Gaining Harmony: Glocal Subjectivity in Two Indonesian films for Children

Abstract

This paper investigates the representation of glocal subjectivity in two Indonesian films for children, Lima Elang (2011) and Langit Biru (2012) . The notion of subjectivity is crucial in positioning children in the era of globalisation, where children regularly encounter multiple and diverse values. Drawing on McCallum's (1999) proposition of subjectivity and Gutierrez's (2013) glocal subjectivity, the films are analysed using formal system analysis ( Bordwell and Thompson, 2008 ), which takes both narrative and cinematic aspects into consideration. There are two findings from the analysis. First, glocal subjectivity is formed through shared global scripts and signs, though these are somewhat adjusted in response to local signs and values. Second, this subjectivity is represented as agentic development of awareness and understanding; harmony is achieved through local supports. Although there is a blend of global and local subjectivities in the film texts, the glocal subjectivity favours global subjectivity, which reveals the dominant ideology of the text.