Best movies like Nyai: A Woman from Java

This is the story about Setyo, Siti and Ludiro, who were the performer of Javanese Ramayana's Wayang Wong. Setyo and Siti are spouse who live in a village by selling earthenware products. In the village, live as well Ludiro, the head of the stockyard, who is very wealthy and secretly in love with Siti. Conflicts arrived as Setyo's earthenware company is going bankrupt and Siti started to took notice in Ludiro's desire to win her love. These triangle love transform into a civil war in the village that brings not only extremity and injustice, but also the death of the loved ones.

After reuniting with his mother in Ho Chi Minh City, a family tragedy causes Binh to flee from Viet Nam to America. Landing in New York, Binh begins a road trip to Texas, where his American father is said to live.

Uncle Remus draws upon his tales of Br'er Rabbit to help little Johnny deal with his confusion over his parents' separation as well as his new life on the plantation.

Motel Melati was originally an old Dutch colonial estate which was converted into an inn. The house was once owned by a local doctor named Kusno, who secretly performed inhumane experiments on cadavers. After the arrival of Melati, a young village girl who has occult knowledge and does not believe in folklore, it is revealed that the house and its inhabitants are cursed by the spirits of the dead. By accepting the shadow's curse, Melati gains eternal life and hopes to bring her children back to life

With his father in prison and his brother abroad for work, young Rakib works as the lone housekeeper in an empty mansion belonging to Purna, a retired general whose family Rakib’s clan have served for centuries in a rural Indonesian town. After Purna returns home to start his mayoral election campaign, Rakib bonds with the older man, who becomes a close mentor and father figure, and finds his calling as Purna’s assistant in work and life. When Purna’s election poster is found vandalised one day, Rakib doesn’t hesitate to track down the culprit, kicking off an escalating chain of violence.

This movie is a fun look back into a bygone era of motorcycling. More than the ubiquitous "history of Harley" type documentaries, this move looks at the entire culture of motorcycling from the 60's & 70's and covers road racing, motocross & desert racing, drag racing, trials and more. The viewer gets to see in action the famous racers we had only previously seen in photos and even ride along with Mike "The Bike" Hailwood on a 190 MPH lap of the Isle of Mann. If you liked the requisite motorcycle movie "On Any Sunday," you'll LOVE this one. The soundtrack, with songs by Foreigner and Arlo Guthrie, is nostalgically cool too.

A Polynesian sailor is separated from his wife when he's unjustly imprisoned for defending himself against a colonial bully. Members of the community petition the governor for clemency but all pretense of law and order are soon shattered by an incoming tropical storm.

An idealistic Dutch colonial officer posted to Indonesia in the 19th century is cohvinced that he can make the kinds of changes that will actually help the local people he is in charge of, but circumstances soon make him realize just how out of touch he really is, and it doesn't take long for things to go from bad to worse.

The film starts in the Dutch Colonial Era of Indonesia, where we are informed of Raden Soekotjo's feelings toward Nyi Soroh. As the film opens, Raden is going to Nyi's house to tell her of his feelings for her. She however, has already fallen in love and married a Dutch sea captain named Von Klingen. Angered by that prospect, Raden killed Nyi, which awakened her family's Kuntilanak spirit guardian. Heading after Von Klingen next, Raden became when he found out that the Kuntilanak was after him. He tries to escape, but the Kuntilanak kills him. Before death however, Raden tells one of his relatives not to undo the rope around his pocong shroud, which would allow him to turn into a Pocong spirit.

In 19th century New Orleans creole Henriette must choose between love and devotion to the church. Neither choice is going to be easy, as there is great opposition to her ideas of breaking traditions.

Stephen Sorrell, a decorated war hero, raises his son Kit alone after Kit's mother deserts husband and child in the boy's infancy. Sorrell loses a promising job offer and is forced to take work as a menial. Both his dignity and his health are damaged as he suffers under the exhausting labor and harsh treatment he receives as a hotel porter. But Sorrell thrives in the knowledge that his son will benefit from his labors. Sorrell has allowed the boy to believe his mother dead, but when the mother shows up, wanting to re-enter the young man's life, Sorrell must make hard decisions.

Mack Sennett comedy short subject spoofing filmmaking, with girls, lions, and limburger cheese.

A woman joins her fiance at a Malaysian prison camp only to discover he's become an alcoholic.

Twenty years after the disappearance of her daughter, a recovering alcoholic is preparing to host her family's Christmas celebration when her estranged ex-brother-in-law arrives unannounced, bearing nostalgic gifts and a heavy secret.

The poet Ibrahim Kadir plays himself in a political drama about his arrest and incarceration in Aceh in the 1960s. Kadir survived the mass murder of suspected communists by the Indonesian government that cost between 500,000 and two million lives.

In 1912, Javanese activist Omar Said Tjokroaminoto co-founds the Sarekat Islam party to fight injustices of the Dutch East Indies' colonial regime.

The Indonesian society is seen through a middle-aged lady's eyes in her daily encounters with the street children who work and live off the harsh and sleazy world of adults.

A Javanese royal and half-Dutch woman fall in love as Indonesia rises to independence from colonial rule.

The film weaves around four stories all happening in metropolitan, dehumanizing Jakarta. In fact that is what it is about, the quality of meaninglessness of living in a place that turns people into zombies. In a place where meaning must be invented, these kids turn into the only place, the only culture they see worth tuning into: television and movies. Thus they slowly degenerate into the abysmal reinterpretation in a sort of sickening anti-hero, anti-social statements that goes absurdly a wrong turn.

Takes place in 1665 in New France at a time when a part of Canada was colonialized by France. Joseph Côté escapes from a prison in order to avoid death by hanging. Moreover, while some colonial soldiers are chasing him, Joseph takes the identity of a Jesuit and hides in the seigneury of Beaufort where most men are waiting for "daughters of the king." (French women who were sent to Canada in order to find a husband.) At night, Joseph finds out that there are werewolves that terrorize the village. Besides, things get complicated when he falls in love with Marie Labotte, a "daughter of the king" that no one wants to marry. All in all, by simply trying to protect his life and Marie's, Joseph will end up fighting against the werewolves.

This movie follows the story of Dutch East Indies' (now Indonesia) first indigenous bishop, Albertus Soegijapranata SJ, from his inauguration until the end of Indonesia's independence war (1940-1949).

Sparks fly when a fashion blogger in Bali meets a gifted shoemaker, leading her to question her commitment to her fiancé.

The success of her second novel made Naya famous. Unfortunately she is more labeled as a psychic than a writer. This makes Naya resentful and reluctant to deal with the haunted world again. However, everything changed when her future husband Vino suddenly died.

Three freshly graduated adults try to educate young beggars to become street vendors, but are opposed by their fathers.

Jody, who likes older women, joins forces with Kang Sono, a broker for "marriage by contract". The result is a comic sensation just like Kawin Kontrak (the prequel) that is funnier, more exciting and crazier. The Pakelonan village is ready to receive the "love warriors" from the big city. The girls are prettier, more skillful and more materialistic. Plus there is a "steamy" bonus from Teh Euis. But there are always obstacles to love. There is the fearsome Boss Maung who applies a military system to run his business. This makes one of the wife candidates, who is most expensive and beautiful, to run away, and seek protection from Teh Euis, who comes bringing a miracle.

Silenced for more than 50 years, a group of elderly women in Indonesia decided to share the country’s forgotten history to the young generation through singing. The women formed a choir group that sings songs written inside prisons by those who were arrested and sentenced for years without any single trial. The singing and sharing has helped them heal their trauma as well as connecting them with an eager young audience.

On a remote Indonesian island, during the waning days of the colonial era, Dutch sugar plantation owner Jan and his wife Agathe, are at the top of the food chain. That is, until Jan upon returning from his nightly visit to his native concubine Siti, suddenly drops dead in front of his wife. Desperate to keep the privileges of her status quo, Agathe forces her estranged son Cornelis and his heavily pregnant wife Josefien, to travel from Europe and take over the family business. In the midst of a worker’s uprising, Cornelis displays his plans for progressive change. But when Jan’s will puts Siti at the forefront of the family estate, ideals prove to be idle and blood thicker than water. 

Juno was just a child when his father abandoned him from their village in Central Java. Abandoned and alone, he joins a Lengger dance centre where men shape their feminine appearance and movement. The sensuality and sexuality that came from the dance, mixed with the violent sociopolitical Indonesian environment, forces Juno to move from village to village.

Johan Ten Berghe joins the Dutch army when the Dutch East Indies unilaterally declare independence as Indonesia. He initiates his naive driver Twan in life in the East, having grown up there as son of colonial official Hendrik, now missing. Their adventures intertwine with Johan's childhood memories, especially concerning his native best friend, Oeroeg, who joined the rebellion, as well as their nanny and later de facto stepmother. Conflicting loyalties become tangible in extreme situations

As an infotainment producer deals with a work crisis, a childhood friend, who's now a cleric, arrives to honor a religious request from her late father.

This beautiful film about the immigrant experience is a San Francisco film about Eritrea. Sephora Woldu plays "Sephora" who, like the director, is an architecture student but also a filmmaker. She is pitching to her traditional mother a film she wants to make about a man who fled their home country and ended up in San Francisco. As a recently arrived immigrant, he is terribly homesick for his native Eritrea, but will not admit it due to unease towards speaking ill of the country; and more consciously in hesitance of admitting hard truths about his culture and himself. "It’s colorful and visually whimsical in a way that can only be described as if the Wizard of Oz went to Africa," said Woldu.

A group of Javanese villagers are driven to revolt against the Dutch colonialists in this historical drama, which revolves around the themes of loyalty and treachery.

The story of Ranum, who is always tricked by the sweet words of men who then betray her and later ends with death by a mysterious figure. Ranum’s family drama revolves around deceit; it is poetic, romantic, and hilarious which instantly turns into terror. Ranum decides to keep looking for true love, which is beautiful and brings kindness to ward off the tragedy she has experienced. Who is the figure who spreads the vile terror, and can Ranum find her love?

A woman with a dark past dedicates herself to taking care of multi-handicapped children. When a young musician comes into her life, she is forced to face her history, or it will destroy her future.

Nisa and Aris’s marriage appears to be a picture-perfect fairytale especially after the birth of their first child, Raya. Situation becomes delicate as Nisa’s mother entrust her second daughter, Rani to live with Nisa and Aris. Initially Rani keeps her distance with Aris. However it does not last long before the window to a forbidden relationship is opened. Behind Nisa’s back, Aris develops an affair with his wife’s beloved sister.