REPRESENTASI RELASI MERTUA PEREMPUAN DAN MENANTU PEREMPUAN DALAM KELUARGA BATAK PADA FILM CATATAN HARIAN MENANTU SINTING (2024)

Abstract

The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has a negative stereotype and is often depicted as an disharmonious relationship with many conflicts. This research then examines the film Catatan Harian Menantu Sinting (2024) that provides a depiction of the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, especially in families with a Batak cultural background, which is filled with various dynamics such as power relations, conflicts and roles held in the family.
This research applies John Fiske’s Television Code semiotic approach, which examines scenes through three levels of analysis, reality, representation, and ideology. Supported by various theories such as family power theory, conflict theory, and role theory. Ten scenes were analyzed to uncover how power, conflict, and role expectations are constructed within the Batak cultural system.
The results of the research reveal that the mother-in-law’s power is legitimized by cultural norms and is exercised through one way communication with minimal room for negotiation. Conflict arises from a mismatch of values and expectations, while traditional role expectation of daughter-in-law are maintained even after their biological roles are fulfilled. The film symbolically critiques the traditional family structure that places daugther-in-law in subordinate positions without space for open dialogue.While power, conflict, and roles in the family could be negotiated through communication, the absence of such dialogue in the film reinforces dominant power held by mother-in-law, causing persistent conflict and burdened role expectations.