Battle of Surabaya

Set against the waning days of World War II and the fragile birth of Indonesian independence, the film weaves a story of personal courage amid a nation in turmoil. It opens with the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then follows Japan’s surrender aboard the USS Missouri, a moment that reshapes loyalties and futures. As Sukarno proclaims Indonesian independence, the Dutch press their bid to reclaim the Dutch East Indies, sending British and Indian forces to Java, including Surabaya, to restore order on the Dutch’s behalf. This is a landscape where ordinary lives collide with grand political moves, and where every choice can carry a heavy price.

Thirteen-year-old Musa [Ian Saybani] works as a shoe shiner to help his ailing mother after the death of his father. In this turbulent world, he discovers a surrogate father in an Imperial Japanese Army captain named Yoshimura, Capt. Yoshimura [Tanaka Hidetoshi], whose presence offers protection but who is eventually cut down in a clash between Indonesian youths and KNIL soldiers. Musa’s circle broadens as he befriends an adolescent Indonesian Chinese girl named Yumna [Maudy Ayunda], an orphan who operates as a spy for the Indonesian nationalists and who once belonged to the secretive Kipas Hitam (Black Fan) militia. He also forms a bond with the older youth named Danu [Reza Rahadian], and with a local Indonesian soldier named Solehudin, all of whom become pivotal as the resistance takes shape.

To aid the struggle, Musa and Yumna work as couriers for Resident Sudirman, slipping behind both Allied and Japanese lines to carry crucial messages. At first Musa wrestles with doubts about continuing as a courier, but a devastating fire—paired with his mother’s death—steers him toward commitment. In her final moments, she tells him there is no glory in war, a line that stays with him as the conflict intensifies. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Republic negotiates with the British under Brigadier A.W.S. Mallaby, and a new, hard-edged figure arrives in Surabaya: Captain Wright, John Wright, whose actions reveal a growing hostility toward the Indonesian nationalists and their supporters.

Guided by tips from his Kipas Hitam contacts, Wright fixates on capturing Musa, who is carrying encrypted instructions from the Indonesian leadership to the resistance. After a tense pursuit, Musa is captured by the British and imprisoned at the Kipas Hitam base. The interrogation reveals tensions within Musa’s own circle; he learns that Danu may be a traitor, though he remains resolute in resisting Wright’s questions. Wright himself admits a personal, war-wearied motive—his hatred of war stems from the loss of his son in Europe during World War II.

A rescue attempt follows, led by Indonesian forces under Solehudin and Yumna, though the fighting costs them dearly, taking both of them from the story in the process. With danger closing in, Danu decides to switch sides and helps Musa, agreeing to push forward with delivering the crucial message as a form of atonement for his earlier actions. The conflict erupts into full-scale fighting in Surabaya after the assassination of Mallaby, tearing through the city and altering its course forever. Amid the chaos, Musa shows grit and presence of mind when he saves Captain Wright from a snake—an odd moment of mercy that underscores the human cost of the conflict.

On a motorbike sidecar, Musa and Wright press onward as British forces close in, with Danu ramming his vehicle into a jeep to delay their pursuers. Musa escapes by commandeering a bicycle and leaping a bridge, a moment of nerve-wracking improvisation that earns Wright’s reluctant respect and permission to flee. Years later, the elder Musa returns to Japan and encounters Kioko [Sana Hamada], Capt. Yoshimura’s daughter, a poignant thread that ties the past to a quieter future. In time, Musa grows into a grandfather, and at a parade he carries with him the memories of his fallen friends, imagining a world where peace prevails and people of different backgrounds can live together in harmony.

This epic chronicle blends intimate moments—care for a mother, the ache of loss, and the stubborn hope of youth—with large-scale historical upheavals. It traces how a young courier, a handful of steadfast friends, and a few choice acts can tilt the balance in a struggle for nationhood. Throughout, the film maintains a steady, human focus: courage amid brutality, loyalty amid shifting loyalties, and the conviction that even after violence, a passage toward peace is possible.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:04