Gadis Kretek

I can't get rid of this from my mind. It is a truly masterpiece. I just got amazed how they made such a good historical and romance in one classical movie. It was so simple but because of this, it is so epic and fabulous! Every characters showed their incredible qualities, in a way to give 100 percent efforts. Furthermore, the soundtracks were all matched with every moments in the movie!

Definitely a recommended movie to watch! Not only it gives us how Indonesian history and culture back in 60s but also how a passionate person (woman) on such a taboo thing. It was so good, I am not exaggerating it though!

REVIEW GADIS KRETEK

I decided to watch this series because it was everywhere on X (formerly known as Twitter). Before that, I already knew the book, it was a hot topic once. The book-with the same title-was written by Ratih Kumala who happened to be Eka Kurniawan's wife. No wonder why I felt deja vu when watching the series, because it shares the same taste with Eka's plotting. They have historical writing style.

The series alone was mainly about cigarette. Dasiyah, as the main character, was a daughter of Mr Idroes, owner of Kretek Merdeka company, and she had a big ambition to make its sauce. But, women aren't even allowed to enter the sauce room. Then she met Raja when she was going to the local market with her father. Raja became one of their workers. Dasiyah and Raja fell for each other, but the universe seemed to not get their way. This, is when the story began.

I got to say the plot was really well done. It was a beautiful play, and well, the actors acted pretty natural, especially Dasiyah and Raja. Dian Sastro succeded to draw all the emotions. This series got all the romance, drama, and action in one.

I rate 8/10.

Have you ever encountered a movie so profoundly impactful that it keeps you awake at night? Even days after watching it, the scenes linger in your mind. This film achieved that for me-an arguably top-tier Indonesian movie. Objectively brilliant, it boasts outstanding performances by the entire cast, with Dian Sastro's portrayal standing out. Her expressions are consistently subtle yet convey the pain of years of gender-based mistreatment. The storyline is captivating, always leaving you wanting more. The movie also excels in showcasing Indonesia's traditional fabric designs through beautiful wardrobe choices, and it delves into detailed historical elements of the 1960s in Indonesia. This movie is so compelling that it blurs the line between fiction and reality.

I must admit that I almost never watch Indonesian movies or series in some 15 years. But surprised after just few minutes.

I don't know any of the cast actors and actress, knowing Dian Sastor only by her name never once watch her movie.

But i really like this series. Their acting is so good, the story depth and the characters connection is well build.

We can also learn about our 1965-67 histories from other sides, how easy destroying life only by connecting them to "the party".

I was active smokers who just few years quit, watching this make me struggle not to smoke again😅.

Very good job👍 I hope there will be many more high quality Indonesian movies.

This TV Series portrays the old culture when women were considered to be unsuitable to voice their opinions, the unrest situation when the government eliminated Indonesian Communist Party started in 1965, and the love between two people from different classes. The casts are so incredibly talented performing their characters as well as speaking in their local dialects which made. I appreciate the writer who brought up the unrest situation during the elimination of Indonesia Communist Party where thousands of innocent people who were not involved in the communist party had been victimized by the hatred of those people who had close relationship with authorities. I heard this story a lot from people surrounding me when I was growing up, but none had brought this up due to fear of persecution.

The music, song, and singer that were chosen for this TV series were excellently done. The song was composed in 1970's, but the music was made a bit softer for this TV series which represented the music character back in 1960's. I heard many 1960's music and songs my parents used to listen, and the music just brought my memory from the past.

I would not suggest using Netflix dubbing in English, but using the caption because while listening to Indonesian, I also have the caption turns on for my friend, and the captions almost match the speaking language.

Again, thank you to all casts, directors, writer, and all people who involved in making this TV Series. Well done!