OFFSTONE JAN EDITION 2025

34 Set in a context deeply rooted in Indonesia’s Muslim -majority culture, the film seeks to critique how religious practices can be manipulated to uphold patriarchal power structures. However, it simultaneously falls into a paradoxical trap: while it condemns the exploitation of women, its visual narrative often reinforces the very objectification it seeks to critique. This article employs Charles Sanders Peirce’s semiotic framework to analyse the film’s use of symbols, icons, and indices, exploring its layered commentary on religion, patriarchy, and feminism. Achievements and Reception Tuhan, Izinkan Aku Berdosa premiered in Indonesian cinemas on May 22, 2024, and garnered significant attention, attracting 655,725 viewers during its theatrical run. Following its local success, the film was released globally on Netflix on October 12, 2024, under Harlot’s Prayer , reaching an international audience. The film received critical acclaim, winning the Best Indonesian Film award at the 2024 Bandung Film Festival and securing the Best Actress award for its lead. It was also nominated in four categories at the 2024 Indonesian Film Festival and nine at the 2024 Indonesian Film Journalists Awards. Despite these accolades, the film’s reception was polarising, particularly concerning its explicit depiction of violence and sexuality, which earned it an 18+ rating on Netflix. While marketed as a thought-provoking drama, its categorisation under genres such as "provocative" and "dark" underscores its reliance on sensational elements to convey its themes. The Semiotics of Religion and Patriarchy The film’s narrative is replete with religious symbolism that critiques the intersection of faith and patriarchy. For instance, Kiran’s modest attire — a hijab and syar’i clothing — is an icon in Peirce’s semiotic terms, visually representing her devout faith and spiritual journey. However, this icon becomes imbued with ambiguity as Kiran’s body is later subjected to overt sexualisation in scenes depicting her descent into a double life. This contradiction highlights the tension between the film’s critique of patriarchy and its visual exploitation of women. Similarly, acts of sexual violence portrayed in the film function as indices — tangible signs pointing to the systemic oppression of women within patriarchal structures. While these scenes aim to evoke empathy and underscore the brutality of such systems, their explicit nature raises ethical questions about whether they genuinely contribute to the narrative or merely sensationalise trauma. In her discussion of visual media and its portrayal of power dynamics, Linda Williams highlights that such depictions can often blur the line between critique and spectacle, potentially undermining the intended focus on systemic oppression. The character of Ustaz Darda, a religious leader manipulating Islamic teachings to enforce his patriarchal authority, is a symbol within the narrative. In Peirce’s framework, symbols derive