Audience Reception of Mental Health Representation in the Film Sleep Call: An Encoding–Decoding Analysis
Abstract
This study examines how audiences interpret representations of mental health in the Indonesian film Sleep Call using Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding framework. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, the research draws on in-depth interviews with eight female Generation Z viewers aged 20–25 who watched the film in cinemas or via the Prime Video streaming platform. The data were analyzed through a thematic reception analysis to identify dominant-hegemonic, negotiated, and oppositional decoding positions. The findings indicate that dominant-hegemonic readings largely align with the film’s preferred meaning by framing mental health vulnerability as closely linked to economic pressure, illegal online lending, and digital loneliness. Negotiated readings accept this framing while expanding it to include relational and social dimensions, particularly the role of support systems. Oppositional readings challenge the film’s narrative by foregrounding issues of gender representation and agency, interpreting the portrayal of mental health as embedded within broader representational politics.These findings demonstrate that meanings surrounding mental health in popular cinema are not fixed but are actively negotiated by audiences based on lived experience and ideological positioning. Within the context of a bounded interpretive community, this study contributes to media reception research in Indonesia by clarifying how mental health representations are decoded, contested, and reinterpreted in contemporary film culture.
Keywords:
audience reception, mental health, Sleep Call film, encoding/decoding, Stuart Hall, Generation ZReferences
Aligwe, H., Nwafor, K., & Alegu, J. (2018). Stuart Hall’s Encoding-Decoding Model: A Critique. World Applied Sciences Journal, 36, 1019–1023. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356879508
Andrianto, N., & Aliffianto, A. Y. (2021). Analisis Isi Gangguan Stress Pasca Trauma dalam Film 27 Steps of May. Communicator Sphere, 1(1), 20–30.
Briandana, R., Mohamad Saleh, M. S., & Dwityas, N. A. (2024). The role of film in environmental communication: An audience interpretation in Indonesia and Malaysia. Islamic Communication Journal, 9(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.21580/icj.2024.9.1.21947
Cahya Laili Agustina, Rudi Adi Nugroho, & Ahmad Fuadin. (2025). Dekonstruksi Representasi Perempuan dalam Film “Sleep Call”: Kajian Teori Sara Mills. Jurnal Onoma: Pendidikan, Bahasa, Dan Sastra, 11(3), 2998–3013. https://doi.org/10.30605/onoma.v11i3.6151
Castaldi, J., & Christina Foundouka, I. (2025). Investigating multimodality, reception and civic participation on YouTube: a case study of the documentary ‘Greece: The Hidden War.’ Visual Communication, 24(3), 741–768. https://doi.org/10.1177/14703572251328367
Fusar-Poli, P., Salazar de Pablo, G., De Micheli, A., Nieman, D. H., Correll, C. U., Kessing, L. V., Pfennig, A., Bechdolf, A., Borgwardt, S., Arango, C., & van Amelsvoort, T. (2020). What is good mental health? A scoping review. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 31, 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.12.105
Hafidhah. (2022). Implementasi Proses Penerimaan Diri Pada Individu Dalam Film Imperfect [IAIN Syekh Nurjati Cirebon]. https://repository.syekhnurjati.ac.id/8378/
Hall, S. (2019). Encoding Decoding 1980. In Crime and media.
Hall, S., Hobson, D., Lowe, A., & Willis, P. (Eds.). (2003). Culture, Media, Language. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203381182
Hartini, N., Fardana, N. A., Ariana, A. D., & Wardana, N. D. (2018). Stigma toward people with mental health problems in Indonesia. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, Volume 11, 535–541. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S175251
Juahari Mohammad Kafi Putra, & Arviani Heidy. (2023). Analisis Resepsi Gen Z Terhadap Isu Kesehatan Mental Dalam Film Dokumenter “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me.” Journal Of Social Science Research, 3(3), 5351–5365. https://j-innovative.org/index.php/Innovative/article/view/2739
Laughey. (2007). Teori Komunikasi Massa McQuail. In Journal of Controlled Release (6th ed., Vol. 11, Issue 2).
Liang, L., & Lu, S. (2025). An audience reception study of danmu-enabled humour in multimodal texts. Visual Communication, 24(3), 648–674. https://doi.org/10.1177/14703572251331109
McQuail, D. (2010). Mass Communication Theory. In Book. Sage publications.
Mudjiono, Y. (2011). Kajian Semiotika Dalam Film. Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 1(1), 125–138. https://doi.org/10.15642/jik.2011.1.1.125-138
Mulvey, L. (1975). Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Screen, 16(3), 6–18. https://doi.org/10.1093/screen/16.3.6
Priadi, A. (2025). Linguistic Manipulation in Gendered Political Campaigns : A Pragmatic Analysis of Suggestion in the Discourse of Female Leadership in Indonesia. Fast in Social Sciences, 1(1), 67–89. https://fast-socialsciences.com/fss/article/view/5
Rahayu, H., & Nugraha, E. (2024). Stigma Masyarakat Terhadap Pasien Orang dengan Gangguan Jiwa di Wilayah Kerja UPT Puskesmas Pasawahan Kota Bandung: Implikasi Konseling Psikososial. Jurnal Bimbingan Dan Konseling Islam, 14(1 SE-Articles), 19–32. https://jurnalfdk.uinsa.ac.id/index.php/jbki/article/view/1629
Riadi, S. G. (2022). Penerima Audiens Terhadap Gangguan Mental Dalam Film Selesai. UPN Veteran Jawa Timur.
Stanley J. Baran. (2011). Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture Updated -6/E. McGraw-Hill.
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Widya Annisa, Iman Sumarlan (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in SINTHOP: Media Kajian Agama, Sosial dan Budaya agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. (See The Effect of Open Acces)
Downloads
How to Cite
Similar Articles
- Reinnia Chintawati, Khalid Syaifullah, Arief Sudrajat, Gender Inequality and Family Representation in The Film Andai Ibu Tidak Menikah Dengan Ayah , Sinthop: Media Kajian Pendidikan, Agama, Sosial dan Budaya: Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): July-December
- Ferdy Safutra, Lesti Heriyanti, Susiyanto Susiyanto, The Social Construction of Spinsterhood Among the Pekal Tribe in Napal Putih, North Bengkulu Regency , Sinthop: Media Kajian Pendidikan, Agama, Sosial dan Budaya: Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): January-June
- Daan Dini Khairunida, Achmad Yan Muharis, Rizqi Fitriani, The Implementation of Contraceptive Legalization and its Moral Implications for Muslim Adolescents in Rural Indonesia , Sinthop: Media Kajian Pendidikan, Agama, Sosial dan Budaya: Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): July-December
- Dzaky Rijal, Ainal Mardhiah, An Analysis of Islamic Moral Educational Values in The Film The Kite Runner , Sinthop: Media Kajian Pendidikan, Agama, Sosial dan Budaya: Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): January-June
- Mahdar Ependi, Adenan Adenan, Qaulan Sadidan in QS. An-Nisa Verse 9 and Its Ethical Relevance for Generation Z’s Digital Communication , Sinthop: Media Kajian Pendidikan, Agama, Sosial dan Budaya: Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): July-December
- Fathia Mulki Sattari, Nofal Liata, Promoting Religious Moderation among Indonesian Youth: A Content Analysis of PKMB UIN Ar-Raniry’s Instagram , Sinthop: Media Kajian Pendidikan, Agama, Sosial dan Budaya: Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): January-June
- Muhajir Muhajir, Synergizing Education, Family, and Community in Empowering Kampung KB for Drug Abuse Prevention Among Youth in Aceh , Sinthop: Media Kajian Pendidikan, Agama, Sosial dan Budaya: Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): January-June
- Diah Damayanti, Muhammad Ghifari, Muhammad Asgar Muzakki, Digisexuality in the Digital Age: A Critical Hadith-Based Analysis of Islamic Sexual Ethics and Contemporary Challenges , Sinthop: Media Kajian Pendidikan, Agama, Sosial dan Budaya: Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): January-June
- Zulhilmi Zulhilmi, Asrul Fahmi, Mauludi Mauludi, Bimby Hidayat, Opportunities and Challenges in Accelerating Renewable Energy Transition: A Case Study of Lhokseumawe, Aceh, Indonesia , Sinthop: Media Kajian Pendidikan, Agama, Sosial dan Budaya: Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): January-June
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.