Max Havelaar

In 1860, Saïdjah's kerbau Pantang is attacked by a Javan tiger while grazing in the sawah. Pantang survives the encounter, earning the name Pantang, meaning tough. The episode foreshadows the villagers' vulnerability to oppression and the brutal power they face.

The Demang arrives to collect tribute, and Pantang is plundered from the villagers. Säidjah's elder brother tries to resist but is shot by a KNIL soldier. The dead body is left unacknowledged by the colonial authorities.

Back in Amsterdam, a Christmas night service extols wealth and prosperity in Java without acknowledging local abuses. Max Havelaar, a former Assistant Resident, attends the service and is moved by the contradiction. He then meets Batavus Droogstoppel and agrees to help turn his essays into a book about coffee trading.

Secret papers hint at the Regent's crimes, and Slotering's death is tied to a conspiracy involving the Regent. The Gouverneur-Generaal is advised to appoint Havelaar as Slotering's successor, and he ultimately agrees to do so. The stage is set for Havelaar's Lebak posting and confrontation with abuse.

Havelaar is inaugurated at the Gouverneur-Generaal's palace in Buitenzorg and then departs for Lebak with his controller Verbrugge. He is warmly greeted by the Regent and his Demangs upon arrival and is ceremonially sworn in by Slijmering the next day. The new officer begins to see the depth of the local abuses.

Shortly after arrival, Djaksa reveals Slotering's secret papers about the Regent's crimes. Havelaar is initially inclined to ignore them to maintain peace, but he resolves to investigate instead of tolerating oppression. The feudal dynamic between the Regent and the Assistant Resident begins to fracture.

Havelaar visits the Regency to deliver a speech about neutrality and fair rule, but the Regent demands an advance of tax payments. He grants the request from his own savings, hoping the Regent will stop robbing the people. However, the practice continues and abuses persist.

During a village visit, Havelaar learns that the Demang may be looting kerbaus to supply the Regent's banquet for visiting dignitaries. Säidjah's father is pressured and lies about his kerbau's death, highlighting the climate of fear. Havelaar confronts the Demang and records the allegations.

Havelaar begins to gather witnesses to indict the Regent, but Säidjah refuses to go to court, distrusting the colonial system. Säidjah eventually flees to Lampong to join rebels. He carries the kerbau's head as evidence of the plunder.

Weeks later, Säidjah is killed in Lampong during a KNIL-led rebellion. His death marks the human cost of resisting colonial abuses. Havelaar's efforts to bring the case to court appear increasingly futile.

Back in the court, the Regent is declared innocent due to lack of conclusive evidence, and Havelaar's indictment is blocked by Resident Slijmering. Slijmering warns that pushing the case could cost Havelaar his post. Disillusioned, Havelaar begins to question the entire colonial system.

Havelaar resigns and seeks to present the case to the Gouverneur-Generaal. He travels with Poesje and his son to Buitenzorg, but his brother-in-law locks him in a room and tells him to keep quiet. The film ends with him shouting at a portrait of King William III, refusing to accept the system's corruption.