<![CDATA[Purpose: This study aims to explore the representation of women and locality in the films of Kamila Andini. By specifically focusing on The Mirror Never Lies (Laut Bercermin) and Before, Now & Then (Nana), the research examines how female narratives are strongly portrayed within distinct Indonesian cultural settings. Furthermore, this study delves into four main analytical dimensions: women as subjects of inner experience, locality as a space of cultural meaning, the female body as a social sign, and cultural symbols as sites of resistance. Method: To analyze the film texts, this research applies Roland Barthes’ semiotic approach. The analysis systematically utilizes his three-tiered model of meaning—denotative, connotative, and mythological—to decode the layered visual and narrative representations present in both selected works. Results : The findings reveal that women in both films are depicted as active agents of emotional and cultural introspection who employ silence and subtle gestures as nuanced forms of resistance against patriarchal norms. Additionally, locality functions not merely as a passive backdrop, but as a dynamic symbolic space that actively shapes the social construction of gender and identity. Moreover, cultural symbols such as traditional clothing, domestic spaces, and natural landscapes construct a prevailing myth of women as custodians of tradition, while simultaneously creating space for subversive reinterpretations of these established cultural roles. Conclusion: In conclusion, this research significantly contributes to the broader academic discourse on Indonesian cinema. By integrating semiotic analysis, the study offers a critical, gendered, and ideological reading of local narratives embedded within contemporary film works.]]>
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