Arisan!

Arisan! arrived when public had become jaded with Indonesian films. After a string of trashy horror and fluffy teen flicks, Arisan! came as an adult-oriented drama/comedy which bravely tackled issues never before seen in Indonesian cinema: the lives of upper-class people and gays and succeeded in both attempts.

The film would have been ordinary if not for the well-written script which shows wit, intelligent, and honesty. This is a work from the heart. Considered as the best Indonesian film ever made and arguably so.

Indonesian native speakers will agree that the dialogs are wonderful and sounds very real, unlike ALL Indonesian films which speaks like textbook.

Not without flaws (the editing feels choppy at times) but the script manages to sidesteps all clichés.

It's hard to find Indonesian film that could make me come back for second time to watch it. But it's different. Director Nia Dinata did great work.One subject that I enjoyed most were dialogues....different than many indonesian cinema, very daily style. Actually it's not new idea but it happened in a muslim country and focus on three best friends lives, but the center of this story are about being gay and Tora Sudiro played as good as he can. He deserve to get my TWO THUMBS UP and more,represented as some gay men did. As usual gay style show us sissy and freak and ridiculous people. we can't find easily gay men on cinema as good man as part of the society. But it did.Arisan is one of good movie I ve ever seen, please don't compare with brilliant Hollywood cinema,okay...

ARISAN (The Gathering) is a fine little story about the ins and outs of Jakarta's wealthy class - sort of an Indonesian Beverly Hills 90210/Melrose Place sitcom. The characters include frustrated wives, jealous wives, career women, cheating husbands, man-hunter girls, and two gay men - one closeted and one open. The film explores the social dictates of society and the jumbled events that occur when family or friends try to match make.

The cast is young and attractive and handles the material well. The problem with the film is the emphasis on clothes, fancy homes, cars, and all the trappings of the wealthy class. An 'arisan' is a gathering where friends come together, pitch in $100. each and pass the hostessing around to various locales where their main conversation is fairly shallow gossiping. But this film, though drowning in the over-the-top trappings, has many sensitive issues well discussed and played. For a film from Indonesia it is a terrific change from the usual horror flicks that originate from their studios and as such bodes well for a new movie industry that obviously has the ability to become important. It is funny, tender, very colorful and entertaining: some judicious editing could have pared this overly long movie into a fine little film. In Indonesian and English with subtitles. Grady Harp

Other than the actors "sometimes" talks stuttered, & a "not so good" sound (especially when the actor "Surya Saputra" talking, cos he's lips looked barely moved, I really couldn't understand What he was saying, thank God, before I bought the VCD, I already saw it in the theater) It's refreshing to have a well made movie from Indonesia,& an added bonus cos it has a clever dialog that you don't see in other "cliche" Indonesian movie. It also break the Dogma that a good Indonesian movies, is the one with a traditional, classical artsy movie, with a longgggggggg dialog & scene. Don't get me wrong, I still like those kind of movies, but sometimes the Director is a bit selfish, to make movie that only good in visual & difficult dialog but not enjoyable for the audiences.

Plizzzz, Indonesian film maker, make more movies like this.

The only worthy Indonesian movie to watch this year. The first Kalyana movie that actually works! Great!

And to picture gay story in Indonesia is quite risky, but this movie dare to do that. Even though gay story is only one of the three stories brought by the three main characters, it's the strongest one. The other two problems about adultery and compulsory to breed children felt like accessories to it.

The way they use 'arisan' as the most common Indonesian tradition among housewives is smart and reflects so many 'Indonesian' things. You can see many things in Indonesia in this movie which are told honestly. And they do it well, reminds me of how chocolate in 'Chocolate' brought the story.

Well done!