This City Is a Battlefield

Isa, a taciturn school teacher working for the resistance, is tasked with carrying out an assassination with the help of Hazil, a charming rebel who finds himself falling for Isa’s wife, Fatimah. An exquisite period thriller that marries sensual romantic drama with propulsive action spectacle.

Jakarta, 1946. Nationalist leaders have declared independence, but the city remains under Dutch control, triggering bloody clashes between the army and the resistance movement. Simmering beneath this ideological struggle is a deeply moral one: Fatimah, a resilient homemaker, finds her affections divided between her husband Isa, a war hero turned violin teacher involved with the resistance, and Hazil, Isa’s charming comrade-in-arms.

An adaptation of Mochtar Lubis’ 1952 novel A Road with No End, This City Is a Battlefield delivers a sumptuous, stylish period thriller that adroitly blends intimate romantic drama with riveting political intrigue. At its emotional centre is the courageous Fatimah, whose complex, conflicted character the film develops with great empathy and absence of judgment.

Mouly Surya’s fifth feature recreates life in Jakarta under colonial occupation in fastidious detail, unveiling it in all its seductive and brutal textures. Propelled by kinetic action set-pieces and elegant lead performances, This City Is a Battlefield explores timeless human sentiments against a concrete historical backdrop, painting a moving picture of individuals and a nation alike, yearning for autonomy and freedom.

– Srikanth Srinivasan

Trailer

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