| Tjoet Nja' Dhien | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Eros Djarot |
| Written by | Eros Djarot |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | George Kamarullah |
| Edited by | Karsono Hadi |
| Music by | Idris Sardi |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Languages | Indonesian,Acehnese,Dutch |
Tjoet Nja' Dhien (pronounced[ˈtʃʊtˈɲaʔdiˈɛn]) is a 1988 Indonesian film directed byEros Djarot and starringPiet Burnama,Christine Hakim,Rudy Wowor, andSlamet Rahardjo. Based on the life's story of femaleAcehnese guerrilla leaderCut Nyak Dhien, it focuses on the six-year period between her second husband,Teuku Umar's death and her capture by theDutch colonial army.Tjoet Nja' Dhien was released to critical acclaim, winning 9Citra Awards, and was screened at theSelection de la Semaine de la Critique in Cannes, 1989. It also became Indonesia's submission to the62nd Academy Awards for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not nominated.[1]
Tjoet Nja' Dhien is based on the life ofCut Nyak Dhien, anAcehnese strategist, political mentor, and freedom fighter. Born to an aristocratic family inAceh Besar in 1848, Dhien married Teuku Cek Ibrahim Lamnga at a young age. After her father and husband died in separate attempts to repel theRoyal Netherlands East Indies Army during theSecond Aceh Expedition, Dhien swore revenge against theDutch colonials.[2]
Dhien started leading troops in the war against the Dutch, eventually uniting her forces withTeuku Umar's.[3] They married in 1880 and she became his chief strategist and political mentor,[4] eventually taking control of the united forces after his death in 1899. The continued fighting took a toll on her health, as she slowly became more fragile.[3]
Due to her deteriorating health, Pang Laot, one of troops, secretly approached the Dutch and offered to surrender Dhien to them on the condition that she be treated fairly. The Dutch stated their agreement,[5] and Dhien was captured on 4 November 1905 inMeulaboh, western Aceh. Imprisoned inBanda Aceh then exiled toSumedang,West Java, Dhien died in 1908. Since her death she has become one of the most prominent fighters from the Aceh War,[4] being declared aNational Hero in 1964.[6]
Director Eros Djarot required two years to complete filming.[7]
Christine Hakim was chosen for the title role of Cut Nyak Dhien. She later described the role as a "huge honor" and "very challenging"; she also credits the role for answering her questions on her identity.[8]
Tjoet Nja' Dhien focuses on the six-year period between Umar's death and Dhien's capture by the Dutch. Leading her guerrilla troops, Dhien fights against the Dutch colonial army. Although she is supported by her troops and many Acehnese people, some Acehnese leaders have begun collaborating with the Dutch. Within the Dutch military, some commanders and troops commit "barbarous and cruel acts", while others supply weapons to the Acehnese. Eventually, Dhien is captured; not long afterwards, anintertitle stating that the Acehnese continued to fight is shown prior to the credits.[9][10]
According to Deanne Schultz,Tjoet Nja' Dhien shows the Acehnese guerrillas powered by determination against "overwhelming odds", as well righteous Islamic faith, as contrasted by the commercially motivated Dutch military and colonials. Cut Nyak Dhien herself, steadfastly believing that the Dutch soldiers are "infidels" who have "soiled the land", serves to unite her people in the Aceh War. Schultz argues that the intertitle shown at the end of the film suggests that Dhien's struggle ultimately led toIndonesian independence.[9]
The film was well received in Indonesia, winning 9Citra Awards at the 1988Indonesian Film Festival.[10]
It was chosen as Indonesia's submission to the62nd Academy Awards for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.[11] It was also screened at theSelection de la Semaine de la Critique[10] in 1989.[4]
In 2006, Ade Irwansyah ofTabloid Bintang (Star Tabloid) listedTjoet Nja' Dhien as the best Indonesian film of all time, calling it the "peak achievement of [Indonesia's] film industry up till now."[a][7]
Schultz writes thatTjoet Nja' Dhien has "many of the best qualities of popular narrative cinema", including powerful cinematography, a "brave, smart, pious, and loving" main character, and credible villains.[9]
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