This review may contain slight spoilers.Johan's (Joris Putman) father owns a tea estate in the Dutch colony of the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. The Dutch colonists live a life of luxury, surrounded by servants and workers from the local indigenous communities. Johan's best friend is his buddy Oeroeg (Ramelan Bekkema), whose father works as Johan's dad's personal servant. Together the two best buddies, who call each other blood brothers, would go to school to receive an Eurocentric education, learning all about Holland but little about the island on which they live.During WWII the island was invaded by the Japanese. Some of the Dutch returned to Holland, whilst a few stayed behind. We meet Johan, now a young man, again in 1947 when he enlists in the Dutch army for duty in Indonesia. There are political uprisings in that country and armed insurgents seem poised to take over. Johan's knowledge of the country and language made him a natural choice and he gets appointed lieutenant.Back in Indonesia he learns that his friend Oeroeg is now a leader of one of the rebel groups. Shortly after Johan arrived back, his father gets murdered. It seems as if Oeroeg's gang is behind the murder. Johan is determined to find Oeroeg. It seems as if the two erstwhile friends are on a collision course.I found 'Oeroeg' technically an accomplished film with great cinematography and set. The acting is fine, although not outstanding.I have seen a few films dealing with the impact of the transition from colonial to self-governing rule on the friendship between kids from both sides of the sociopolitical spectrum. It is specifically the dynamics in relationship between colonists' kids and children from the indigenous population that are highlighted, as their adopted and home country gains independence. Here I think of the excellent 'Cartouches Gauloises' ('Summer of '62') of 2007 by director Mehdi Charef, and 'Quelque part vers Conakry' ('Somewhere Near Conakry') of 1992 by Françoise Ebrard. 'Oeroeg' compares well with them, even though this film's emphasis is somewhat different. 7/10.

During four centuries the Netherlands were the preferred trading partner of the nation that is now called Indonesia. Although this definitely does not imply a harmonious relation, it made us companions in distress, which unavoidably fostered a mutual understanding. The film Oeroeg tells the story of the resulting interaction, benefits and destruction, when two cultures meet. And since it does so in a fascinating and honest manner, the time spent watching it is worthwhile. Of course the topic is also relevant in view of the recent western occupations of Afghanistan and Irak. In films about history some background information is helpful, so here is a brief account. In the last century the already asymmetric power relation between the two nations was made institutional, when Indonesia (Dutch East Indies) became a colony. The merger was a synergy and mutually advantageous, since the Indies could supply the workforce and the Netherlands supplied the capital goods. Similar asymmetric arrangements had benefited Russia and France, India/America and England, and East-Europe and Germany. In addition the Netherlands strove for an enlightened rule, stimulated the indigenous emancipation and built an infrastructure. However at the time the centrifugal forces due to the rising nationalism everywhere in the world also affected the Dutch East Indies, so that after the Japanese invasion some leading indigenous groups proclaimed the Indonesian independence. After WWII the Dutch government was willing to negotiate a deal (everywhere in Europe there was a social-democratic surge). However, the situation was complex, since economic interests had to be protected. Many of the Indian isles rejected a central rule by Java, and preferred an Indian federation. And the nationalist movement contained many unreliable radical elements, among others a large Bolshevist fraction. Dutch natives were slaughtered, and the colonial government used military intervention in an effort to restore order. The military expedition is the subject of the book by Hella Haase (born in the Indies) and the ensuing film. However, the prewar colonial episode is also covered by means of flashbacks from the main character(s). The flashbacks give an excellent view of the rural life, including many scenic shots, and the informal apartheid between the eastern and western populations. The war scenes document the atrocities from both combatant sides, without unnecessary exaggerations. Since the narrative is partly biographical, it is not surprising that the characters look credible. The main theme is probably the inability of native Indians and Dutch to understand each other, even after decades of living together. The film has an open ending, which seems to call for mutual respect. Unfortunately the historic events took a tragic course for Indonesia. The Dutch effort to maintain a Commonwealth was declined by radical Indonesian nationalists, resulting in a one-sided Indonesian independence. The new rulers exercised a repression, which since decades had been abandoned by the colonialists. Already during the rule of the first president Soekarno many Bolshevists were murdered. The persecutions intensified under general Soeharto, who erected a military dictatorship and killed hundred thousands of people. All these excesses hampered the development of Indonesia, which only in the last few decades seems to recover. In the west we look with aversion at the abuse of power by the post-colonial indigenous elites. We are tempted to intervene, and install incorruptible governments. But remember that such noble motives also under-lied our then colonial urges. The tragedy is twofold. First, national sentiments are strong. People prefer a local dictatorship over a foreign democratic rule. Second, good intentions are insufficient and in practice the foreign interests tend to predominate (oil contracts etc.). If you are interested in Dutch colonialism in the Indies, there is a fair amount of cinematic documentation. Famous is the film "Max Havelaar", about the emerging colonial state. The TV series "De stille kracht" gives an impressive description of the life of the colonial elite. Another produce on this topic is "Van oude mensen" about retired ex pats. Then there is "Rubber", about colonial business at the time of the Great Depression. In addition there are excerpts from the extensive film archives (1900-1950), like "Van de kolonie niets dan goeds".

There were some movies which took Indonesia Independence War (1945-1949) as their setting. Most of them fell into two categories, propaganda and rubbish. Only few movies which were really good, such as Nagabonar and Soerabaja'45, although the latter sometimes fell into propaganda. Oeroeg was the best movie which took the era as it sets and ironically made by Netherland, which were Indonesia's enemy.When the other movies only talk about the war, this movie took a deeper approaching. It pulled us to understand the reason behind the war. Why the Indonesian refused to be controlled by the Dutch. It showed the discrimination experienced by Indonesian as third class citizen in the Dutch rule.The movie also showed a empathized-to-Indonesia-movement Dutch teacher which help Indonesia fighter degrading the fighting spirit of Dutch soldiers. It was more realistic role for foreigner in Indonesia at the time instead the irrational role which sometimes appeared in this genre (such as a dutch soldier in Indonesia line in "Singa Karawang" which was impossible due to high risk of being falsely recognized as enemy by the Indonesia people itself).The dialog was also interesting. In the last scene, Johan, as the main character ask Oeroeg whether they have already in the same degree. Oeroeg's cynical reply is still relevant today. When the developed countries often call the other countries as the Third world, isn't it another form of humiliation in modern world?

This movie is a free adaptation of a novel by the well known Dutch author Hella Haase. A white Dutch boy and the son of an Indonesian servant grow up together. Later on, their lifes take different paths. When they meet again after many years, in the period of the Indonesian war of independence, their outlook has grown so different that they are not capable of finding a common language any more.The movie - in which apart from Dutch a lot of Bahasa Indonesia is spoken - is impressive because of the magnificent Indonesian scenery. The acting by the Dutch and Indonesian actors is in general quite decent. Nevertheless, the movie fails to fulfill its promise.In an effort to present a "politically correct", anti colonial point of view, quite a few scenes have been turned more into a caricature than into a realistic picture of the period concerned. It should have been possible to avoid this, as Hella Haase, in her considerably more subtle novel, did draw a much more equilibrated picture.