Edward Kenneth A.

Dragas KAS 2

Kartini: Princess of Java Reaction Paper)

“I have been longing to make the acquaintance of a 'modern girl,' that proud,
independent girl who has all my sympathy! She who, happy and self-reliant, lightly and alertly
steps her way through life, full of enthusiasm and warm feelings; working not only for her own
well-being and happiness, but for the greater good of humanity as a whole.”
- Raden Adjeng Kartini

Kartini: Princess of Java (2017) is a drama biopic that tells the story of Raden Adjeng
Kartini, a daughter born in 1879 into a powerful and aristocratic family settled in the former
Dutch colony of the Dutch East Indies. Her father's status as a Javanese nobleman working for
the Dutch government allowed her to attend a Dutch school, which few natives had at the time.
Because of this, her exposure to Western ideas became a turning point in her being a staunch
feminist, advocating for women’s rights in her later years.
The film mostly revolves around an important chapter of a Javanese girl’s life known as
pingitan – a period of time in which they are not allowed to leave their parents' house until they
were married, after which they are to be given a role in Javanese society which is called Raden
Ayu, a wife of a nobleman. At the end of this, the authority over them was transferred to their
husbands.1 However, this doesn’t stop Kartini as she had a desire to continue her interest in
education. While in pingit, Kartini spends her time reading books that her older brother, Raden
Mas Kartono, has given her. Through these books, it fuels her desire to provide women with
leadership roles and opportunities in society. Together with her two sisters, they collaborated in
fighting against Javanese traditions and socio-political standards of the 1800s by writing
published articles in a plethora of Dutch periodicals in Java. Unfortunately, her fight to pursue
her dream of attending higher education in the Netherlands fell short, as she was arrange to
marry a nobleman. Nonetheless she made an agreement with her father and her husband which
then helped her fund the construction of schools for women and the underprivileged in exchange
for her arranged marriage, is the doorway to modern-day Indonesian society.
Right from the start I feel a sense of pity for the young Kartini as she longs for Ngasirah’s
(her biological mother) love and affection; since she was forbidden to do so as it would hurt the
feelings the second wife of her father, Raden Ayu Moerjam. Ngasirah and her daughter shared a
gated compound, but they were separated by Javanese culture's social rankings and expectations.
Kartini was required to address her mother as 'Yu,' a term for a female housekeeper, whereas
Ngasirah is required to address her daughter as 'Ndoro,' which means employer. It is such
disjointed and cruel relationship imposed by societal rules. For me, Kartini’s relationship with
her real mother is the one which struck me the most. During the penultimate part of the film,
Ngasirah finally snapped and decided to save her daughter out of her confinement and decided to
tell her the full story. She told Kartini that she and Kartini’s father (Regent Sosroningrat)
sacrificed their marriage for the sake of him becoming the Regent of Jepara, since it is a Javanese
custom that a nobleman should marry people from their nobility as well. She then said that the
Dutch would never learn the language of devotion, of how the Javanese people had to endure
discrimination and yet still be committed to live and serve in the society. She revealed that she
accepted her fate, to be seperated from her children since it is her duty to do so; and she hoped
for a better life for Kartini, to all her children to have a better life than her and to strive to
become the best version of themselves. This poignant and heartfelt exchange between a mother
and her daugther left me in tears.
During the 2 hour duration of the film, it successfully tackled a variety of important
themes such as marriage, duty and the continuing struggle of women throughout history. It
provides us non-Indonesian viewers with the ability to travel back in time and experience the
birth of what would eventually turn into the growing feminist movement in the country. To add,
the sets and costumes were beautifully crafted that accurately depicts colonial-times Java; from
the Dutch architecture to the traditional clothing of the natives which was batik. As a history buff
myself, I find it increasingly difficult to find resources and outlets that can correctly educate me
about history in a powerful and impactful way. So I am thankful that I found this movie since in
my opinion, this film succeeds in providing the audience with sufficient information that is not
lost in translation.

Sources:

1. Indonesia Forum. University of Melbourne. Accessed November 29, 2022.

https://indonesiaforum.arts.unimelb.edu.au/kartini-as-a-source-of-historical-and-contemporary-inspiration-
in-indonesia/#:~:text=The%20first%20of%20these%20oppressive,this%20would%20cease%20on
%20pingitan.

2. Traditional batik. Accessed November 29, 2022.

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/indonesian/budaya_bangsa/batik/clothing.htm.