''Arisan!'' (English: ''The Gathering'') is a

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

directed by

Nia Dinata Nurkurniati Aisyah Dewi (born 4 March 1970 in Jakarta, Indonesia), better known as Nia Dinata, is an Indonesian film director. Her movies are known for tackling subjects controversial or "risky" in Indonesia such as homosexuality, migrant workers ...

, who also co-wrote the screenplay with then-unknown

Joko Anwar Joko Anwar (born 3 January 1976) is an Indonesian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Prior to becoming a filmmaker, he worked as a journalist and film critic. Anwar first rose to prominence for co-writing Nia Dinata's 2003 hit ' ...

. At the 2004 Indonesian Film Festival, it won the

Citra Awards The Indonesian Film Festival ( Indonesian: Festival Film Indonesia, 'FFI') is an annual awards ceremony organised by the Indonesian Film Board and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology to celebrate cinematic achievements in ...

in five major categories:

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Editing. ''Arisan!'' was the first Indonesian film to feature two men kissing, portrayed by the characters Sakti (Tora Sudiro) and Nino (

Surya Saputra Surya Saputra (born in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 5, 1975) is an Indonesian actor, singer, and model. He is the husband of Indonesian actress and singer, Cynthia Lamusu. He is also a former member of the Indonesian pop group Cool Colors. Care ...

). In May 2006, a television series based on the film premiered on ANTV. A sequel, ''

Arisan! 2 ''Arisan!'' (English: ''The Gathering'') is a 2003 Indonesian comedy-drama film directed by Nia Dinata, who also co-wrote the screenplay with then-unknown Joko Anwar. At the 2004 Indonesian Film Festival, it won the Citra Awards in five major ...

'', was released in December 2011, continuing the story after the events in the television series.

Synopsis

A successful architect, Sakti (

Tora Sudiro Taura Danang Sudiro or better known as Tora Sudiro (born in Jakarta, Indonesia on 10 May 1973) is an Indonesian actor and comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be thro ...

), is uncertain about his

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

, but when he meets magnetic and gay Nino (

), he realizes he prefers men. When Meimei ( Cut Mini), one of Sakti's closest female friends, reveals she's attracted to Nino, it causes complications in their social circle. Weighing whether or not to come out of the closet, Nino is mindful of fragile Meimei, who's dealing with the breakup of her marriage.

Cast

* Cut Mini as Meimei *

as Nino *

as Sakti * Aida Nurmala as Andien * Rachel Maryam as Lita * Lili Harahap as Grace * Aurora Yahya as Fanny * Wilza Lubis as Nuri * Nico Siahaan as Ical * Tika Panggabean as Massage Therapist *

Jajang C. Noer Lidia Djunita Pamontjak or better known as Jajang C. Noer (born June 28, 1952 in Paris, France) is a France-born Indonesian actress and film producer of Minangkabau people, Minangkabau descent. She is also the only daughter of Indonesian national ...

as Psychiatrist *

Ria Irawan Chandra Ariati Dewi Irawan or better known as Ria Irawan (24 July 1969 – 6 January 2020) was an Indonesian actress and singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or ...

as Yayuk Asmara *

Indra Birowo Indra Birowo (born January 9, 1973) is an actor and comedian, who made his television debut in ''Extravaganza''. Indra is the third child of Wargandi Suryo and Farida Yusuf. He was educated at Canisius College in Jakarta. He made his film deb ...

as Rama *

as Restaurant Manager

Production

During an interview with ''

The Jakarta Post ''The Jakarta Post'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Niskala Media Tenggara and based in the nation's capital, Jakarta. ''The Jakarta Post'' started as a collaboration between four Indonesian med ...

'' film critic

asked him to co-write a screenplay about a group of friends in urban Jakarta after Anwar impressed her with his filmmaking aspirations. The two co-wrote the screenplay for what would become ''Arisan!'' and received a Citra Award nomination for Best Screenplay.

Dian Sastrowardoyo Dian Paramita Sastrowardoyo (born 16 March 1982) is an Indonesian actress and model of Javanese descent. She made her recognition lead role as Cinta in Indonesian 2001 film ''Ada Apa Dengan Cinta?'', which won her five Best Actress awards. E ...

and

Nicholas Saputra Nicholas Saputra Schubring (born 24 February 1984) is an Indonesian actor and film producer. He first rose to prominence as Rangga in the 2002 hit film '' Ada Apa dengan Cinta?'', a role he reprised in ''Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? 2'' in 2016. He ha ...

made an uncredited cameo as a man and a woman in an art gallery scene.

Reception

It is often credited with reviving the Indonesian film industry after a decade of setback along with ''

Ada Apa dengan Cinta? ''Ada Apa Dengan Cinta?'' ( en, What's Up with Love? or What's Up with Cinta?) is a 2002 Indonesian romantic drama film directed by Rudy Soedjarwo. The Indonesian title is a play on words, as ''Cinta'' (Indonesian for "love") is also the name o ...

'' and '' Petualangan Sherina.'' At the 2004 Citra Award, the film received 5 awards out of 11 nominations. ''Arisan!'' received much attention for being the first Indonesian film with

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

theme as well as the first Indonesian film to use high-definition color enhancement. It uses a mixture of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, standard

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

, and Jakartan urban

slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...

. Upon release, it garnered controversy for its depiction of

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

in its home

Muslim-majority The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...

country of

Trivia

'Arisan' is a common term for a regular social gathering between friends and relatives who chip in money to be won in turns through a lucky draw. From villagers in far-flung areas to urban professionals in big cities, arisan was initially born as a type of support network among

Chinese-Indonesian Chinese Indonesians ( id, Orang Tionghoa Indonesia) and colloquially Chindo or just Tionghoa are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have l ...

merchants before becoming popular among general Indonesians, particularly housewives. In bigger cities, 'arisan' has also grown into a platform to exhibit wealth with strict criteria for participation.'Arisan!' tackles taboos
/ref>

Awards and nominations

Sequel

A sequel, written and directed by Dinata and featured the same principal cast, titled ''Arisan!'' 2, was released in December 2011.

References

External links

Official website
* {{Authority control Citra Award winners 2003 films 2003 comedy-drama films Best Film Citra Award winners 2000s Indonesian-language films Indonesian LGBT-related films Films shot in Indonesia Indonesian comedy-drama films Gay-related films 2003 LGBT-related films LGBT-related comedy-drama films