The Siege at Thorn High

Jefri's hatred toward ethnic Chinese stems from a traumatic event seventeen years earlier. In 2009, during the riots, his mother Silvi was abducted and raped by a mob, resulting in Jefri's birth. This origin is revealed through a video that Jefri provides, showing his deep-seated resentment toward the community he blames for the violence that shaped his existence.

Edwin believed Kristo was Silvi's child born from the 2009 rape, making him Edwin's nephew whom Silvi asked him to find. However, in the laboratory, Kristo reveals he is not Edwin's nephew, he knows his biological parents and was actually born in Malaysia, not Indonesia. This revelation shatters Edwin's mission and reframes his entire search.

In 2009, during riots that erupted across Jakarta, Silvi and her younger brother Edwin were traveling on a public bus when it was stopped by a mob. Silvi was abducted and raped by the group, while Edwin was beaten unconscious. Silvi later died, but before her death she entrusted Edwin with finding her child, who was born from that assault seventeen years later. Edwin became a teacher specifically to locate this child.

Edwin survives through a combination of fighting and strategy. He enters the ventilation shaft to disable the security signal jammer, allowing him to communicate. During confrontations, he subdues Reihan and Anto, and inadvertently causes Gerry to fall to his death. After killing Jefri in the final confrontation, Edwin escapes by climbing into a car driven by Panca, who arrives at the school as a mob storms the building.

The 2027 riots echo the May 1998 Jakarta riots, which were sparked by economic turmoil and corruption, resulting in brutal violence against the ethnic Chinese community who were stereotyped as wealthy. The film opens with this historical flashback, establishing the deep-rooted discrimination that resurfaces in 2027. Both riots involve mobs targeting ethnic Chinese, showing a cycle of prejudice that continues to haunt Indonesian society.

Rangga and his father are caught despite briefly escaping. Gerry tortures Rangga's father while threatening Rangga's safety. Rangga ultimately dies while trying to flee the auditorium during the siege. His death occurs as the violence escalates inside the school, adding to the film's tragic toll.

Edwin chooses Bukit Duri Senior High School because he has been searching for Silvi's child across multiple schools. After stints at five different high schools, he applies to Bukit Duri, a school infamous for its unruly students. His hidden agenda is to find Silvi's child, who would be around high school age in 2027, making this troubled school a logical place to continue his search.

The driver is Panca, who was Silvi's classmate in 2009. Panca had tried to confess his feelings to Silvi before the riots and witnessed her abduction. Eighteen years later, Panca returns to help Edwin escape the mob as the school is being looted. This moment connects Panca's unresolved feelings for Silvi with his act of saving her brother.

Jefri is expelled after he attacks Edwin with a knife. The assault occurs when Edwin and Diana visit a bar frequented by ethnic Chinese patrons. A masked man attacks Edwin, but Edwin fights back and wounds the attacker, who is later revealed to be Jefri. The principal expels Jefri for this violent assault on a teacher.

Edwin notices Kristo's drawing talent when he intervenes during an assault on Kristo in Jakarta's Chinatown. Later, Edwin assigns Kristo to help decorate the school for Indonesia's Independence Day. Kristo's artistic ability represents a potential path out of his difficult circumstances, and his role in the Independence Day preparation also places him at the center of the escalating violence.