Indonesian Film Festival, Best Movie..

Remember the picture on the left? Feel familiar? Yup! It is one of the Indonesian film titled “ARISAN!“. This film had been in the cinemas started from December 10th, 2003 until 2-3 weeks after that. And then available on the VCD and DVD. Great movie I said.
It’s ARISAN!, a film directed by a young talented woman named Nia Dinata.
Now, why I talked about something had passed a year ago? Because last night was the FFI (Festival Film Indonesia) 2004. And Arisan! had been chosen as the BEST MOVIE Award. Cool!
Arisan! is about friendship and principles are put to a test in the circle of Jakarta’s social elite which can be as turbulent as the city’s slums. The lives of several upperclass, thirty-something Jakartans are boldly revealed for the first time in Indonesian cinema, following the career and social life of three life-long friends who seem to have conquered the metropolitan. Unfortunately, the truth is not exactly as pretty as the impression.
Exiting times in Indonesia! When the film released, everyone’s eyes were at is “Arisan!“.
Three bestfriends live a normal life, that is, at first look. After a while we see them strugle with unhappiness in different forms. Meimei (Cut Mini Theo) hears from her doctor that she won’t be able to become pregnant and sees her husband run away. Andien (Aida Nurmala)’s husband slept with someone else, and Sakti (Tora Sudiro) -who is gay- is afraid that his mother or best friend Meimei might find out that he is.
Well, she finds out, but in a way he never imagined she would.
This film is the first BIG HIT in Indonesia where it is all about ‘coming out’. Sakti and Nino (Surya Saputra) learn that in modern Indonesia, being gay is as normal as in other countries (far from the reality, but common in some areas of Indonesia).
Screaming girls in the cinema when Sakti and Nino first kiss. No sensor in Indonesia, and that was surprising!!
Over all, this film is not only good because it doesn’t show any stereo type Indonesian gays (mostly transsexuals or overacting feminate gays), but two people like everyone else. It is also a film technically quite good, although the editing could have been better.
Two thumbs up for Arisan!
And yay.. BRAVO INDONESIAN FILMS!

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