Merantau

In the rugged highlands of Minangkabau in West Sumatra, Yuda is a gifted student of Silat Harimau, training for Merantau, a rite of passage that will carry him from the comfort of his village into the glare of Jakarta. The film traces his last days at home and the pressure of leaving behind family, friends, and a life marked by simple duties. As he mounts the long road toward the city, he must translate ancestral discipline into urban grit, balancing respect for tradition with the temptations and dangers that await in a metropolis that never stops. The tone blends intimate village rituals with raw action, setting up a coming of age shaped by danger and duty.

Directed by Gareth Evans in 2009, Merantau marks his feature debut. The film highlights Iko Uwais in the lead and a lean, practical approach to martial arts that would become a signature of Evans's early work.

The feature helped draw international attention to Indonesian action cinema and to the Evans Uwais collaboration. Its emphasis on grounded fight choreography and real fighting dynamics influenced later projects and earned it a place in genre festivals.

Critics noted its spare storytelling, steady pacing, and focus on growth, family obligation, and the pull between rural roots and urban ambition. The film resonates through its authenticity and the pressure to prove oneself.