Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Menurut saya, alur cerita film itu sederhana tetapi tetap menarik. - In my opinion, the plot of that movie is simple but still interesting.

Menurut saya literally means “according to me”. It’s a very common, neutral way to introduce your opinion, similar to “in my opinion” in English.

Comparisons:

Menurut saya – “in my opinion / according to me”, slightly more formal/neutral, very common in spoken and written Indonesian.
Saya pikir – “I think (that) …”, a bit more direct and conversational.
Saya rasa – literally “I feel (that) …”, but often used like “I think …”, with a slightly softer nuance.

All three can introduce an opinion, but menurut saya sounds especially natural in reviews, comments, and polite conversation, like in this sentence about a film.

Is menurut saya grammatically necessary here, or can I just say Alur cerita film itu sederhana tetapi tetap menarik?

You can absolutely drop menurut saya. The sentence:

Alur cerita film itu sederhana tetapi tetap menarik.

is still perfectly correct and means something like “The plot of that film is simple but still interesting.”

Adding menurut saya just makes it explicit that this is your personal opinion:

Menurut saya, alur cerita film itu sederhana tetapi tetap menarik.

So menurut saya is optional, used when you want to sound polite, subjective, or modest.

What exactly does alur cerita mean? Why not just use cerita?

Cerita = story. It can mean the content of a story in general.
Alur = flow, course, progression.
Alur cerita = the plot or storyline, i.e. how the story is structured and how events unfold.

In a film review, alur cerita focuses on how the story is arranged (sequence of events, pacing, structure), not just what the story is about.

You could say cerita film itu sederhana (“the story of that film is simple”), but alur cerita film itu makes it clearer you’re talking about the plot structure, which is very natural in this context.

How should I understand the structure of alur cerita film itu? Which word modifies which?

Indonesian noun phrases usually go from head → modifiers → demonstrative. Here’s the breakdown:

alur = head noun (“plot / flow”)
cerita = modifies alur (“story” → “story-plot / storyline”)
film = modifies cerita (“film story”)
itu = demonstrative (“that / the”)

So alur cerita film itu ≈ “the storyline of that film” or “that film’s storyline”.

You can think of it as:

alur [cerita [film itu]]
plot [story [that film]]

No preposition like dari is needed here; the relationship is shown simply by word order.

What does itu in film itu do? Is it like “that” or like “the”?

Itu is a demonstrative that usually translates as “that”, but in Indonesian it also often works like a definite article (“the”) referring to something already known.

In film itu:

It often means “that film (we’ve been talking about / we both know)”, not necessarily physically far away.
Pragmatically, it can feel like “the film” in English when context is clear.

Variations:

film ini – this film (closer / just watched / very present in context)
film itu – that/the film (already known, previously mentioned)
film tersebut – “the said film” (more formal, written)
filmnya – “its/the film’s …” depending on context

In reviews, film itu is a natural way to refer back to the film under discussion.

Why do we say sederhana tetapi tetap menarik instead of just sederhana tetapi menarik? What is the nuance of tetap?

Tetap means “still / remains / nevertheless”. It adds a contrastive nuance:

sederhana tetapi menarik
= “simple but interesting”
sederhana tetapi tetap menarik
≈ “simple but still interesting / nevertheless interesting”

With tetap, you imply that being simple could have made it boring, but even so, it is (or remains) interesting. It emphasizes that the second quality (interesting) persists despite the first one (simple).

So tetap strengthens the contrast and makes the compliment sound a bit more pointed: “Even though the plot is simple, it still manages to be interesting.”

What is the difference between tetapi, tapi, and namun? Could I replace tetapi here?

All three express contrast, similar to “but / however”, but they differ in formality and typical position:

tetapi – standard, neutral, good in both spoken and written Indonesian.
- Very natural in this sentence.
tapi – more informal/colloquial.
- You’ll hear it a lot in everyday speech:
  - … sederhana tapi tetap menarik.
namun – slightly more formal, often used at the beginning of the clause, like “however”.
- E.g. Alur cerita film itu sederhana. Namun, film itu tetap menarik.

In your sentence, you can switch to tapi for more casual speech:

Menurut saya, alur cerita film itu sederhana tapi tetap menarik.

Using namun in the exact same spot (…sederhana namun tetap menarik) is also possible and sounds a bit more formal or literary.

Why is the adjective order sederhana tetapi tetap menarik, not something like tetap menarik tetapi sederhana?

In Indonesian:

Adjectives usually come after the noun: alur cerita … sederhana, film itu menarik.
When you have a contrast with tetapi/tapi/namun, you normally present one quality first, then contrast it with the other.

Here the speaker wants to set up the “simple” part first, then “surprise” you with “but (it’s) still interesting”:

Start: sederhana (maybe a potential weakness)
Contrast: tetap menarik (but it remains good)

You could technically say:

Menurut saya, alur cerita film itu tetap menarik tetapi sederhana.

but it sounds odd and loses the natural “even though it is simple, it’s still interesting” flow. The original order is the natural way to express that contrast.

Why is saya used instead of aku? Would Menurut aku be okay?

Saya and aku both mean “I / me”, but they differ in politeness and context:

saya – polite, neutral, safe in most situations (with strangers, in writing, in semi-formal speech).
aku – informal/intimate, used with close friends, family, or in casual contexts, and more common in some regions.

So:

Menurut saya, … – sounds neutral/polite, fine in a review, a class, or speaking to someone you don’t know well.
Menurut aku, … – sounds more casual, like telling a friend what you think.

Grammatically, Menurut aku, alur cerita film itu sederhana tetapi tetap menarik is perfectly correct; just choose saya vs aku based on how close and how formal you are with your listener.

Is the comma after menurut saya required, and can I move menurut saya to a different position?

The comma is recommended but not absolutely required. It marks a natural pause after the introductory phrase:

Menurut saya, alur cerita film itu sederhana tetapi tetap menarik.

You’ll also see it written without a comma in informal contexts, but the version with the comma is standard.

You can move menurut saya:

Alur cerita film itu, menurut saya, sederhana tetapi tetap menarik.
– Also correct; the opinion phrase is inserted in the middle.
Alur cerita film itu sederhana tetapi tetap menarik, menurut saya.
– Also possible; sounds like an afterthought: “in my opinion, that is.”

The original version (at the beginning) is the most straightforward and common in writing.

Could I say alur cerita dari film itu instead of alur cerita film itu?

You can say alur cerita dari film itu, and people will understand you, but it is less natural in this context.

alur cerita film itu is the usual, compact way to say “the plot of that film”.
alur cerita dari film itu puts extra emphasis on “from that film”, and can sound a bit wordy or slightly off unless you specifically want to highlight “from that film” as a source.

For normal descriptions and reviews, alur cerita film itu is the idiomatic choice.