'Arisan!' an achingly funny slice of life

'Arisan!' an achingly funny slice of life

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Arisan!
Drama/Comedy, 129 minutes
Starring Cut Mini, Tora Sudiro, Aida Nurmala, Surya Saputra, Lili
Harahap, Rachel Maryam; Directed by Nia Dinata;
A Kalyana Shira Film production (Bahasa Indonesia)
*** (out of ****)

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Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Director Nia Dinata's 2002 debut Ca-Bau-Kan was another case of a
local filmmaker running around with big ideas and a colossal
theme -- to the detriment of the technicalities.

Adapted from Remy Sylado's novel about the love story between
a poor native Jakartan woman and a rich ethnic Chinese man, set
in the first half of the last century, it ended up as a badly
structured, weakly scripted costume drama.

But Nia learned her lesson. For her second effort, Arisan!,
she turned to the world she knows best -- cosmopolitan city
slickers -- and put the emphasis on the script she co-wrote with
Joko Anwar, The Jakarta Post's regular movie columnist.

And boy, do we love a good surprise.

Arisan! is often witty and sometimes touching; it has been a
while since we've seen a local film that we can laugh with, not
laugh at. At times, we even laugh at ourselves, because the film
tells of real people with real problems.

The title refers to the popular form of regular social
gathering, whose members contribute a sum of money and take turns
at winning it.

Like everything in life, there is much more involved than an
egalitarian sharing of the money pot, and the gatherings are
often criticized as a waste of money and an opportunity for
housewives to have a good gossip and show off.

Nia uses the gatherings to make fun of high-class society, and
as a plot device to connect the film's three main characters, 30-
somethings Meimei (Cut Mini), Sakti (Tora Sudiro) and Andien
(Aida Nurmala).

Meimei is a successful interior designer who tries everything
to get pregnant, hoping that a baby will save her shaky marriage.

Her best friend and business partner is Sakti, whose widowed
mom (a wonderful performance by Lili Harahap) is busy playing
matchmaker, unaware that her son is a closeted gay.

Both Meimei and Sakti are part of an arisan held by Andien, a
control freak housewife whose life goes into a tailspin when she
finds out about her husband's affair.

These developments are the starting point for each of the
three characters to try to put their lives in order, sometimes
leading to more personal disasters.

Meimei becomes obsessed with pills and books on pregnancy.
Sakti's efforts to become "normal" fail as he meets and falls for
film producer Nino (Surya Saputra), while Andien seeks revenge by
dating younger men.

The seemingly complex and intricate storylines are woven
together smoothly, without being melodramatic or condescending,
retaining humor in satirizing the troubles of the rich while
never deriding them.

There is also natural, sometimes unexpected development in the
characters -- it's only at the end of the movie that we realize
Andien is a voracious social climber.

Most of the actors are making their debut, except for Mini and
Surya, both of whom have been regulars on TV soaps and sitcoms,
but the cast is impressive.

There are also several scene-stealing actors in small but
important roles, especially Rachel Maryam (Eliana Eliana), who
plays Lita, a rough-around-the-edges girl from the province who
Sakti's mom tries to fix him up with.

Also catch cameos from noted actors like Jajang C. Noer who
plays a shrink, Ria Irawan as a writer/intellectual snob (a
barely veiled take on a high-profile woman author), as well as
entertainers Nico Siahaan and Tika Panggabean.

The script also pokes fun at local filmmakers by parodying
recent films, including Biola Tak Berdawai (Stringless Violin),
which Nia produced.

Much of the attention about the film has focused on a same-sex
kiss, but more important is that this is the probably the first
local movie to portray homosexuals in an unsensational, objective
light.

For once, they are not limp-wristed, lisping queens, but
goodhearted, intellectual and decent, as many of them are in real
life.

Sure, some audience members will be disgusted at the kissing
scene between Sakti and Nino, but those with gay friends and
colleagues will find their relationship true and touching.

Unlike many films, Arisan! does not take the easy way out with
a three-hankie tragic ending.

Sure, there are flaws here and there, such as a few patches of
rough editing, exaggeration in some characters, especially the
rich women at the gatherings, and a couple of jarring lines of
dialog.

The shortcomings do not mar the film as a whole. In the end,
you look back with enjoyment at this honest work from the heart.