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In the Absence of the Sun (2014) movie poster

Plot Summary

In the Absence of the Sun (2014) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2014 · 94 mins · Indonesian
Starring
Marissa Anita, Aming Sugandhi, Lucky Kuswandi, Adinia Wirasti, Nazira C. Noer, Dira Sugandi

Three women navigate the complexities of Jakarta, each grappling with personal struggles and seeking their place in a rapidly evolving city. Through a tender and melancholic night, they experience moments of reflection and connection as they confront the challenges of finding themselves amidst constant change.

On this page (4)
  1. 1 What happens: full plot
  2. 2 Plot questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Every angle

Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in In the Absence of the Sun: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of In the Absence of the Sun (2014) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Gia is a filmmaker who returns to Jakarta after spending the past few years in New York. Though she has returned, she no longer feels that Jakarta is her home. As she is unpacking she finds photos of Naomi, Marissa Anita, her old soulmate in New York who also returned to Jakarta, and decides to call her. They agree to meet for dinner and after bumping into Naomi's rich friends, Naomi is engaged. They leave the restaurant and catch up as they take a walk and eat street food. On their way home, Gia sees a love hotel and convinces Naomi to go. They talk about what could have been and Gia tells Naomi they could restart with each other. After Naomi almost kisses Gia, they end up hugging and consoling each other. Their quiet, intimate moment against the backdrop of a busy city captures the ache of past choices and the possibility of a new beginning, even as the night keeps its secret corners.

Ci Surya, Dayu Wijanto, is a widow to a successful businessman. While looking through her late husband's closet, she finds a note in his wallet from a love hotel with the name "Sofia" and a phone number on it. She calls the number and confirms that her husband had been cheating on her. She goes to the hotel and books a room for the night. Finding out that Sofia is a performer at the hotel, Ci goes to the hotel bar and discovers that Sofia is married and that she and her husband are escorts. Ci brings Sofia's husband back to her room and pays him to have sex. She leaves a note on the bedside table with her number and her name. The sequence unfolds with a cool, calculated clarity as Ci navigates heartbreak, desire, and revenge, and it slowly reveals how power, payment, and affection intersect in a city that never stops moving.

Indri, Ina Panggabean, works at a gym and has a date with a rich man she met online, Davit. As she's finishing her shift, she cleans the locker room and steals a pair of high heels. At the restaurant she thinks she's been stood up, but upon meeting Davit she realizes she was catfished. Davit takes rude business calls at the table and tells Indri that he already booked them a room at the love hotel. Davit angrily insults her after she second guesses the date, she goes to the restroom, crying and comes back to find that Davit has left and made her responsible for the check. Unable to pay, she runs out of the restaurant. She meets a street food vendor who cheers her up, and she tells him that it's her birthday. They decide to go to the love hotel together and take Davit's reservation. They have sex and afterwards they talk and laugh, sharing a moment of connection that feels raw and unfiltered in the neon glow of the city.

This interwoven trio of stories unfolds in the flickering lights and crowded streets of Jakarta, painting a portrait of women who navigate longing, disappointment, and resilience in the aftermath of intimate encounters. The film uses intimate, character-driven scenes to explore how desire can both complicate and illuminate lives, offering a nuanced look at relationships, class, and personal boundaries. Throughout, small, quiet details—the photos that spark a reconnection, the note in a wallet, the hotel room that becomes a confessional space—fuel a contemplative mood that lingers after the screen goes dark.

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 10:34

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Plot questions answered

In the Absence of the Sun Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about In the Absence of the Sun (2014): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why does Gia call Naomi after finding old photos?

Gia calls Naomi because finding the photos reawakens her buried feelings for her former soulmate. After years in New York, Gia has returned to Jakarta but feels disconnected from the city, and seeing Naomi's face reminds her of a meaningful past connection she wants to rekindle.

  • gia
  • naomi
  • reconnection
  • photos
  • phone call
  • jakarta
Q2

Why does Gia convince Naomi to enter the love hotel?

Gia sees the love hotel as a symbolic space to confront what could have been between them. It represents a threshold where past regrets can be acknowledged. Her push to enter reflects her desire to restart their relationship and break free from the hesitation that has held them back.

  • gia
  • naomi
  • love hotel
  • restart
  • confession
Q3

What does Ci discover in her husband's wallet?

While sorting through her late husband's belongings, Ci finds a love hotel note with the name Sofia and a phone number. This discovery confirms her suspicion of infidelity, revealing he had been secretly seeing someone at a hotel in Jakarta.

  • ci
  • husband
  • infidelity
  • note
  • hotel
  • sofi
Q4

Why does Ci pay Sofia's husband for sex?

Ci's act is a calculated mix of revenge, desire, and power reclamation. After learning her husband paid for Sofia's services, Ci flips the dynamic by paying Sofia's husband for sex. It's her way of regaining control and experiencing the transactional intimacy her husband sought, while also inflicting a subtle revenge on the escort couple.

  • ci
  • sofia
  • husband
  • revenge
  • power
  • payment
  • exchange
Q5

Why does Indri steal high heels from the gym?

Indri steals the heels as an impulsive act of self-sabotage and vulnerability. Facing a date with a wealthy man she met online, she's already stepping outside her comfort zone. Taking the heels reflects her willingness to cross boundaries tonight, mirroring the larger theme of women bending their rules in pursuit of connection or escape.

  • indri
  • heels
  • theft
  • gym
  • date
  • davit
Q6

What happens to Indri after Davit leaves her with the bill?

After Davit humiliates her and leaves, Indri cannot pay the restaurant bill and runs out. She meets a street food vendor who cheers her up. Learning it's her birthday, they decide to salvage the night by using Davit's love hotel reservation together, leading to an unexpected moment of genuine connection across class lines.

  • indri
  • davit
  • vendor
  • hotel
  • birthday
  • connection
Q7

What do the love hotels represent in each woman's story?

The love hotels serve as confessional spaces where each woman confronts vulnerability. For Gia and Naomi, it represents a possible new beginning. For Ci, it becomes a stage for power reversal and revenge. For Indri, it's an unexpected escape from humiliation. Across all three, the hotel is where social boundaries dissolve and emotional truths emerge.

  • love hotel
  • setting
  • symbolism
  • confession
  • vulnerability
Q8

Why does Naomi almost kiss Gia but then stop?

Naomi nearly kisses Gia because the emotional intensity of their reunion and the intimate hotel setting revive their unresolved feelings. However, she pulls back because of the complicated reality, Naomi is now engaged to someone else, and both women recognize that acting on impulse won't resolve the years of separation and changed circumstances.

  • naomi
  • gia
  • kiss
  • engagement
  • hesitation
Q9

Why does Ci leave her name and number on the bedside table?

Ci leaves her identity as a deliberate power move. By revealing herself to Sofia's husband after paying for the encounter, she transforms what should have been anonymous into something personal. It allows her to retain agency and creates an open thread, she controls whether this connection continues, reversing the secret-keeping dynamic her husband maintained.

  • ci
  • note
  • identity
  • power
  • control
Q10

Why does Indri realize she was catfished by Davit?

At the restaurant, Indri discovers Davit is not who he presented himself to be online. He is ruder and more dismissive than his profile suggested, making it clear the online persona was fabricated. This deception mirrors the film's theme of people not being what they appear, especially across class boundaries.

  • indri
  • davit
  • catfish
  • online dating
  • deception
Q11

How do the three women's stories connect to each other?

The three narratives are interwoven thematically rather than through direct plot connections. All three women navigate desire, disappointment, and resilience across a single night in Jakarta. They each visit love hotels, confront class dynamics, and seek genuine connection amid betrayal or loneliness. Their parallel journeys create a collective portrait of women finding their way.

  • interwoven stories
  • themes
  • jakarta
  • women
  • connection

Movie threads

More Movies Like In the Absence of the Sun, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes In the Absence of the Sun tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about urban melancholia and resilience like In the Absence of the Sun

Intimate stories of loneliness and fleeting connection in the big city. If you enjoyed the quiet, character-driven exploration of loneliness and fleeting connection in 'In the Absence of the Sun', discover more movies like it. This list features similar dramas and romance films that delve into the melancholic lives of individuals seeking solace and identity within sprawling, modern cities.

  • melancholic
  • contemplative
  • urban
  • lonely
  • intimate
  • resilient
  • Tone: melancholic, contemplative
  • Pacing: slow, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread often follow multiple characters or a central figure grappling with feelings of isolation, identity crisis, or alienation within an urban environment. The plot is secondary to emotional exploration, unfolding through contemplative scenes that focus on internal struggles and small, resonant moments of human contact that offer temporary relief or insight.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared melancholic tone, slow pacing that allows for deep character immersion, and their central theme of exploring loneliness and the fragile nature of human connection against an urban landscape. They prioritize mood and emotional authenticity over fast-paced plotting.

Movies with interwoven stories of women like In the Absence of the Sun

Complex portraits of female friendship, desire, and personal struggle. For viewers who liked the parallel narratives of Gia, Ci Surya, and Indri in 'In the Absence of the Sun', this collection highlights similar films. Discover other complex dramas and romance stories that follow the interconnected lives of women as they grapple with friendship, infidelity, and identity.

  • complex
  • intimate
  • raw
  • unfiltered
  • female-centric
  • dramatic
  • Tone: raw, bittersweet
  • Pacing: slow, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The defining narrative pattern is a multi-protagonist structure, where the film follows several women whose lives may or may not directly intersect. Their individual arcs explore similar thematic ground—such as desire, deception, or resilience—from different perspectives, often related to class or circumstance, creating a rich, composite portrait of the female experience.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their complex narrative structure focused on female protagonists, their serious exploration of themes like friendship and infidelity, and their mixed emotional tone that balances sadness with moments of strength and connection. They offer a nuanced look at women's inner lives.

Every angle

In the Absence of the Sun (2014) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about In the Absence of the Sun in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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