''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 ...

Indonesian

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, 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 categories: Best Picture,

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

, 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). In May 2006, a television series based on the film premiered on ANTV. A sequel, '' Arisan! 2'', was released in December 2011, continuing the story after the events in the television series.

Synopsis

A successful architect, Sakti ( Tora Sudiro), 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 ( Surya Saputra), he realizes he prefers men. When Meimei (

Cut Mini Cut may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** Cut (ea ...

), 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

as Meimei * Surya Saputra as Nino * Tora Sudiro as Sakti *

Aida Nurmala ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...

as Andien *

Rachel Maryam Rachel () was a Bible, Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph (Genesis), Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban (Bible), Laban. Her older siste ...

as Lita *

Lili Harahap ''Lili'' is a 1953 American film released by MGM. It stars Leslie Caron as a touchingly naïve French girl whose emotional relationship with a carnival puppeteer is conducted through the medium of four puppets. The film won the Academy Award fo ...

as Grace *

Aurora Yahya An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

as Fanny * Wilza Lubis as Nuri *

Nico Siahaan Naftiran Intertrade Company limited (NICO) is a Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NICO is a general contractor for the oil and gas industry. NIOC buys the vast majority of Iran's gasoline imports. NICO is a key pl ...

as Ical *

Tika Panggabean Tika or TIKA may refer to: * Tika (crater), a crater on Saturn's satellite Rhea * Tika, Estonia, village in Võru County * Apache Tika, content analysis software * Tika Waylan, a character in the ''DragonLance'' series of fantasy novels * Tika ...

as Massage Therapist * Jajang C. Noer as Psychiatrist * Ria Irawan as Yayuk Asmara * Indra Birowo as Rama * Joko Anwar as Restaurant Manager

Production

During an interview with '' The Jakarta Post'' film critic Joko Anwar, Nia Dinata 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 and Nicholas Saputra 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 ''Petualangan Sherina'' (English: ''Sherina’s Adventure'') is an Indonesian musical adventure comedy film released in 2000. It was directed by Riri Riza and stars Sherina Munaf, Derby Romero, Didi Petet, Mathias Muchus, Ratna Riantiarno, and B ...

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

Indonesian film Cinema of Indonesia is film that is produced domestically in Indonesia. The Indonesian Film Agency or BPI defines Indonesian film as "movies that are made with Indonesian resources, and wholly or partly Intellectual Property is owned by Indones ...

with gay theme as well as the first

to use high-definition color enhancement. It uses a mixture of English, standard Indonesian, and Jakartan urban slang. Upon release, it garnered controversy for its depiction of homosexuality 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 Indonesia.

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 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
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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