This Is Cinta

Yuki Kato plays Rachel, a lively Indonesian kindergarten student whose days are filled with music and the warmth of a close-knit neighborhood. She lives in neighboring apartments, and her life is watched over by her helicopter mother Aida Nurmala as Rachel’s Mother, who keeps a careful distance between Rachel and the boy next door, Shawn Adrian Khulafa as Farel. Despite the boundary‑setting, Rachel and Farel form a bright, music‑driven friendship. Their shared passion for song and piano turns every after‑school session into a small, hopeful ceremony, where the refrain of This is Cinta becomes the heartbeat of their bond—Rachel singing and Farel at the piano, shaping moments of joy that feel almost magical.

Twelve years pass in the blink of an eye, and the two characters have grown in very different directions. Farel is now a college student and a focused, aspiring pianist who clings to the castle he drew in his youth—the imagined sanctuary that once symbolized their friendship. Rachel, meanwhile, remains under the protective shadow of her mother, navigating a world where her independence is questioned and she is pressured toward a romantic arrangement with a man named Nicko. In a talent show, Farel reveals that his music is driven by the memory of Rachel, and he still guards the castle sketch like a talisman. Seeing this on television rekindles Rachel’s resolve to reconnect, and the pair awaken to the possibility of a reunion the next morning. When the talent show reaches its final round, the host invites Rachel to share a duet with Farel, turning their distant memories into a live, shared moment on stage.

If the lights and applause momentarily soften the edges of their world, the real conflicts soon return with sharper edges. Rachel’s mother interrupts their rehearsals and grounds her, sparking a long, difficult argument about independence and adulthood. That night, a dangerous undercurrent surfaces as Nicko corners Rachel in a warehouse with the intent to harm her. Desperate, Rachel texts Farel, and he rushes to bring her to safety. The chase that follows ends in disaster: Nicko crashes the borrowed motorbike, leaving Rachel in critical condition and Farel fighting for breath, technically in asystole. Nicko is arrested, and a wave of regret washes over Rachel’s parents as they confront the consequences of their protective, controlling choices.

As the two teens edge toward a fragile sense of “heaven,” Farel’s longing—his very nature—pulls him back toward life, while Rachel’s life remains precarious and tender. To reach her, Farel returns to the hospital corridor and plays This is Cinta near her room; the music becomes a bridge between their separate lives and their shared dream, and it works in its quiet, stubborn way. With the threat of loss behind them, Rachel is discharged from the hospital and the two finally set their sights on a new horizon together. Their journey takes them to Auckland, where the long‑imagined castle finally emerges—not as a drawing on a page, but as a living place set amid a sweeping rural field, a testament to the power of memory, music, and the unwavering pull of a childhood bond that refuses to fade.

This story moves through love, risk, and resilience, drawing a line from carefree childhood melodies to the hard truths of growing up. It asks how far two people will go to hold onto what they believe in, and how music can be a compass when life feels uncertain.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:45