Merantau (2009) on Netflix
Yuda completes his merantau preparations in his West Sumatra village and leaves to teach silat in Jakarta. Left homeless and robbed, he steps in when Astri's boss Johni beats her.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb6.7/1012,120 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
Yuda, trained in silek harimau, the tiger style of silat, is a Minangkabau from West Sumatra preparing for his merantau, the tradition that sends young men out of the village to make a career. He plans to teach silat to children in Jakarta. On the bus he meets Eric, another silat expert, who warns him that the city is unlike anything he knows and that teaching will not support him. The apartment waiting for Yuda has been torn down, and a boy named Adit steals his wallet. Chasing Adit, Yuda finds the boy's sister Astri quarreling with her boss Johni; when Johni abuses her, Yuda steps in and she is fired. The next day Yuda sees Johni and his men beating her, fights them off and flees with her.
Cast
- Laurent Busonas Luc
Show all 15 cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Merantau (2009)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Merantau was Iko Uwais's debut as an actor and the first time director Gareth Evans worked with him. Evans met Uwais and Yayan Ruhian, who also makes his acting debut here, while shooting a documentary in Indonesia that introduced Evans to the martial art of pencak silat.
- The film draws on the Minangkabau rite of passage called merantau, in which a man leaves his home to pursue a career or gain experience outside his village. In that culture, inheritance is largely matriarchal.
- Merantau won the Jury Award for Best Film at the inaugural ActionFest in 2010. The jury included Chuck Norris, Drew McWeeny of HitFix, Todd Brown of TwitchFilm, Devin Faraci of CHUD and Colin Geddes of TIFF's Midnight Madness.
