FFM27: Measuring the Malaysian Imagination – Best Original Story
It’s time to take a look at the Best Original Story nominees for the 27th Malaysia Film Festival (FFM27)! The awards ceremony, due on the 5th of September, will see top honours in the film industry handed out to several filmmakers and actors, and we’re here to revisit the worthy stories which made it to the big screen and peel the layers off the proverbial bawang as we dive into the imaginations of the storytellers behind them.
Amir & Loqman Pergi Ke Laut
Story: Amir & Loqman tells a story of two best friends (or two idiots to be accurate) who are tied up to a group of gangsters which they cannot get out off. In order to bail themselves out of the gang, they need a sum of MYR30,000. This is when all chaos begins with continuous failed robberies and their gang getting into a feud with another gang, but despite all the shenanigans, Amir and Loqman still hold on to their dream of opening a café by the beach as soon as they’re out of the gang.
Originality: As enjoyable and entertaining as the film was, it was only seen as a comical film of unfortunate events which didn’t have much of a story to tell from it.
Lelaki Harapan Dunia
Story: Written and directed by Liew Seng Tat, Lelaki Harapan Dunia tells a story of a villager, Pak Awang (Wan Hanafi Su) who finds an abandoned house in the jungle. With the help of some villagers, they carry the house from the jungle to the village for Pak Awang to revamp before his daughter’s wedding. In the midst of transporting the house, the villagers spot a dark figure lurking around the abandoned house and thoughts immediately range from that house being haunted to an orang minyak. With the superstitions of the orang minyak, the villagers quit the migration of the house to protect their daughters and hunt down the orang minyak, whilst Pak Awang’s frustration from the halt of the migration gets the best of him.
Originality: LHD has won a number of prestigious accolades in film festivals around the world given the film’s cultural, racial and gender issues that were raised in this film. All there is to say is, credit to director Seng Tat who had the balls to quietly place these tiny satires within the film that gave the audiences something to ponder about; how something that has the ability to unite villagers can gradually become the thing that divides them throughout the film.
The Journey
Story: Ah Bee returns to her motherland from England with a little surprise, her Caucasian fiancée, Benji, in hopes to get her father blessings. Ah Bee’s father, Chuan (Lee Sai Peng) is a hard to please, stubborn man who is conservative and abides by Chinese traditional customs.
The Journey gives you a taste of traditional cultural customs and cultural differences, of friendships and most importantly, family. As the film progresses, the relationship between Chuan and Benji evolve and it’s a beautiful transformation to witness and we’re glad that it wasn’t just another romantic flick, but instead we see acceptance between cultures.
Originality: Screenwriter Ryon Lee added elements to the film that probably most Malaysians can relate to, conveying messages that were brought up front to deal with. A story that confronts with interracial marriage–which almost is a norm for the Gen Y’s but is still an issue that the older generations have still yet to grasp.
Terbaik Dari Langit
Story: When it comes to thinking out of the box, Terbaik Dari Langit went out the box, on a roadtrip and dragged five high-strung friends to go off looking for a UFO! What’s really happening amid scenes of desert shoots and acid trips is that screenwriter Redza Minhat, producer Tuan “Tapai” Faisal and director Nik Amir Mustapha make a film about the pettiness and pain of friendship with a wild UFO hunt-filmmaking road trip premise.
Originality: The story offers hope for filmmakers that creativity to tell a story has no boundaries when it comes to entertaining while cultivating audiences. Adding elements in which we all go through in friendships, how different things change after years but aspirations for some still remain and so is the support system.
Dollah Superstar
Story: Dollah Superstar centers on veteran gangster, Dollah who can only dream of becoming an actor. Dollah then finds an opportunity to pursue being an actor during a robbery when he bumps into Shah Dazzle, a rather ditzy actor. They both come to a compromise where superstar Shah takes Dollah as his ass-kicking mentor on condition that Dollah gets a role in an upcoming action movie.
Whereby of course, much slapstick on top of all manner of chaos and havoc arises progressively throughout the film.
On the flip-side, there is Rina (the standout, though so far underrated Aisya Hasnaa) who plays an assistant producer on Aziz M. Osman’s (who himself gives a natural, applaudable performance) fake film set, she follows orders that are given and yet puts her foot down and voices out for the sake of her integrity of her work when it counts. Which is nothing but great to see when the film is filled with masculinity and ego and you get a strong-headed sane female character.
Originality: As far as a comical parody goes, Dollah Superstar was actually an endearing watch. The film debates stereotypes of gangsters and their typical portrayals, which is strongly explored onscreen; leather-jacketed macho men versus the real thing, which Awie as the title character mentions constantly and of course, physically demonstrates himself every other scene.
Not only were there various highlights and riffing on constant misinterpretations of characters written into Malaysian films; but also a healthy sense of mockery and tragicomic irony towards the industry.
Dollah Superstar works as a modern gangster caper which attains more than just a good laugh by making fun of the genre itself (‘The New Wave Malay Gangster Movie’, sigh) but also gives audiences comforting thoughts like, for example, even people with illegal jobs may have other aspirations as well. A common thread in Afdlin Shauki‘s comedies by the way, and so may sacrifice a bit of originality there, being a bit derivative.
The Daily Seni’s Choice
No doubt, each of the nominees and yes, films which weren’t nominated had a story to tell. Some cliche and predictability here and there, some boundary-pushing and some with an actual message. Though when it comes to originality, we think that Lelaki Harapan Dunia deserves the award. Why?
When it comes to pushing boundaries and the sensitivity surrounding certain issues, some fear knowing the backlash that it might get. Liew Seng Tat with his script about rural Malay culture proved that sometimes it’s not about mocking at all, but instead synonymously suggesting something that’s beyond what is seen throughout the film.
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