REPRESENTASI TOXIC RELATIONSHIP DALAM KOMUNIKASI INTERPERSONAL PADA FILM STORY OF KALE: WHEN SOMEONE'S IN LOVE

This study aims to analyze the representation of toxic relationships in interpersonal communication between the characters Kale and Dinda in the film Story of Kale: When Someone’s in Love directed by Angga Dwimas Sasongko. The film portrays a romantic relationship that initially appears caring and attentive, but gradually transforms into an unhealthy relationship due to controlling behavior, emotional manipulation, and power imbalance within the relationship. This research employs a qualitative approach using Roland Barthes’ semiotic analysis method, which examines the meaning of signs through three levels: denotation, connotation, and myth. Data were collected through documentation and observation of film scenes that depict verbal and nonverbal communication, including dialogue, voice intonation, facial expressions, body gestures, and visual symbols reflecting the dynamics of Kale and Dinda’s relationship. The findings indicate that the relationship between the two characters is represented as a toxic relationship through communication patterns characterized by gaslighting, emotional control, restrictions on decision-making, and limitations on personal freedom. In this relationship, Kale is portrayed as the dominant party, while Dinda occupies a position of submission and compromise. At the connotative level, the film presents an imbalance of power relations wrapped in narratives of love and care. Meanwhile, at the myth level, the film represents patriarchal values and hegemonic masculinity, in which possessive and dominant male behavior is often normalized and interpreted as a form of responsibility and protection. Thus, Story of Kale: When Someone’s in Love not only presents a romantic narrative but also serves as a social reflection on how unhealthy communication patterns and constructions of masculinity can normalize toxic relationships in everyday life, particularly among younger generations.