Tackling Indonesian social taboos, Arisan! is a film directed by Nia Di Nata that revolves around three 30-something socially elite friends living in Jakarta. These 3 friends join an arisan group, which is a joint financial pool conducted between groups of people such as friends or colleagues in order to foster relationships. Through this arisan group, these 3 friends’ secrets are unravelled and friendships are put to the test.
The social issues displayed in this film are infertility, infidelity and homosexuality. Aniden (Aida Nrmala) is the presider of the arisan group and is seen to have the ‘perfect’ life as she has a husband and children and is well off. However, infidelity rocks her marriage even though she tries hard to sexually please her husband. Meimei (Cut Mini Theo) is a successful interior designer who is desperately trying to have children and her life is shaken when her doctor tells her that she is infertile.
Although homosexuality in Indonesia is not illegal, it is seen as a taboo in Indonesian society. Arisan! is famed as one of Indonesian’s first mainstream films that successfully tackles the issue of homosexuality and of ‘coming out’ in a realistic manner as Sakti (Tora Sudro) is not stereotyped as an effeminate gay, but as an average male who is just troubled by his sexual orientation and about how his family and friends will react to it. Because of this, Sakti was my favourite character and indeed, Tora Sudro’s acting outshined the rest of the cast.
I give this movie 3 stars.
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