Love Lesson (1979): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1979, Love Lesson is a drama film directed by Matnoor Tindaon, running about 93 minutes. “Love Lesson” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Students who come to Yogyakarta to study, also have their first taste of love and sex. Three friends, Benny, Lesmono, and Larso find this out for themselves. Benny, a ladies’ man, introduces his friends to prostitution. Lesmono is secretly in love with Indri, but she falls into the hands of Benny. Benny, who takes life very lightly, manages to smuggle Indri into his room in the lodging house. When he goes home to Jakarta, Indri is anxious because she misses her period. Lesmono helps her to find a shaman who can perform an abortion. But when she goes to see a doctor, she finds out that she is not pregnant after all. Lesmono hopes to get Indri back but his hopes vanish when Benny returns and Indri goes back to him. Attempting to represent the teenagers’ psychological state in relation to love and sex; the film only manages to be jokey and shallow.

Who’s in it. Love Lesson stars Rano Karno as Benny, Anita Carolina Mohede as Indri, Harvey Malaiholo as Lesmono and Pria Bombom as Larso, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, Love Lesson has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Love Lesson page.

If you liked it. Fans of Love Lesson tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.