KKN di Desa Penari

KKN di Desa Penari
Directed by	Awi Suryadi
Written by	Lele Maila Gerald Mamahit
Based on	KKN di Desa Penari by SimpleMan
Produced by	Manoj Punjabi
Starring	Tissa Biani Adinda Thomas Achmad Megantara Aghniny Haque Calvin Jeremy Fajar Nugraha
Cinematography	Ipung Rachmat Syaiful
Edited by	Firdauzi Trizkiyanto Denny Rihardie
Music by	Ricky Lionardi
Production companies	MD Pictures Pichouse Films
Release date	April 30, 2022 (2022-04-30)
Running time	121 minutes (PG 13+ cut version) 130 minutes (17+ uncensored version) 175 minutes (extended cut version)
Country	Indonesia
Languages	Indonesian Javanese
Budget	Rp 15 billion $1.04 million
Box office	$26 Million

KKN di Desa Penari (lit. 'KKN in dancer's village') is a 2022 Indonesian horror film directed by Awi Suryadi, based on a viral Twitter thread of the same name (later rewritten as a novel) by SimpleMan, produced by MD Pictures and its subsidiary, Pichouse Films. This film stars Tissa Biani, Adinda Thomas, and Achmad Megantara. This film released on April 30, 2022, previously this film was planned to be released on March 19, 2020, and than on February 24, 2022, but both of the date has pulled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon its release, it became the highest-grossing film in Indonesian history.

A prequel titled Badarawuhi di Desa Penari was released on 2024.

Plot

In 2009, six university students—Nur, Widya, Ayu, Bima, Anton, and Wahyu—participated in a community service project (KKN) in a remote village in East Java. However, they are unaware that the village they choose is far from ordinary. The village head, Pak Prabu, warns them not to cross the forbidden gate that separates the village from the forest known as Tapak Tilas. A few days into their stay, the six students begin experiencing strange events.

While Nur and Widya are about to bathe, they are haunted by a black figure and a woman dressed in traditional Javanese dance attire. On the second night, Widya is possessed and performs a Javanese dance, but fails to recall it after regaining consciousness. Nur, who frequently experiences headaches since the KKN began, visits Mbah Buyut, the village shaman. After being offered a cup of coffee, Nur faints while Mbah Buyut performs a ritual to calm the spirit of an old woman who follows Nur wherever she goes. The next day, Mbah Buyut offers the same coffee to Widya, Ayu, and Wahyu. When Widya remarks that the coffee tastes sweet, Mbah Buyut tells her that the coffee is actually bitter, and the reason Widya tasted it as sweet is because she is being targeted by a supernatural entity.

From the moment he sets foot in the village, Bima becomes withdrawn and often disappears in the middle of the night. Anton hears a woman's voice coming from Bima's room and finds offerings under his bed. One day, Nur catches Bima and Ayu arguing over a bracelet that Ayu was supposed to give to Widya. That same day, the joglo house where the students are staying is suddenly raided by villagers who inexplicably see Widya as a snake. In response, Pak Prabu suggests they end their KKN activities, but Ayu insists they continue. Meanwhile, Widya and Wahyu get lost in the forest after their motorcycle breaks down while they are shopping in town. They meet an old man who directs them to a Javanese dance performance. They are given food before returning, but upon arrival, the food turns out to be a monkey's corpse.

Suspecting Bima and Ayu, Nur goes to Tapak Tilas and finds them together. It is revealed that Bima and Ayu had been using Tapak Tilas as their secret place for sexual encounters. Bima confesses to Nur that on his first night in the village, he had a dream about a Javanese dancer named Dawu who wrapped Widya in a snake. For Widya's safety, Bima had to serve Dawu by visiting her regularly at Tapak Tilas and giving her a bracelet as a charm for Widya's protection. Nur blames Bima, saying that Dawu's teachings were deceptive and that Dawu was only using Bima to harm Widya. While packing their belongings, Nur finds a shawl in Ayu's bag. Shortly afterward, Widya is possessed by Dawu, who warns Nur not to interfere.

The next day, Nur is possessed by the old woman, who warns Widya that someone among them will not survive, but she would not allow "Badarawuhi" to harm Nur. After regaining consciousness, Nur finds Dawu's bracelet in Widya's bag. When she confronts Ayu, Ayu confesses that she had placed the bracelet there in exchange for being allowed to have sex with Bima. Disgusted, Nur finally decides that the six of them must end their KKN immediately. However, that night, Bima heads toward Tapak Tilas. Widya follows him and finds Dawu's dance performance at an abandoned pavilion. At the same time, Nur finds Ayu dying in bed. The villagers eventually find Bima at Tapak Tilas, naked and near death. After Nur explains what had happened, Mbah Buyut reveals that "Dawu" was a title given to the Javanese village dancer and that the woman haunting them was Badarawuhi, the spirit of Dawu who controlled the village.

Mbah Buyut enters the spirit world called Angkoromurko, where Ayu is forced to dance by Badarawuhi, while Widya is prevented from leaving. Although Widya is saved, Mbah Buyut is unable to rescue Bima and Ayu. He explains that Bima repeatedly had sex with Badarawuhi, and the offspring of their union are snakes that now ensnare Bima in Angkoromurko, while Badarawuhi ensnared Ayu with a shawl to make her the replacement for Widya as the successor of Dawu's dance. As punishment for Bima and Ayu's adultery in Tapak Tilas, their souls would be forever trapped in Angkoromurko.

In the epilogue, it is revealed that Bima died four days after Nur, Widya, Anton, and Wahyu left the village, while Ayu died three months later. Four years later, Nur and Widya give an interview to a documentary filmmaker, with the condition that all names involved be disguised. In a mid-credit scene, Nur visits a religious leader who tells her about Mbah Dok, the spirit of the old woman who followed and protected her.

Cast

• Tissa Biani as Nur
• Adinda Thomas as Widya
• Achmad Megantara as Bima
• Aghniny Haque as Ayu
• Calvin Jeremy as Anton
• Fajar Nugraha as Wahyu
• Kiki Narendra as Prabu
• Aulia Sarah as Badarawuhi
• Aty Cancer as Bu Sundari
• Diding Boneng as Mbah Buyut
• Dewi Sri as Mbah Dok
• Andri Mashadi as Ilham
• Lydia Kandou as Widya's mother (extended version only)

Reception

This film broke the record as the highest-grossing Indonesian film of all time, with the number of tickets selling at least 9.233.847 viewers as of September 8, 2022. It replaced the position of Warkop DKI Reborn: Jangkrik Boss! Part 1 by Anggy Umbara which held the record for the highest-grossing Indonesian film of all time for almost six years.

See also

• KKN (Student study service)
• KKN di Desa Penari (novel)

External links

• KKN di Desa Penari at IMDb