends

TORONTO 2021 Platform

Review: Yuni

by Fabien Lemercier

17/09/2021 - Indonesia’s Kamila Andini delivers a beautiful and sensitive work, telling a harmonious and bittersweet story about a young woman caught between yearnings for freedom and local tradition

"Time is transient. We are eternal. Plucking seconds, one by one, arranging them like flowers, until one day we forget what for." Making her return with Yuni [ + see also: trailer film profile ] (co-produced by France) in the Platform competition of the Toronto Film Festival , where she also presented her previous opus, The Seen and Unseen [ + see also: film review trailer film profile ] , in 2017, Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini demonstrates simplicity, tenderness and delicacy as she plunges into the wake of a modern 16-year-old teenager who is reaching a crossroads in her life. Entering into the zone of uncertainty, worry and discovery which often accompanies her age, Andini’s protagonist must also wrestle with the expectations of a highly traditional society when it comes to the place of women.

"You’ve grown up, you’re ready for marriage – You want me to accept it? – Marriage is a blessing, it’s not to be refused." Pretty-faced Yuni ( Arawinda Kirana ) is living with her grandmother while her parents work in the capital. In her final year of high school, she’s very much a young woman of her time, hanging out and still having fun, like a child, with her friends, inseparable from her mobile and in love with her literature teacher Mr. Damar ( Dimas Aditya ), albeit platonically. But the external and internal pressures on her are slowly but surely mounting.

At school, the Islamic club brings up a subject currently under discussion within the higher echelons of government: the prospect of compulsory virginity tests for all female high schoolers, on the pretext of preventing pregnancies among unmarried young women. For Yuni, who’s encouraged by Mrs. Lies ( Marissa Anita ), it’s also a question of knowing whether she’ll be able to continue her studies at university, which depends on her obtaining brilliant results, not to mention a study grant. But her main issue is the sudden flurry of marriage proposals coming her way, which seem to come out of nowhere: the young woman turns down the first, to everyone’s great surprise, given how well-trodden a path arranged marriage is for young Indonesians. But superstition is also playing on her mind, because refusing more than two proposals is said to bring bad luck… What does the future look like for Yuni? What does she really want? These are particularly difficult choices to make at an age where her many desires are still somewhat hazy, where a world breaking free from traditions lies waiting to be explored (alongside others’ bodies), and where she crosses paths with super timid high-schooler Yoga ( Kevin Ardilova ) who’s hopelessly in love with her…

By way of a seemingly simple, well-oiled story (based on a screenplay written by the director and Prima Rusdi ), Yuni paints a highly empathic portrait which allows her to gradually unveil the full scale of the problematic situation for women in Indonesia (50 million rupees - roughly 3000 euros – are offered for Yuni’s dowry). But Kamila Andini’s real gift is her ability to maintain a gentle and harmonious approach, despite the potentially dramatic nature of the subject-matter. It’s a method which sees Andini imposing herself as a subtle filmmaker who understands the art involved in conveying a universal message, perfectly echoed by Sapardi Djoko Damono ’s luminous poetry (taken from his collection entitled Pluie de juin ) which lulls the viewer throughout the film.

Produced by Indonesia’s Fourcolours Films in co-production with Singapore’s Akanga Film Asia and France’s Manny Films , Yuni is sold worldwide by Cercamon.

(Translated from French)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

more about: Yuni

Seven films for seven days on Festival Scope to celebrate the TFL Meeting Event

TorinoFilmLab celebrates the milestone of the 15th edition of the event with a Film Parade, making available for free on the platform seven titles chosen from over 150 developed

07/11/2022 | TorinoFilmLab 2022

Sguardi Altrove celebrates cinema by women

After the pre-opening with Bad Roads by Ukrainian director Natalya Vorozhbit, the 29th edition of the festival will take place from 10 to 15 May in Milan

09/05/2022 | Festivals | Awards | Italy

Seven world premieres at the sixth BCN Film Fest

Between 21 and 29 April, the premieres will take place of the films Espejo, espejo , by Marc Crehuet; Amor de madre , by Paco Caballero; and Todos lo hacen , by Martín Cuervo, among others

19/04/2022 | Festivals | Awards | Spain

Utama and .Dog win big at the 20th Cyprus Film Days

Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s debut effort has come out on top in Glocal Images, and Yanna Americanou’s drama was deemed Best Cypriot Film at the island’s major film gathering

19/04/2022 | Cyprus Film Days 2022 | Awards

Cyprus Film Days all set to celebrate its 20th edition

The Mediterranean island’s biggest festival is focusing both on emerging international and local talents, and on award-winning filmmakers

22/03/2022 | Cyprus Film Days 2022

European titles submitted for the Oscars race

European countries reveal their titles submitted for the Best International Feature Film Award at the 2022 Academy Awards

18/11/2021 | Oscars 2022

Belfast wins the People’s Choice Award at Toronto

Kenneth Branagh has taken home the coveted prize often seen as an indicator of Oscars glory, while Kamila Andini’s Yuni won the Platform Prize

20/09/2021 | Toronto 2021 | Awards

Indonesia’s Kamila Andini delivers a beautiful and sensitive work, telling a harmonious and bittersweet story about a young woman caught between yearnings for freedom and local tradition

17/09/2021 | Toronto 2021 | Platform

Toronto announces the line-up of its Platform competition

TIFF’s juried programme includes the upcoming films by Laurent Cantet, Lucile Hadžihalilović and Hany Abu-Assad

12/08/2021 | Toronto 2021 | Platform

Family relationships, dystopian futures and dark stories at the 11th TFL Meeting Event

30 new projects in a more or less advanced stage of development were pitched in Turin, on 23 and 24 November, at TorinoFilmLab, including Spanish director Carla Simón's new film Alcarràs

26/11/2018 | Turin 2018 | Torino Film Industry

related news

21/05/2024 Cannes 2024 – Critics’ Week

Review: Baby

21/05/2024 Cannes 2024 – ACID

Review: In Retreat

21/05/2024 Cannes 2024 – Directors’ Fortnight

Review: Eat The Night

21/05/2024 Cannes 2024 – Un Certain Regard

Review: The Village Next to Paradise

Review: Ce n'est qu'un au revoir

21/05/2024 Cannes 2024 – Cannes Première

Review: Miséricorde

Copyright Disclaimer

The images used on this website have been provided by journalists and are believed to be free of rights. However, if you are the owner of an image used on this website and believe that its use infringes on your copyright, please contact us immediately. We will remove the image in question as soon as possible. We have made reasonable efforts to ensure that all images used on this website are used legally and in accordance with copyright laws.

About us | Contact us | Logos and Banners

Film Festivals , Films

Yuni: Glasgow Film Review

William Stottor
March 4, 2022

Shining a fierce light on the societal issue of arranged marriage, Yuni is an affecting, meticulously crafted drama from a director in full control of her craft.

Director and co-writer Kamila Andini ( The Mirror Never Lies , The Seen and the Unseen ) and her crew imbue the world of Yuni with the colour purple . The titular main character, an Indonesian teenager with dreams of going to university, drives a purple scooter, wears purple clothes and jewellery, and her bedroom is adorned with different shades of the colour; even the world around her carries purple tones, her unique personality spreading and populating outwards. Purple here is the colour of rebellion and freedom , and its consistent but subtle usage emphasises the notion that Yuni’s fight for control of her life is existent but by no means easy. Drawing on real stories from her home country of Indonesia , Andini exposes the very important issue of arranged marriage whilst also touching on other themes such as gender fluidity, always doing so with a great intelligence and empathy. Yuni finds moments of levity in its darkest moments, the colour purple always poking through to hint at a brighter future based around freedom for teenage girls in Indonesia.

Yuni and her friends are your typical teenagers: gossip-ready, hormones slowly growing, bored of school, all with dreams of leaving their hometown for the wider world. Yet Andini quickly situates these youngsters in a wholly more challenging world, with the proposal of an arranged marriage hanging over the head of Yuni within the first 15 minutes. She rejects the first man, does the same to second, and is then faced with the myth – believable to her, her family and society – that she will never marry if she rejects a third proposal. This clash of teenage and adult worries is handled impressively by Andini; at one point, Yuni lies in a field with four friends, the conversation shifting from the usual curious teenage questions about sex to more adult subjects like marriage in the blink of an eye. It’s uncomfortable and stark, highlighting the premature growing up that these girls are having to go through, however unwillingly.

Similarly, Yuni ’s screenplay is an impactful mix of joyously childish one-liners – one friend is more interested in “snacking, not dating!” – and hard-hitting lines about the girls’ fears of incoming marriage. Andini and her co-writer Prima Rusdi handle proceedings with care, deftly shifting between light and heavy tones . This considered approach translates further into the camerawork and set design. As one of the teenagers cries in her bedroom surrounded by Yuni and friends, DOP Teoh Gay Hian carefully tracks around the girls’ faces and surroundings, the quiet cries the only sound in what stands out as one of the most poignant scenes of the film. The camera captures teddy bears, a pink duvet and a T-shirt reading ‘Girl Power’, before eventually settling on a sparkling, tacky sign on the bedroom wall featuring just one word: LOVE. It’s such a carefully shot and intricately composed scene, capturing a striking contrast between teenage innocence and a very serious issue.

loud and clear reviews Yuni 2022 Glasgow Film Festival

As the titular character, Arawinda Kirana gives a superb performance, ranging from chatty, sulky teenager to mature adult at ease. She carries Yuni with a near-silent but unwavering power, the energy of the central character seeping into the scenes as much as the colour purple. Kirana also finds time to release her emotions; a standout moment sees a close-up of Yuni watching a friend being married off, her eyes filling with tears as she performs a ceremonial dance. Dialogue free, this scene is all about the intensity of Kirana’s eyes. From the first to the last scene, she captivates in her first leading role.

Yuni is composed of so many intricate sequences like this, yet Andini never allows it to become a procession of standalone moments of power. Her ability to draw everything into a cohesive, satisfying and utterly unnerving drama is hugely impressive. Yuni falters at certain points – its slow burn atmosphere can sometimes cause the emotional arc of the narrative to become momentarily lost – but the steady tone of power and liberation always comes back strong. Inspired by a famous Indonesian poem about rain falling in the wrong season, Yuni consistently marks the titular character out as a teenager forcing to mature and blossom far too early. Dreams of boys and universities are stifled by the harsh realities of men and marriage, and it’s this constant battle between childhood and adulthood that carries serious weight right up to Yuni ’s haunting conclusion.

Yuni had its UK Premiere at the 2022 Glasgow Film Festival on 4 March, 2022 , and will be screened again in-person and virtually on 5-8 March.

TAGS: Glasgow Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival , Film Festivals , Films

The Apprentice Review: Abbasi Plays it Safe

Serena Seghedoni
May 21, 2024
Cannes Film Festival , Film Festivals , Films , Must Watch

The Shrouds review: A howl of grief from Cronenberg

Philip Bagnall

Sister Midnight Review: Unapologetically Wild

Desert of namibia review: gen z in modern japan.

Louis Roberts
May 20, 2024

Doctor Who (2024) Season 1 Episode 4 Review

Jack Walters

The Other Way Around (Volveréis) Film Review

Clotilde Chinnici

LATEST POSTS

By Bobby LePire | March 20, 2024

Yuni is dedicated to poet Sapardi Djoko Damono. Co-writer/director Kamila Andini and co-writer Prima Rusdi use his poem The Rain In June as the thematic cornerstone of this coming-of-age drama. Do the plights of teens the world over always ring true, or does cultural specificity derail the whole affair?

Yuni (Arawinda Kirana), a 16-year-old girl, finds herself caught between the traditional values of her grandmother (Nazla Thoyib) and her own aspirations. Her grandmother, adhering to old-school norms, believes Yuni should be considering marriage proposals; so far, two have come in. However, Yuni just wants to play music, socialize with her friends, and pursue a scholarship to attend university. This clash of values creates a tense atmosphere at home, exacerbated by the school’s newly implemented virginity test and the Islamic Club’s ban on what it deems to be immoral activities, including music.

Yuni’s journey is a profound exploration of societal expectations and personal aspirations. It’s a narrative that resonates with anyone who has grappled with the clash between tradition and personal growth. Her love for the color purple and her budding romance with Yoga (Kevin Ardilova) add depth to her character, inviting the audience to empathize with her emotional journey. But it’s her encounter with Suci (Asmara Abigail), a divorced hair stylist with a passion for fashion, that opens her eyes to the possibilities of life, even if it means making difficult choices and going against those she loves most.

Yuni is a slow-burn, meditative film. There are only three, maybe four, big moments, and even those are played in a sedate manner. Now, before one thinks that is an issue, it is not at all. Rather, Andini allows all watching to observe and, therefore, feel with and for the lead character. The story is more emotion-based than plot, and those feelings are proudly, sweetly, and intensely on display.

“… a 16-year-old girl, finds herself caught between the traditional values of her grandmother and her own aspirations.”

Moreover, Kirana is a natural. The character is constantly looking inward, figuring out herself and the world around her, something all teens face at one point. She breathes life into such soul-searching, creating a three-dimensional portrait of a complicated person. Ardilova is also fantastic. He’s meek and tender and brings the awkwardness of first love to full bloom.

Regrettably, the symbolism of the color purple in Yuni is not fully explained, leaving the audience to interpret its meaning. Is it a symbol of shame, wisdom, or personal empowerment? The film’s portrayal of the color’s significance is open to interpretation, which can be both intriguing and confusing for the audience. This ambiguity adds a layer of depth to the narrative, inviting the audience to engage with the film’s symbolism on a personal level.

The role of the Islamic Club in Yuni’s school, a seemingly non-religious institution, is a point of confusion. The club’s influence, which extends to banning activities without warning, is puzzling and not fully explained. This lack of clarity may leave the audience questioning the club’s authority and its relevance to the story. Clarifying this aspect of the film’s context could help the audience better understand the societal pressures Yuni is facing.

Yuni is a beautiful, tender film with strong characterizations. The cast is excellent, and the subtle direction reinforces Yuni’s overwhelming feelings. However, not everything makes total sense, so a few scenes and visual motifs are more confusing than anything else.

For more information, visit the official Yuni Film Movement page .

Yuni (2024)

Directed: Kamila Andini

Written: Kamila Andini, Prima Rusdi

Starring: Arawinda Kirana, Nazla Thoyib, Kevin Ardilova, Asmara Abigail, etc.

Movie score: 8/10

"…Kirana is a natural."

Silver Haze

Every so often, we see films with a social realist tinge that wallop us with their affecting quality. In Silver Haze, writer-director Sacha Polak...

Adam the First

A young boy is left on his own to scour the country in search of his father in Irving Franco's dramatic feature, Adam the First. Adam (Oakes Fegley) is a...

Under the Fig Trees

NOW ON VOD! Set in the beautiful fig orchards of Tunisia, Under the Fig Trees is a naturalistic coming-of-age story. The film centers around three sisters...

Join our Film Threat Newsletter

ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

YUNI (TIFF2021) – Review by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The third feature from Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini – the first director who has appeared twice in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform selection – Yuni employs late writer Sapardi Djoko Damono’s 1994 poem “The Rain in June” as both its inspiration and as a central plot element (so much so that the film is even dedicated to him). The story of a teenage girl forced to grow up more quickly than she is ready for, the film’s title character (played by Arawinda Kirana) on one hand lives in a world of girly gossip and adolescent crushes, while a series of marriage proposals come in through her grandmother that force the young woman to ask questions about her future, one she herself knows she is not fully equipped nor mature enough to answer. In a culture dominated by the superstition that refusing more than two proposals will result in a woman never getting married at all, the clock is ticking for Yuni , but dreams of studying at university and a less formal relationship with a boy closer to her own age find her in a tug-of-war she must resolve, one way or another.

Like her previous feature The Seen and Unseen (2017), the internal lives of young people in Indonesia remains Andini’s primary focus, but the film is as much a sensory, immersive portrait inviting us into the world of her characters as it is an exercise in pure storytelling. With Yuni’s signature passion for all things purple (so much so that she engages in minor theft), the her world – her ‘true’ world – is one filled with color and movement, particularly when hanging out with her friends, chatting about Instagram, cute teachers, sexuality and more serious things, like their school’s attempt to introduce virginity exams to verify the ‘purity’ of its women students. This lies in sharp contrast to the world that represses Yuni, a world that frequently has all the colour sucked out of it; you can see, through the tiny bits of purple she can work into her bland school uniform, how desperate she is to maintain some sense of self, represented through her emblematic color.

While Yuni is a fascinating story about the cultural pressure on teenage girls to enter into arranged marriages in Indonesia, it flourishes as a portrait of a young woman stuck between two worlds, trying to get a handle on who she is and feeling the cultural and social pressure to resist. The film is a gently yet inescapable critique on the assumption that a 16-year-old girl will know what she wants in life, and for all the teenage girl love heart paraphernalia that dot her and her friends bedrooms and their dreams of romance, the reality is that sexual violence, family and social pressure to marry and the discouragement to pursue higher education is a part of everyday life. Brought to life through an unflinching performance by Kirana, Yuni is the perfect protagonist because she is so perfectly adolescent, with all her contradictions and flights of fancy as she straddles hard and soft, cruel and kind, outgoing and insular. Hurtling towards what feels in many ways as a broadly inevitable ending, that Andini still manages to drench it with ambiguity reveals just what a solid filmmaker she is. For all its cultural specificity, the sincerity and authenticity of Yuni grant it a universal quality that makes it compelling, moving viewing.

← QUICKENING (TIFF 2021) – Review by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
SMALL BODY (TIFF2021) – Review by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas →

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas is a multi-award-winning film critic and author who has published nine books on cult, horror and exploitation cinema with an emphasis on gender politics, including the 2020 book ‘1000 Women in Horror, 1898-2018’ which was included on Esquire Magazine’s list of the best 125 books written about Hollywood. Alexandra is a contributing editor at Film International, a columnist at Fangoria, an Adjunct Professor at Deakin University, and a member of the advisory board of the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies (LA, NYC, London).

LILITHIA REVIEWS

Spoiler-free film reviews, live reviews, theatre, gaming, music, K-Pop, and all things in between.

by Tia Talge
Posted on June 16, 2022 June 19, 2022

Yuni (Sydney Film Festival) – Film Review

The third film from Indonesian writer-director Kamila Andini, and winner of Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival, Yuni is a character study about the struggle to find autonomy and independence in a community full of religious and cultural tradition and expectation.

In the small, semi-rural community of Serang, 16-year-old Yuni (Arawinda Kirana) is trying to figure it all out. With her parents located far away in central Jakarta, Yuni lives with her grandmother whose traditionalist nature quietly clashes with Yuni ’s desire for self-actualisation. Yuni is smart, top of most of her classes and with the exception of a small kleptomania problem, she’s on track to earn a university scholarship. But none of that matters to those around her; Yuni is close to graduating and soon to turn 17, making her the perfect age for an arranged marriage. Her once limitless future starts to look bleaker by the second as Yuni realises that her trajectory in life is going to be dictated by the adults around her.

Despite external pressures, Yuni is determined to defy the grown-ups, turning down not one, but two proposals from interested suitors in favour of staying free just a while longer. It seems incredibly unbelievable that someone so young would be married off without concern, and yet this is the reality of the girls in Yuni ’s town. Where many see married life as a blessing, Yuni sees it as a trap that she’s determined to avoid for as long as possible.

Coming of age stories are generally universally relatable, but Yuni is unique in that it explores very specific cultural barriers and expectations. Andini and fellow screenwriter Prima Rusdi make a point to spend much of the film reminding audiences that despite the persistent proposals from men in the village, Yuni is just a girl.

Andini and Rusdi deftly and sensitively juxtapose the harsh reality of a stifling, narrow society with scenes of Yuni simply existing in her youth – gossiping with friends about crushes, orgasms, and masturbation, putting on makeup, underage drinking and dancing in nightclubs. Despite attending a rigid school where the Islamic club has banned secular music and attempted to enforce virginity tests on all the female students, Yuni ’s private life is full of bold self-discovery and what the film lacks overall in a story, it makes up for in these scenes of unbridled teenage emotion and exploration.

Visually, the film is bare and uncomplicated. The run-down looking village with tiny bodega shops and markets in place of chain stores allows Yuni ’s personality and look to contrast beautifully. Yuni ’s obsession with the colour purple is evident throughout the film, from her coloured hair extensions and her casual clothes, to her bedroom and her motorbike. Purple often signifies spirituality and bravery, two things that Yuni wrestles with throughout the film.

Arawinda Kirana ’s embodiment of Yuni is very well done, able to delicately and expertly balance the emotional highs and lows of a young girl trying to make something of her life while staring down the barrel of a suffocating life under patriarchy. Kirana ’s co-star Kevin Ardilova who plays Yoga , a young classmate of Yuni ’s who harbours an obvious crush on her, is unfortunately unable to match her energy and most scenes with the two of them together are bogged down by Yoga ’s inability to even talk to her. While their relationship and chemistry does improve toward the final third, it’s not quite enough to give a satisfying payoff.

A delicate and humble film, Yuni can be a slog to get through in places but overall will leave you reflecting on your youth, and if you grew up in a more liberal society, counting your blessings.

Yuni is being screened as part of the 2022 Sydney Film Festival . For more information, visit: https://www.sff.org.au/program/browse/yuni

Sign up to receive weekly updates on our most recent reviews.

Thank you for subscribing. Don't forget to check your email for the confirmation.

Review Film Yuni (2021)

Yuni (2021)

Arawinda Kirana
Asmara Abigail
Dimas Aditya
Kevin Ardilova
Kamila Andini
09 December 2021

*Spoiler Alert: Review film Yuni mengandung bocoran yang bisa saja mengganggu kamu yang belum menonton.

Kiprah Kamila Andini sebagai salah satu sutradara Indonesia enggak perlu diragukan lagi. Dua film yang pernah disutradarainya, yaitu The Mirror Never Lies (2011) dan Sekala Niskala (2018), bahkan masuk dalam nominasi Film Terbaik Festival Film Indonesia (FFI). Tiga tahun setelah Sekala Niskala, Kamila comeback dengan film ketiganya yang berjudul Yuni.

Sebelum resmi dirilis secara umum di bioskop Indonesia, Yuni berhasil mendapatkan penghargaan bergengsi dari festival film internasional. Film ini mendapatkan penghargaan “Platform Prize” di Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2021. Lalu, Yuni juga ditunjuk sebagai film perwakilan Indonesia untuk masuk nominasi “Best International Feature Film” Oscar 2022.

Yuni berkisah tentang seorang anak SMA Banten yang berprestasi di sekolahnya. Menjelang kelulusannya, Yuni malah mendapatkan lamaran dari dua laki-laki.

Yuni menolak kedua lamaran tersebut karena masih ingin merasakan kebebasan dan melanjutkan pendidikannya. Namun di lamaran ketiga, Yuni mengalami dilema karena mitos tidak boleh menolak lamaran lebih dari dua kali yang bisa berakibat susah jodoh untuk ke depannya.

Review film Yuni

Merangkum berbagai isu perempuan yang sesuai realitas secara apa adanya.

Sutradara Kamila pernah mengungkapkan bahwa film Yuni terinspirasi dari kisah asisten rumah tangganya yang sudah punya cucu di usianya yang masih muda. Yuni jelas menampilkan premis yang mengangkat isu tentang pernikahan di bawah umur yang masih dianggap lumrah sebagian besar masyarakat Indonesia, khususnya di pedesaan.

Lepas dari isu tentang pernikahan di bawah umur, Yuni juga menampilkan banyak isu lain yang masih terasa dekat untuk masyarakat Indonesia. Mulai dari isu tentang kebebasan perempuan dalam mengambil pilihan hidupnya, pendidikan seks, bahkan sampai isu LGBT. Menariknya, penggambaran keadaan yang ditampilkan di Yuni benar-benar sesuai dengan realitas, jujur, dan apa adanya.

Ketika menonton film ini, kamu seperti menonton rekaman kehidupan sehari-harinya seorang gadis desa di Serang bernama Yuni. Ketika muncul konflik, konflik yang ditampilkan pun tidak terasa berlebihan atau dibuat-buat seperti film drama kebanyakan. Walau penggambarannya sederhana, film ini mampu membuat penontonnya bisa merasakan pergolakan batin yang dialami oleh Yuni.

Bincang Soal Warna Ungu hingga Isu Perempuan dengan 3 Pemeran Film Yuni
Pesona 7 Bapak-Bapak Keren dalam Sinetron Indonesia
Alasan Kamila Andini Pilih Yuni sebagai Nama Karakter di Film Terbarunya

Akting pertama Arawinda Kirana yang begitu memukau

Sebelum tampil di Yuni, Arawinda terlebih dulu tampil di film Quarantine Tales (2020). Namun fakta mengejutkannya, Yuni sebenarnya adalah proyek pertamanya Arawinda sebagai aktris. Bahkan pada pengalaman pertamanya sebagai aktris, Arawinda langsung mendapatkan penghargaan bergengsi. Yap, Arawinda berhasil mendapatkan penghargaan “Aktris Terbaik” FFI 2021 lewat perannya di Yuni.

Setelah menonton Yuni, kamu pasti bisa paham, deh, kenapa Arawinda bisa mendapatkan Piala Citra di akting pertamanya. Berperan sebagai Yuni, Arawinda mampu membawakan karakter tersebut dengan begitu sempurna.

Arawinda berhasil menampilkan segala emosi dan ekspresinya Yuni secara organik. Kamu dijamin enggak percaya, deh, bahwa aktingnya Arawinda di film ini ternyata merupakan pengalaman pertamanya membintangi film.

Fakta menarik lainnya adalah Arawinda masih berusia 18 tahun ketika dia menjalani proses syuting Yuni. Namun di usianya yang masih 18 tahun, Arawinda sudah menunjukkan totalitasnya dalam berakting dengan berani melakukan adegan seks.

Tenang saja, adegan seks yang ditampilkan di Yuni enggak terlihat vulgar, kok. Namun jika mengingat filmografinya yang minim, enggak heran bahwa Arawinda diganjar penghargaan Aktris Terbaik FFI 2021.

5 Film Indonesia yang Juga Dibuatkan Pertunjukan Teater
7 Psikopat Sadis Film Indonesia yang Bikin Ngeri Semalaman
Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas dan Yuni Berjaya di JAFF 2021

Mengangkat kebudayaan yang jarang disorot

Film yang mengangkat unsur kebudayaan sudah jadi hal yang biasa. Namun, sutradara Kamila memutuskan memilih kebudayaan dari daerah yang jarang disorot oleh media, yaitu Serang. Lewat film ini, kamu bisa mendengarkan penggunaan bahasa Jawa Serang (Jaseng) di sepanjang filmnya karena Jaseng digunakan sebagai bahasa utama dalam percakapan di Yuni.

Yuni sebenarnya enggak menampilkan kehidupan di pedesaan yang terpencil atau pedalaman. Kondisi yang berada di sekitar Yuni sudah tersentuh oleh teknologi, bahkan dikelilingi oleh industri pabrik. Selain penggunaan bahasa Jaseng, sutradara Kamila juga enggak lupa menambahkan unsur kebudayaan Banten lainnya, sehingga penonton benar-benar merasakan suasana Serang bak aslinya.

Salah satu yang membuat suasana Serang begitu kentara adalah kehadiran adegan yang memperlihatkan Yuni terlibat dalam kegiatan pencak silat. Yuni bahkan ikut tampil mengisi pertunjukkan pencak silat di salah satu pernikahan temannya. Hebatnya lagi, sutradara Kamila juga mengungkapkan bahwa Yuni juga melibatkan aktor yang benar-benar berasal dari Serang.

7 Film Indonesia Laris yang Juga Dibuatkan Series
5 Film Indonesia Terbaru yang Beri Sudut Pandang Baru dalam Hidup
Film Yuni Wakili Indonesia di Seleksi Piala Oscar 2022

Setelah menonton Yuni, kamu pasti bisa paham mengapa film ini menjadi wakil Indonesia untuk bersaing di Oscar 2022. Yuni berhasil menyampaikan kritik keras terhadap permasalahan perempuan Indonesia dengan cara yang jujur dan mampu mengaduk emosi.

Setelah baca review film Yuni , apakah kamu jadi tertarik menonton film ini?. Buat yang sudah menonton, jangan lupa tulis pendapat kamu pada kolom komentar, ya!

Stay Updated!

review film

Review Film Cash Out (2024)

Review Film Monster (2024)

Review Film IF (2024)

Review Film Tarot (2024)

Review Film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)

Review Film How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024)

The Story of Redd Kross, the Most Underrated Band of Their Generation, Is Told in Fascinating Detail in ‘Born Innocent’ Documentary: Film Review

By Jem Aswad

Executive Editor, Music

The Story of Redd Kross, the Most Underrated Band of Their Generation, Is Told in Fascinating Detail in ‘Born Innocent’ Documentary: Film Review 31 mins ago
Snoop Dogg to Auction Off His Own Memorabilia — Is This a Major New Revenue Opportunity for Artists? (EXCLUSIVE) 2 hours ago
Lainey Wilson and Chris Stapleton Win Top ACM Awards, Post Malone Gets a Big Look 5 days ago

It is a paradoxical but nonetheless true statement to say that the retro-leaning L.A. rock band Redd Kross was far ahead of their time — not just musically (the power-pop resurgence of the early ‘90s) but also in pop-culture worship and the irony that saturated the 1990s. But their comic take on those things obscures not just what a great rock band they were and still are, but also the fact that they’re legit OGs on any number of levels.

Popular on Variety

At a time when most other American punk bands were shouting about hating the police and having no values, Red Cross’ first EP, released in 1980 (and soon the target of a legal letter that led to the current, altered spelling), included an ode to beach-movie icon Annette Funicello and a song called “I Hate My School”; their debut album bore the title of a different scandalous Blair-starring film (“Born Innocent”), was filled with punky songs with titles like “White Trash” and “Cellulite City” and even a cover of a Charles Manson song. But then came the rebellion against the punk scene, the long hair, glammed-out clothes and pop-culture overload, and the basically never left.

In 1987, Redd Kross released one of the greatest power-pop albums of all time, “Neurotica,” but the album and their retro sound and look were far ahead of the mainstream (the muffled production from ex-Ramones drummer Tom Erdelyi did not help; the album has since been remixed and sounds significantly better). But the group’s enormously entertaining live shows — the first time I saw them they played two Beatles covers; the second time, they played two songs from “Jesus Christ Superstar” — are what truly built the legend. Sonic Youth, patron saints of the indie scene with no small pop-culture fetish of their own, worshipped them, as their cofounder Thurston Moore says in the doc; members of Soundgarden and other Seattle bands speak reverentially of their shows in the area.

Major labels swarmed to the group’s shows, but like their kindred spirits of the era, the Replacements, they’d intentionally goof off if they knew A&R execs were in the audience, once playing the Who’s “Tommy” at a high-profile L.A. concert (in its entirety) rather than their own songs. The group signed with Atlantic Records, but were out of their depth in the high-stakes major-label world; Jeff’s substance abuse (which he downplays, although his brother doesn’t) did not make the situation better. The group’s lineup stabilized in the early ‘90s and they released two strong studio albums with “Phaseshifter” and “Show World,” but their moment had passed and after 15 years, with even Steve in his thirties, the group went on what turned out to be a decade-plus-long hiatus.

But they reunited during the 2010s and this documentary — which is seeking distribution — is hitting film festivals coinciding with a major Redd Kross redux: There’s a new, self-titled album dropping late next month and a national tour, along with a forthcoming retrospective book and a just-released reissue of their first album.

Now in their fifth decade, Redd Kross has had a charmed, star-crossed existence, and “Born Innocent” tells that story in fascinating fashion.

“Born Innocent” has its Los Angeles premiere at the Don’t Knock the Rock Festival on May 23, with a second screening on May 27.

Directed by Andrew Reich Produced by Andrew Reich & Julian Cautherley Executive Producers, Josh Braun, Dan Braun Cinematography by Steve Appleford Edited by Erin Elders Sales Agent: Submarine Entertainment

More From Our Brands

Alabama’s war on women, this modern $7.7 million palm springs home is bursting with classic glitz and glamor, splash brother steph curry invests in nirvana water sciences, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, comcast sets pricing for netflix, apple tv+ and peacock streaming bundle, verify it's you, please log in.

Controversial Donald Trump movie ‘The Apprentice’ depicts him as rapist

A dark new biopic starring Sebastian Stan as a young Trump is the talk of Cannes.

CANNES, France — Had a movie called “The Apprentice” about a young Donald Trump ’s rise to power premiered in America — during an election year in which said protagonist is the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president — one imagines there might have been protests and police in riot gear.

Instead, this Monday evening at the Cannes Film Festival, the film received the usual reverential treatment: a gala audience in gowns and tuxedos and star Sebastian Stan posing for photos on the red carpet. (Jeremy Strong, who plays the ruthless lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn, is on Broadway; during the eight-minute standing ovation, Iranian Danish director Ali Abbasi held up a still photo of the actor in his dressing room with his fingers in a peace sign.)

The film follows Trump in his years as a New York real estate mogul, as he strikes up an almost filial relationship with Cohn (and then abandons him as Cohn contracts AIDS), and falls in and out of love with his first wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova of “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”).

The Style section

Going into the premiere, the main questions swirling around the movie seemed to be about tone. Did the presence of Bakalova mean that this was going to be a biting satire? (The Cannes party invite, for instance, says, “If you’re indicted, you’re invited,” which is a line Strong’s Cohen says in the film.)

Or would it be a dark look into Trump’s power grabs and predatory behavior? After all, the screenplay is from Vanity Fair journalist Gabriel Sherman, and Abbasi’s last Cannes film, 2022’s “Holy Spider,” is about a serial killer targeting sex workers in the Iranian holy city of Mashhad.

When the lights rose, the applause was instant and robust, with Cate Blanchett and Cynthia Erivo somehow leading the charge down in the orchestra seats near Abbasi and Stan. There had been spots of laughter, especially during moments of physical comedy, like when Trump slips on ice while courting Ivana and boastfully telling her he knows how to ski. But, by and large, it is a very dark and chilling origin story.

Stan’s Trump is not a clown but a vicious “killer,” as the character categorizes his ambition. In details that seem to be based on a 1990 divorce deposition from Ivana Trump , we see him go under the knife, in gory detail, to get liposuction and a scalp reduction surgery, as a solution to his growing love handles and bald spot.

And we watch when, as Ivana also alleged in that deposition, Trump pushes her to the floor of their home during an argument and rapes her. (Ivana’s testimony had brought the concept of marital rape into mainstream American conversation at the time, but she recanted her statements about it in 2015 .)

He’s also depicted receiving oral sex from a topless blonde in Atlantic City while married.

“We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers. This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign communications director.

As they were making the film, Abbasi told the crowd, he had so many people question why he would choose Trump as his subject matter, or why he didn’t wrap up what he wanted to say about the world in an allegory about the American Revolution or the Second World War.

“But the point is there is no nice metaphorical way to deal with the rising wave of fascism,” he said. “There’s only the messy way … there’s only the way of dealing with this wave on its own terms, on its own level, and it’s not going to be pretty, but I think … that the good people have been quiet for too long. So I think it’s time to make movies relevant. It’s time to make movies political again.”

Later on, at a party celebrating his new film, Abbasi told The Washington Post: “He’s a complex character. I think anyone who thinks Donald Trump is stupid or banal or superficial is gravely mistaken. I think a lot of my liberal friends think that because he doesn’t speak as eloquently as Barack Obama, he’s dumb and he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

He continued: “He has a very intuitive, actual ability to understand the masses. The Donald Trump in the movie is a construct, you know? I can call it a persona. And I can’t say that I decoded him.”

Early griping about the film, from the select few who’d seen it before the premiere, centered on how favorably Trump comes across in the first half. Stan plays him as a cocky, endearing kid, eager to earn his emotionally withholding father’s approval by building the biggest, most gaudy buildings in New York.

Determined to build his own legacy on the skyline of a city that was crumbling and emptying out in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Trump befriends Cohn, who helps the Trump family out when the Justice Department sues them for discriminating against Black rental applicants to their buildings. Cohn was the one who came up with the idea to countersue the government for $100 million .

Almost as soon as they meet, Cohn is teaching Trump life lessons that still seem to be ones he lives by — and that he laid out in his book “The Art of the Deal”:

1) Attack, attack, attack. (“If someone comes at you with a knife, you hit them with a bazooka,” Stan’s Trump later says.)

2) Admit nothing and deny everything.

3) Never admit defeat.

“I thought that the director’s voice was incredibly bold, and it was a funny take but also incredibly impactful,” said Michelle J. Li, a 27-year-old costume designer from New York, outside the theater. “When you see him portrayed as a human, it makes all these wild choices that we know him to have made even more [frightening].”

“It’s a lot easier to write off monsters as if they’re a fable,” said her friend Reece Feldman, 25, who works in digital marketing for film. “But when they’re depicted as people, you realize that their choices come from something within as opposed to just like a storybook [evil].”

Behind the scenes, though, Variety reports that the film has been embroiled in a vicious legal battle with one of its investors, the billionaire former owner of the Washington Commanders, Daniel Snyder.

According to the trade paper, Snyder — who is a friend of Trump’s and donated $1.1 million to his inaugural committee and Trump Victory Fund in 2016 and $100,000 to his 2020 campaign — invested in the film through Kinematics. The production company, founded by actor-director Mark H. Rapaport, has made only four films so far and most of them are horror.

Per Variety, Snyder believed the film would be a flattering portrayal of Trump. But, according to the outlet: “Snyder finally saw a cut of the film in February and was said to be furious. Kinematics’ lawyers were enlisted to fight the release of ‘The Apprentice,’ and the cease-and-desist letters began flying.”

Kinematics president Emanuel Nunez confirmed to Variety that his company had tried to stop the release, but that it was a result of creative disagreements between the company and the filmmakers, and had nothing to do with Snyder.

Snyder’s attorney John Brownlee did not respond to an email from The Post seeking comment.

Nicki Jhabvala and Maeve Reston contributed to this report.

This article has been updated to include a statement from Donald Trump’s campaign communications director.

Jeremy Strong, as Roy Cohn, says, “If you’re indicted, you’re invited” in the film. It is not written on an invitation in the film. This article has been corrected.

an image, when javascript is unavailable

site categories

Jan a.p. kaczmarek dies: oscar-winning ‘finding neverland’ composer was 71, breaking news.

‘Ernest Cole, Lost And Found’ Review: Raoul Peck Chronicles The Life And Work Of South African Unsung Hero Ernest Cole – Cannes Film Festival

By Valerie Complex

Valerie Complex

Associate Editor/Film Writer

Cannes Film Festival 2024: All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews

'Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes' Cannes Review

‘Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes’ Review: The Legend In Her Own Words In HBO Documentary About Newly Discovered 1964 Interview – Cannes Film Festival

Cole frequently took images of Black South Africans at work as he observed women working low-paying jobs as maids and nannies, while the men went to work in the mines. He held a particular focus on the faces of his subjects, which held the look of sadness, and disdain. The global community was aware of the atrocities going on, but calls for change were met with indifference. By 1966, Cole had fled Johannesburg for Europe, leaving his home but never forgetting his objective: to one day see a free South Africa.

Peck’s documentary delves into Cole’s life with a depth that illuminates his life and work, while Stanfield embodies Cole’s voice with empathy. The film interweaves Cole’s photographs, personal writings and the recollections of those who knew or worked with him and thoroughly blurs the lines between past and present, making it feel as though the photographer himself is guiding the audience through his extraordinary journey. His first book, 1967’s House of Bondage , serves as a focal point in the film as it was a scathing indictment of apartheid, and its international impact exacerbated his exile and prevented him from returning to his homeland.

Peck does create space for levity within Cole’s story as he found solace in the freedoms that living in New York City offered. Taking pictures of happy interracial couples and queer couples kissing, hugging and holding hands in public surprised him because that was something he never saw public in South Africa. On the other end of the spectrum for him, the city carried an aloofness as he captured people going through the motions of fast-track city life that often is unfeeling, and unyielding. This made the photographer extremely homesick, which expedited his mental decline. His demoralization reached its peak, and he gave up on photography entirely. Cole died in 1990 from cancer at 47, two years before Nelson Mandela was released from jail and apartheid was ended.

Leslie Matlaisane, Cole’s nephew, received a call from Sweden about the discovery of more than 60,000 of the photographer’s 35mm negatives in a Stockholm bank vault. He wanted an explanation of how the photos got there and who had been paying for the vault all these years, but upon arriving in Sweden, those concerns were met with microaggression and were dismissed. This reflects the broader narrative of systemic disregard and erasure that Cole fought against throughout his life.

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found stands as a powerful testament to Cole’s life and work. It is a reminder of the spirit required to confront and document injustice and the personal cost that often accompanies such commitment. Peck’s film is a necessary tribute that ensures Ernest’s contributions are recognized and remembered for generations. His book and photos challenges us to reflect on the enduring nature of white supremacy and the power of visual storytelling in the fight for justice.

Title: Ernest Cole, Lost And Found Festival: Cannes (Special Screening) Directo r- Screenwriter: : Raoul Peck Narrator: Lakeith Stanfield Distributor: Magnolia Pictures Running time: 1 hr 45 min

Must Read Stories

‘apprentice’ director responds to trump threat; review, ovation + photos.

Paolo Sorrentino’s ‘Parthenope’ Sells Globally Ahead Of Premiere

Pixar reduces staff by 14% amid disney content spending cuts, jessica gunning on real-life martha, who fires fresh shots at netflix.

Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.