Director: Zahim Albakri
Even though this movie was due for screening in 2013, it never saw living daylight. Thanks to the local censorship board, it was put in cold storage till 2022. Apparently, the board felt that the story could hurt the sentiments of the Malay Muslims in Malaysia. Hence, it had to undergo multiple edits, some dialogues were muted, a significant plot change, a hand gesture blurred, etcetera to qualify for a PG-13 certificate. The version that appeared on Netflix seemed close to the original copy, with the dialogue, gestures and all.
After a long time, we see an intelligent Malaysian movie minus the typical racial stereotyping and silly slapstick comedies that Malaysian movies are often guilty of. Underneath the main story about an elderly father summoning his five children from his five previous marriages for a last dinner as he senses that his end is near is the narration of our country's history.
Two characters in all-white airline pilot outfits pull their roller luggage. They are actually angels (or maybe a sort of Grimm Reaper) out to pick up 'Bapak', a widower, an ex-journo, living all alone in the heart of KL city.
Like peeling an onion, the story of his life and his children is revealed to us. Their childhood, time growing up as a family and the different directions life took them is shown.
Slotted within this is the discriminatory nature of our history against women, LGBT issues, being Malay and even the different 'types of Malay' within the community.
The last part of what it is about being Malay is relevant even today. It is apparent from the analysis of the latest election results, GE15. The Malays in this country are not the single-minded same-thinking entity that the country's leaders want them to be. Increasingly they, the leaders, misuse religion towards this end to produce a single-tracked unquestioning brand of Malay. Even at the infancy of its inception as a nation, Malaya had to grapple with this conundrum.
Roughly, there were two major divisions. The first was the so-called elites who benefitted from education and opportunities the ruling colonisers or government offered. These mainly comprised civil servants and professionals confident enough to voice their opinions and mingled in civil society. The second comprised the bulk of the heartland occupants who were suddenly jolted to the forefront. The latter felt lost, unable to understand independence when everything in front of them was foreign. They were told it was their land, but nothing made sense - the lopsided economic distribution and the sense of being snatched of what was rightfully theirs. The ill feelings continue till today, with the non-Malays being the bogeymen.
It makes you think. Kudos to the excellent screenplay, direction and acting. Essential viewing for Malaysians to appreciate how the potpourri of cultures within Malaysia is given due respect and to know how a Malaysian movie should be made. 4/5.
(RIP Playwright and actor: Jit Murad)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
