SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ASPERGER'S INDIVIDUALS IN THE FILM AKU JATI, AKU ASPERGER (2024)

Abstract

ABSTRACT

This study aims to analyze the symbolic representation of discrimination against individuals with Asperger’s syndrome in the Indonesian film Aku Jati, Aku Asperger (2024). The main character, Jati, is portrayed as a neurodivergent teenager living within rigid routines while facing social and familial conflicts. Using a qualitative approach within a constructionist paradigm and Stuart Hall’s theory of representation—including the encoding–decoding model—this study explores how meanings are constructed by the filmmaker and interpreted variably by audiences. The analysis reveals that the film symbolically frames Asperger’s not as a form of diversity to be embraced, but as a deviation to be corrected. Symbols such as train systems, schedules, and daily rituals serve as metaphors for Jati’s ideal world, while the surrounding environment is depicted as a source of pressure for conformity. Symbolic discrimination appears through narratives that require the neurodivergent individual to change in order to be accepted. This study emphasizes the need for more inclusive and reflective representations of neurodiversity in Indonesian media.

Keywords: Representation, Asperger, Symbolic Discrimination, Indonesian Film, Encoding–Decoding