If you were to imagine Indonesia as a movie, what would come to your mind? Perhaps the film 'Losmen Bu Broto' could be one of the excellent choices to represent Indonesian culture and traditions that you can watch.
'Losmen Bu Broto' is an Indonesian drama film released in 2021, directed by Ifa Isfansyah and Eddie Cahyono. The film stars Mathias Muchus, Maudy Koesnaedi, Maudy Ayunda, Putri Marino, and Baskara Mahendra as the main cast.
'Losmen Bu Broto' showcases the life of a married couple and their three children managing a losmen, a traditional Indonesian inn, in Yogyakarta. The film highlights strong Indonesian values, culture, and traditions, particularly those of Javanese culture in Yogyakarta, where it was filmed.
Rich In Traditional Indonesian Arts
The losmen, both a home and inn managed by the Broto family, is a house with a distinctive traditional Javanese architectural style. The 'Losmen Bu Broto' attached signboard also includes a traditional Javanese script. We can also see paintings depicting wayang, a traditional Indonesian art, and wayang ornaments on the losmen's tables.
To uphold Javanese traditions and culture, the Broto family and their employees all wear kebaya and surjan, traditional Javanese clothing, daily. They also dress traditionally: the women style their hair in buns, and the men wear blangkon on their heads.
Around the losmen, we can also find many people selling batik, a traditional Indonesian fabric. Batik has even been recognized by UNESCO as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia.
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Showcasing Traditional Culinary and Transportation
The losmen also serves typical Indonesian dishes to its guests. The featured dishes include chicken soto, selat solo, bebek bacem, mangut lele, kecombrang sour fish, and traditional Indonesian snacks such as lemper, dadar gulung, pastel, lapis, mata kebo, and tahu bakso.
In one scene, Bu Broto, played by Maudy Koesnaedi, is shown drinking jamu, a traditional Indonesian beverage that has also been recognized by UNESCO as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage. We can also see horse-drawn carriages, known as 'delman,' a traditional mode of Indonesian transportation that uses horses as its pullers.
Showcasing Culture and Heritage
Furthermore, this film also showcases traditional Indonesian musical art known as 'keroncong.' Yogyakarta's tourist attractions are also highlighted in this film, either through posters on the losmen walls or mentioned by the character 'Sri,' played by Maudy Ayunda, as recommendations to guests.
The mentioned Yogyakarta tourist attractions include Prambanan Temple, Ratu Boko Temple, and Borobudur Temple, all historic temples and cultural heritage sites of Indonesia.
Javanese Warmth in Focus
Additionally, 'Losmen Bu Broto' also emphasizes the traditions of polite and warm hospitality. The Broto family greatly values their guests and treats them warmly like family, which makes the guests feel at home and encourages them to return repeatedly. This is one of the reasons why the losmen is always crowded every day.
Beyond its traditional elements, the film's portrayal of the Broto family's warm and polite treatment of guests reflects the friendly, warm, and courteous nature of Indonesian people. The use of the Javanese language further enriches the film's cultural value.
Are you interested in watching 'Losmen Bu Broto'? This film offers a glimpse into local life, values, and traditions that represent Indonesia, particularly the unique and diverse culture of Yogyakarta.
After watching it, you might be interested in visiting Indonesia, exploring Yogyakarta, and visiting tourist attractions like the historical temples mentioned in the film, riding a delman, wearing traditional Indonesian clothing, and experiencing firsthand the culture, food, and drinks typical of the region, as presented in the film.
