Sinetron Syndrome:Soaps Bring Tears to Beautiful Eyes
Love them or loath them, sinetron shows have been the most-watched television programs in the country for over a decade. Not a day goes by without another melodramatic episode assaulting the airwaves. Despite the hundreds of titles, their themes are almost uniform: a portrait of upper-class families, tears and love affairs gone wrong. So what’s the attraction?
January 8, 2001
Thursday nights are important. Vitally important. They’re the highlight of the week in the life of 30-year-old Ina Herlina. It’s become a hallowed ritual for this employee of a state-owned enterprise to relax in front of the TV to watch Dewi Fortuna. Missing just one episode of this sinetron (the word literally means electronic cinema and refers to a wide range of soap opera serials) starring Bella Saphira and Jeremy Thomas is like lo
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