Ngeri-Ngeri Sedap

Ngeri-Ngeri Sedap (2022) takes you straight into the heart of a Batak family reunion with warmth, humor, and just the right pinch of tension. From the moment the Domu parents' elaborate "divorce" ruse kicks off, you're hooked by the playful banter and the authentic Batak backdrop-Lake Toba never looked so inviting. The chemistry between the family members feels genuine, and their squabbles land with enough levity to keep you smiling without ever sliding into slapstick territory.

What really sells this one is how it balances hearty laughs with moments that tug at your heartstrings. Bene Dion Rajagukguk's direction ensures the pacing doesn't drag, weaving in cultural touches-like the pulsing soundtrack and traditional rituals-without ever feeling like a museum exhibit. The leads bring a natural warmth to their roles, and you'll find yourself rooting for everyone, even the grumpiest dad, as they learn to bend traditions to make room for modern lives.

Sure, the "fake divorce" setup is a familiar hook, and a few of the plot beats follow predictable family-drama patterns. But the film's genuine affection for its characters and its willingness to poke at patriarchal stubbornness keep things fresh. By the final scene, you'll be grinning-and maybe misty-eyed-appreciating just how "ngeri" and "sedap" family life can be.

After watching this film, I went home with a very satisfied heart because the film really exceeded expectations. A very good family drama film, there are so many lessons to be learned from this film.

Even though the film is about the Batak family, I'm sure the film will relate to almost all families.

Big respect to the director and all the cast. Thank you for this very emotional movie.

This movie is not just about family conflict. It's also about the urge to preserving traditional culture in modern era, where people have their own desires which may contradict with the culture. It's a story most family could relate to. For the drama, it's met my expectation, it successfully makes me cry. I was skeptical with the comedy, I always find comedy in movies are cringe. But this one is not, the comedy feels like it's just happened naturally. Even though this movie is more focused on the drama, sometimes I laughed at the funny scenes. There's a lot of Bataknese culture showed in this movie. The beautiful views of Toba Lake made this movie even more better.

I enjoyed it a lot. Really a worth try!

The movie was made suitably appropriate to represent situation in a typical Bataknese family.. perfectly framed in the 2hours duration.

The conflicts, hard character, melancholic, the moral, responsibility including their complexity are wrapped in a package.

Really wish that the movie could be also released in a streaming platform, so that Bataknese people in overseas can watch it.

I hope that there will continued sequels coming.. 💙

There's a lot of hype about this movie in social media so I give it a go once it's on Netflix. I am not a Bataknese but I can understand the jokes and even learn alot about Batak culture. I really enjoy and feel immersed with the culture and watching as the story unfolds around it. The director did a very good job telling the story while showing the beautiful scenery around the characters hometown and the family customs. It surely is a homage to Indonesia's rich nature and culture.

The strong message about parenting, growth, and patriarchal society that inflicts to the damage for both women and men are all well delivered. You might cry at some heated and difficult dialogues, like me.