This City Is a Battlefield

Set in the shattered streets and smoke filled theaters of postwar Jakarta, This City Is a Battlefield follows a gifted but troubled violinist who is pulled into a dangerous mission tied to the colonial regime. He is ordered to strike a prominent colonial theatre, a plan that haunts him as the line between duty and conscience frays. When a daring rebel with a magnetic presence becomes involved with his wife, the ensemble of loyalties strains under the weight of a fight for national self rule. The resulting tensions threaten not only personal lives but the fragile dream of independence two years after the occupation. In a city haunted by smoke and memory, music acts as witness.

Directed by Mouly Surya, this film reimagines a story by Mochtar Lubis for the screen and arrives as a bold mid 2020s Indonesian drama that blends wartime history with intimate romance and moral tension, inviting careful reflection from diverse audiences.

Early responses highlight a tense atmosphere and moral ambiguity, where art and allegiance collide in a faded struggle for freedom. The score and period detail sharpen emotional stakes, while lead performances probe loyalty, desire, and costs of rebellion. The performances carry tenderness that makes the setting feel lived in.

Box office data is not publicly available for This City Is a Battlefield, so there are no confirmed worldwide gross figures at this time. The absence of numbers leaves debate to critics and fans.