Family Rejection and Kinship for Queer Youth: An Audience Reception Analysis of the South Korean Film Moonlit Winter

Farhan Nurdiansyah, Dr. Dian Arymami, S.I.P., M.Hum.

2025 | Skripsi | Ilmu Komunikasi

Skripsi ini mengeksplorasi resepsi audiens terhadap film Korea Selatan Moonlit Winter, dengan fokus khusus pada narasi queer dari dua tokoh utamanya, Yoon-hee dan Jun, yang keduanya merepresentasikan perspektif karakter queer dalam menghadapi penolakan keluarga di masa muda mereka serta identitas tertutup yang mereka wujudkan. Dengan berfokus pada basis informan queer Gen Z dari Indonesia, tesis ini berupaya menjawab pertanyaan penelitian: Bagaimana audiens queer di Indonesia menerima konsep Penolakan Keluarga dan Kekerabatan melalui karakter queer Yoon-hee dan Jun dalam film Moonlit Winter karya Lim Daehyung? Dengan menerapkan model encoding/decoding Stuart Hall dan analisis penerimaan penonton, serta mempertimbangkan teks Family Rejection dan menggabungkan kerangka kerja Kekerabatan, penelitian ini akan menganalisis interpretasi film melalui wawancara mendalam dengan empat partisipan. Temuan penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tema Penolakan Keluarga dan Kekerabatan selaras dengan narasi seputar Yoon-hee dan Jun, dan menghasilkan beragam penerimaan di antara berbagai demografi remaja queer Gen Z. Sebagian besar informan cenderung mengadopsi posisi pembacaan dominan-hegemonik, yang menghubungkan narasi masing-masing karakter berdasarkan latar belakang masing-masing. Informan yang mengidentifikasi diri sebagai perempuan telah memberikan posisi pembacaan yang dinegosiasikan secara keseluruhan, karena mereka justru menawarkan pengalaman kewanitaan sebagai bantahan terhadap teks queer dalam film tersebut. Studi ini memberikan kontribusi terhadap perkembangan bidang teori penerimaan khalayak, yang mencerminkan kemajuan dalam studi media queer dan mengeksplorasi penerimaan media queer dalam penggambaran mereka tentang pengalaman tertutup.

This thesis explores the audience reception of the South Korean film Moonlit Winter, taking a particular focus on the queer narratives of its two main characters, Yoon-hee and Jun, both of whom represent the perspective of queer characters in the face of family rejection during their youth as well as the ensuing closeted identities that they embody. Focusing on a Gen Z queer and Indonesian informant base, the thesis seeks to address the research question: How do Indonesian queer audiences receive the concept of Family Rejection and Kinship through the queer characters of Yoon-hee and Jun in Lim Daehyung’s Moonlit Winter? By applying Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding model and audience reception analysis, and taking into consideration the text of Family Rejection and incorporating the framework of Kinship,  the research will analyze interpretations of the film through in-depth interviews with four participants. The findings indicate that the themes of Family Rejection and Kinship work in conjunction with the narrative surrounding Yoon-hee and Jun, and beget varied receptions among different demographics of Gen Z queer youth. Most informants tend to adopt dominant-hegemonic reading positions, relating to each character’s narratives depending on their respective backgrounds. Informants who identify as women have provided overall negotiated reading positions, as they instead offer experiences of womanhood as rebuttal to the queer text of the film. This study contributes to the evolving field of audience reception theory, reflecting advancements in queer media studies and exploring the reception of queer media in their depictions of the closeted experience.

Kata Kunci : Audience Reception, Family Rejection, Kinship, Queer Youth, Encoding/Decoding Model, Queer Media