Film often serves as a medium of social representation that shapes how audiences understand religious values, cultural practices, and gender relations. This study aims to analyze how female university students, as viewers, respond to the representation of Islamic values, pesantren (Islamic boarding school) life, and gender relations in the film Perempuan Berkalung Sorban, as well as to explore the internal meaning-making processes and subsequent responses that emerge after watching the film. This research employs a descriptive qualitative method using the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) theoretical framework. In this framework, the film is positioned as a stimulus presenting representations of religious practices and gender relations; the female students’ cognitive–affective processes constitute the organism; and their emotional reactions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions represent the response. Data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews with seven Muslim female students, and film document analysis. The findings reveal that the students interpret the film as a critique of the misuse of patriarchal religious interpretations and as a reflection of certain social realities related to gender inequality within pesantren environments and broader society. The meaning-making process occurs through a comparison between the normative Islamic values they believe in and the patriarchal social practices depicted in the film. Audience responses include emotional reactions (anger, sadness, discomfort), shifts in attitudes toward gender issues and religious interpretation, and the emergence of intentions to engage in discussion, express their perspectives, and advocate for gender equality within their social environment. This study affirms that film can function as an effective stimulus in shaping audiences’ critical awareness of Islamic values, pesantren life, and gender relations.