Rejecting Romance: The Reality of Migrants and Indonesian Identity in the Film Tabula Rasa (2014)

Abstract

Indonesian films often portray migration with a romantic nuance, where the hometown is represented as an idealized place that is always missed. This study, however, analyzes the film Tabula Rasa (2014), which appears to reject this narrative. The film focuses on the reality of migrants driven by failure and disaster, not idealism. Using a qualitative film analysis method, specifically semiotic and narrative approaches, this research aims to identify how the film represents the pragmatic reality of migrants and, at the same time, portrays a new vision of Indonesian identity (keindonesiaan). The findings show that Tabula Rasa deconstructs the romance of the hometown through its characters who focus on adapting in the present. Furthermore, the film successfully presents cuisine as a central medium that bridges cultural differences. The kitchen of the "Takana Juo" restaurant becomes a microcosm of Indonesian identity, where individuals from different ethnic backgrounds find harmony and build a new "home." This research offers a new perspective that "home" is a dynamic concept, which can be formed through tolerance and acceptance, and that diversity is a unifying strength.