This is reality...

Gadoh (Malay/ Cantonese, 2009)
So there I was hanging around the booths at a mini literary fest where DVDs of local indie productions were displayed. There was a unremarkable looking guy manning the stall. In the passing, I casually inquired whether he was involved in any of films displayed. To my embarrassment, he replied that he made all of them!
That is the state of local cinema scene. Your artistic brilliance is not appreciated and conversely, you have to market your product despite the obstacles and sacrifices they to endure in the first place.
This is another film not given approval by FINAS who thought that the story of the movie would confuse its viewers. FINAS went as far as to even attempt to stop a private screening!
When I found out that it was banned film, I grabbed one for myself. And an autographed one that too!
The theme of the film is actually nothing new. A secondary school was facing inter-racial disciplinary problems. The students were divided along racial lines, frequently ending in physical fights amongst students.
The teachers were at wits end trying to keep the bad press under wraps. One innovative teacher, Puan Anne, suggested organising a theatre group to bridge the racial divide. She engages an old friend, an renegade, a non conformist, for this purpose.

The main troublemakers are two group of students, one Malay and the other Chinese who cannot stand the sight of each other. Both group have their own reason for hating each other. Basically, they are parroting what they learnt from their elders. That the Malays are lazy, stupid and self centred and the Chinese are heartless lying immigrants who are unclean.
As predicted, any interventions will initially meet resistance. The other teachers themselves are not convinced that such an intervention would work furthermore as the students are involved in more fights.
By and by, the students managed to put up a joint venture modern theatre show where they basically express their own feelings about their insecurities in front of the full view of the Education Officers and media. The performance is not taken lightly by the forces that be. The Education Officer walks out in anger and the Headmaster is not amused.
The students are happy with their performance and the objective of unification is complete but...
What was deemed as offensive in this movie is actually done daily by our leaders through their proxies. What is seen in the movie is actually faced by people on the ground on a daily basis. True, we are constantly reminded that we are different by our leaders. Like a schizophrenic, they spread the word of unity and love in the one sentence and hate in the next!

Gadoh from Pusat KOMAS on Vimeo.