Negotiating Critique

This chapter examines three Indonesian short films— Tilik (2018), KTP (2016), and Lemantun (2014) —and their YouTube reception to explore digital storytelling, social critique, and activism in Indonesia. Through content analysis of the films and comments, the study investigates how indirect criticism ( sentilan ) and consensus-building practices ( musyawarah-mufaka t) address sensitive issues. The research reveals filmmakers navigating between funding sources, cultural expectations, and social commentary. While not directly confronting authorities, they create spaces for critical discourse through ambiguous character portrayals and themes of bureaucracy, gossip, and familial duty. The study introduces “mufakatisme” to describe the consensus-oriented nature of critique, contributing to our understanding of how social media can sustain “affective publics” and foster subtle forms of activism in Indonesia’s evolving political landscape.