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Teen pregnancy film ignites conversation on sex education in Indonesia
Since its release on July 11, Dua Garis Biru (Two Blue Stripes) has found major success, becoming the country’s second-biggest box office hit, yet some parents and teachers are prohibiting teenagers from watching it, accusing the film of being inappropriate.
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(Courtesy of Starvision and Wahana Kreator/-)
V
aniecia, 16, once learned about sex education in ninth grade at school. However, it was brief and did not really explain what sex was. When she brought up the subject to her parents, they merely told her that she would find out herself soon enough.
“My sister was the one who provided me with the education that I should’ve received from the beginning,” she said.
Vaniecia felt fortunate that her sister was willing to explain to her what her parents and teachers refused to, but for her a question remained: “What about underage [children] who find out about sex themselves and have false interpretations of it?”
Sex education remains a taboo subject for many parents in Muslim-majority Indonesia, but the recent release of Dua Garis Biru (Two Blue Stripes) has ignited a discussion on the importance of having the bird and the bees talk.
Starring Angga Yunanda and Adhisty Zara of JKT48 fame, Dua Garis Biru follows the tale of high school sweethearts Bima and Dara as they navigate their teenage lives, which are turned upside down when they engage in a tryst.
Director and writer Gina S. Noer made Dua Garis Biru with the parent-children discussion in mind, hoping that it would spark a conversation between both parties.
“If I’m being honest about my family’s openness on sex education, my own brother didn’t even attend the movie’s premiere. When I pressed him about it, he said that he felt uneasy watching it because he has three daughters.
