Cigarette Girl Review: Also known as Gadis Kretek, this history-drama-romance TV series is directed by Ifa Isfansyah and Kamila Andini and is based on the novel of the same name by Ratih Kumala. The series stars Dian Sastrowardoyo, Ario Bayu, Arya Saloka, Putri Marino, Ibnu Jamil, Sheila Dara Aisha, Tissa Biani Azzahra, Sha Ine Febriyanti, Rukman Rosadi, Winky Wiryawan, and others. The series has five episodes, each with a runtime of 60–70 minutes.
Cigarette Girl Trailer
– Cigarette Girl Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
Cigarette Girl Review
Cigarette Girl Review: Plot Summary
In the Indonesian drama Cigarette Girl, the story is divided into two timelines: the past (1960s) and the present (early 2000s). The series starts with an old Soeraja (Ario Bayu) sharing his last wish with his son Lebas (Arya Saloka): that he wants to meet Jeng Yah, aka Dasiyah (Dian Sastrowardoyo). Lebas has heard the name for the first time and does everything he can to discover who Jeng Yah is.
The story simultaneously introduces us to Dasiyah, aka Jeng Yah, a young woman and daughter of a cigarette business owner. Dasiyah helps her father, Idroes Moeria, with their cigarette, aka Kretek, business, managing a team of women assigned the task of rolling the smoking sticks. However, Dasiyah has big dreams and wants to make her own flavour, which is forbidden in this business led by men. As Dasiyah works on accomplishing her dreams, Soeraja, aka Raja, enters her life. Their lives change in ways no one expected.
Cigarette Girl Review: Discussion
Cigarette Girl discusses several themes: women’s dreams and rights, love, business politics, and human relationships. Through Dasiyah’s dreams, we’re shown how skilled women in the 1960s were dismissed from doing what they wanted because men desired it all for themselves. Despite Jeng Yah’s father knowing her potential, he didn’t support his daughter in front of other business associates. While focusing on how women weren’t allowed the same business rights as men, the series also highlights the constant familial pressure on them to get married.
I always wondered how the love stories of the 1900s would look in other parts of the world. Netflix’s Cigarette Girl beautifully translates the romance of Jeng Yah and Raja on screen. The love is simple and poetic. Their scenes are full of awkwardness, initial resentment, stealing glances, and little touches that build their love story. These sequences capture the charm of the good old days. As each episode lasts an hour or more, the makers take their own little time to show us what’s forthcoming.
Cigarette Girl had all the possibilities of getting tedious, and sometimes it does because of the length of the episodes. But the moment we feel like the screenplay is getting slower, the timeline shifts. It’s a smart move by the makers to simultaneously show us the past and present of Dasiyah and Raja’s lives and families. It saves the series from being monotonous. The non-linear storytelling leaves us curious about both – the 1960s and 2000s narratives.
As I mentioned above, the Netflix series is not just a love story, as other elements of business, politics, and betrayal are key contributors. The switch in genre and tone happens in the last two episodes, where secrets are unravelled. The first three episodes offered calmness, but the last two had extreme emotions, tensions, and twists. Thus, you continue to invest your time in knowing the conclusion to all the complexities and mysteries.
Cigarette Girl on Netflix wouldn’t be a productive watch without the performances. There’s a tinge of simplicity layered into every actor’s performance. It’s toned down to make the characters appear as human and raw as possible. Actors Dian Sastrowardoyo, Ario Bayu, Arya Saloka, and Putri Marino lead the series and impress you with their performances. The rest of the cast also does a good job.
Cigarette Girl Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Netflix’s Indonesian series is a must-watch if you are looking for simple stories that focus on several crucial elements of being a woman, including love and the complexities of human relationships. In times when crime thrillers dominate the streaming space, Cigarette Girl brings a breath of fresh air. It’s a slow-burn series, but the riveting screenplay and performances will keep you engrossed, and you might binge-watch it.
Cigarette Girl 2023 series is now streaming on Netflix.
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Surprisingly, I enjoyed it a lot because I seldom watch foreign films. Indonesia, produce more!