ภาพตัวละครแม่เลี้ยงเดี่ยวในภาพยนตร์สั้นมลายูร่วมสมัย:: การศึกษาเปรียบเทียบกรณี StigMa Lea กับ Kabut Semalam

์Nureeda Ibni Sualiman

Authors

Nureeda Ibni Sulaiman Department of Eastern Languages, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University.

Keywords:

single mother, short film, Malay Muslim women in Malaysia and Singapore, Islamic feminism, third-wave feminism

Abstract

This article examines the portrayal of single mothers in the short films StigMa Lea and Kabut Semalam through feminist textual analysis, framed by third-wave feminism and Islamic feminism, to analyze the “agency” exercised by Malay Muslim women in contrasting contexts. In StigMa Lea, Lea, clearly situated within Singapore’s urban setting, reconstructs her identity as a “single mom” while rejecting the label “janda” (divorced woman), thereby challenging patriarchal norms. In contrast, In Kabut Semalam, Mastura, a widow residing in rural Malaysia, employs silence and faith as strategies to negotiate social stigma. Both characters illustrate that motherhood does not require a marital partnership but constitutes a form of leadership grounded in love, responsibility, and the dignified upbringing of children. This analysis argues that contemporary Malay films are reshaping the image of single mothers from women who need to be “completed” to women who possess inherent power and self-worth.

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