Gender Construction in Original Netflix Film: A Representation Study

Although the movement for gender equality has been present in many communities, gender is still a vulnerable issue due to the many phenomena of inequality in a global society. This study aims to explain the construction of gender represented in global films produced by Netflix in 2021-2022. The films are Kingdom: Ashin of The North (South Korea), Don’t Look Up (USA), I am All Girls (South Africa), A World Without (Indonesia), Santinelle (French), and The Weekend Away (USA). By using Stuart Hall’s representation theory, all these films are investigated to reveal the global gender construction. The representation theory utilizes language as the main medium in interpreting the meaning contained in films. There are three steps of representation in analyzing data, namely decoding, encoding, and myth analysis. Decoding and encoding are the steps for finding meaning through denotation and connotation as represented in the film, while myth is the broad meaning related to the cultural meaning. The results show that from the decoding and encoding steps, Original Netflix films have almost the same pattern. It depicts a narrative of women’s resilience in the face of oppression and injustice, highlighting the intersections of racial and social class discrimination. The film challenges traditional gender roles, affirms the fluidity of gender performativity, and works to dismantle entrenched patriarchal structures within society. The finding indicates that certain films may inadvertently reinforce stereotypes or offer superficial representations, particularly concerning traditional masculinity and male characters. The myth of patriarchy is still perpetuated even though there are many problems of injustice and oppression, especially for women. This myth is also reinforced and practiced by the female characters in the film. This is due to the tug-of-war relationship between voicing equality and commercial interests.