Ruma Maida

Ruma Maida

Year: 2009

Runtime: 94 mins

Language: Indonesian

Director: Teddy Soeriaatmadja

FamilyDrama

A scholar researches the historical significance of a house that serves as a free school in hopes of saving it from being demolished by a developer.

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Timeline & Setting – Ruma Maida (2009)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Ruma Maida (2009). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Present day, with flashbacks to the 1940s

The film moves between Maida's contemporary life in Jakarta and the 1940s wartime period surrounding Ishak Pahing. The 1940s scenes depict Japanese occupation, the struggle for independence, and personal tragedies within Pahing's circle. These historical threads inform the modern effort to save the house and its legacy. The resolution occurs in the present, culminating in a wedding that embodies past and future unity.

Location

Jakarta, Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The action centers on a house in Jakarta that doubles as a free school for street children, anchoring the story in an dense urban setting. Its historical layers are revealed through a secret underground bunker and documents that connect the present to Indonesia’s past. The narrative also touches on Yogyakarta, marked by a wartime flight that shapes the family saga and national memory. The surrounding neighborhood experiences rioting and tensions between development and heritage preservation.

🏙️ Urban 🗺️ Historical 🎨 Cultural

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:08

Main Characters – Ruma Maida (2009)

Meet the key characters of Ruma Maida (2009), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Maida (Atiqah Hasiholan)

A young history student who runs a free school for street children in Jakarta. As a Christian, she pursues an undergraduate thesis about Ishak Pahing’s life, driven by curiosity and compassion. Her determination anchors the search for the house’s buried history, and her growing bond with Sakera guides the effort to preserve it.

🎓 History student 🕊️ Compassionate 🧭 Curious

Sakera (Yama Carlos)

A young Muslim architect assigned to evict the school, who protects Maida during riots and ultimately joins her in the effort to save the house. His practical skills and evolving conscience push him to uncover the truth behind the property’s ownership. Over time, his alliance with Maida deepens into romance.

🧱 Architect 🤝 Loyal ❤️ Hopeful

Ishak Pahing (Nino Fernandez)

A Christian Indo composer and pilot whose life and work inspired early Indonesian leaders. He endured persecution during the war, and his wife’s murder and his son’s kidnapping became pivotal traumas in his story. Pahing’s legacy surfaces through documents found in the bunker, linking personal history to national memory.

🎼 Composer 🇮🇩 Nationalist 🛩️ Flight victim

Nani Kuddus (Imelda Soraya)

Pahing’s wife, whose fate—rape and murder during the war—haunts the family history and motivates Maida’s investigation. Her story embodies the personal cost of the era’s upheavals and underscores the stakes of preserving the house’s memory.

👩 Wife 🕊️ Victim of tragedy 💔 Historical figure

Maruyama (Verdi Solaiman)

A Japanese spy who tortures Pahing, coveted his wife, and abducted their son. His shadow from the WWII era looms over the present-day effort to own and interpret the house’s history. He represents the personal violence of occupation that shaped generations.

🕵️‍♂️ Spy 🚫 Villain 🔒 Secretive

Dasaad Muchlisin (Frans Tumbuan)

A developer pressuring to demolish the house for new construction. His modern interests collide with heritage, prompting the search for rightful ownership and historical value. Ultimately, he abandons demolition and renovates the building as a school.

🏗️ Developer 💼 Investor 🛑 Opposition to heritage

Kuan (Henky Solaiman)

The mother’s former lover who assists Maida with research and uncovers long-buried family ties. His knowledge helps unlock the truth about ownership and the house’s historical significance.

🤝 Ally 🗝️ Link to past 🔦 Guide

Bung Karno (Imam Wibowo)

Indonesia’s founding-era leader referenced through Pahing’s connections to the independence movement. His legacy frames the house’s history within the nation’s broader awakening.

🕊️ Leader 🇮🇩 National figure ⏳ Historical figure

Bung Hatta (Rizal Edwin Manangsang)

Co-founder of Indonesian independence, tied to the era and to the house’s significance in the struggle for nationhood. The story places his influence in the historical backdrop that informs Maida’s discovery.

📜 Statesman 🕊️ Historical figure 🇮🇩 National identity

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:08

Major Themes – Ruma Maida (2009)

Explore the central themes of Ruma Maida (2009), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🕰️ Memory & History

Memory acts as a bridge between private lives and national narrative. Maida’s research uses Pahing’s story to recover forgotten voices and connect personal loss to collective memory. The underground bunker and archival clues show how a home can preserve a nation’s past. The film argues that understanding yesterday is essential to safeguarding heritage today.

❤️ Love & Unity

Maida and Sakera’s romance crosses religious and social boundaries, illustrating how affection can unite communities divided by history. Their bond becomes a catalyst for collaboration with allies across past and present divides. Love motivates defiance against demolition and inspires trust in unlikely partners. The wedding scene, blending mosque and church, symbolizes communal harmony.

🏛️ Heritage Preservation

Historic houses are vessels of memory and culture, not just architecture. The developer’s demolition plans highlight the tension between modernization and preserving history. Uncovering ownership and historical significance becomes a collective responsibility. The film’s arc ends with the house being renovated as a school, validating its social value.

🇮🇩 Independence & Identity

The house and its inhabitants are tied to Indonesia’s journey toward independence and the broader national narrative. Figures like Sukarno are invoked to frame personal histories within the nation’s awakening. The past, including wartime trauma and resistance, informs the characters’ sense of identity. The story emphasizes that individual histories contribute to the country’s evolving memory.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:08

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