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[In Mandarin] "I do not love him because he is good"
"But because he is my child"
- Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali poet
[In Malay] "Strange. A different culture, a different language."
"And yet we can feel what was in his heart."
We often equate Bollywood with the entirety of Indian Cinema
In the same vein
People often hold a similar monolithic assumption about Malaysia
But, Malaysia is anything but monolithic
A simple look at its film industry is enough to show us
Its remarkable diversity of language, religion, and ethnicity
From the films I know, there is Sepet
A teen drama about the unwelcomed interracial relationship
Between a Chinese boy and a Malay girl
There is The Journey
A comedy featuring a spoiled British son-in-law
And a grumpy conservative Chinese father
There is also Munafik, a Malaysian horror film
With a Muslin medical practitioner as the lead character
And those are just a few films that I've seen in the past months
That didn't make the cut in this video
Today, allow me to recommend to you three films from Malaysia
They are not necessarily the best films
Rather, they are easy to digest, fun movies
That offer a glimpse into the conflict, struggle, and hope
The many people of Malaysia experience
Join me and let's get a taste of the complex flavors
Of Malaysian cinema
[Diversity in Malaysian Cinema]
[Chapter One]
Let's start with a light-hearted one
The Kid from the Big Apple is a 2016 family comedy
"Sarah, call grandpa"
In the film, Sarah, an American born Chinese
Is forced to move in with her grandfather in Malaysia Whom she has never met
Language barriers, cultural barriers
And a turbulent family history
Make the situation both awkward and very difficult
From the premise
You can see how this film can be interpreted as an allegory
Of cultural division
Just as an example, in Malaysia
Different ethnic groups tend to attend schools in their own languages
Chinese Malaysians would attend Chinese language schools
While Bahasa Malay is mandatory
Students don't always have the environment to practice
The language barrier remains hard to cross
With that in mind, the film cleverly decides
To have Grandpa speaks only Mandarin
While Sarah speaks English
"Oh my god! You are eating chicken feet"
"So disgusting"
These two are, both literally and figuratively
Not speaking the same language
With that metaphor established
The film then shows how Grandpa and Sarah
Slowly overcomes their differences
Here are some examples:
(Understanding each other's history)
One night, out of curiosity and boredom
Sarah finds a photo of her mom when she was young
And also realizes Grandpa was a stunner back in the day
That actually is Grandpa, by the way
This photo gives Sarah a view into grandpa's history
And this history brings out Sarah's empathy and curiosity
(Opening up to new experiences)
Hoping to connect with Sarah
Grandpa brings all the kids to McDonald's
With kids being kids, they quickly make friends
He also introduces her to local food
"This is Hokkien fried noodle, stir fried with black soy sauce"
And in true Chinese spirit
The two bond over the dinner table
(Embracing the differences)
In the playground, the kids teach each other their languages
"She sells seashells on the Irish seashore"
"Doctor cam into the operation room press the emergency button"
The realization that you don't need to be the same to be friends
Is an important one for Sarah
"When I was in New York, I was either on my mobile"
"Or chatting with friends online"
"Even the playground cannot compare to this"
(Finding common ground)
During a new year celebration
A local gang tries to extort money from people
Sarah, being a hot heated kid, kicks their asses
And Grandpa comes to help
Through all of these small vignettes
We get the see how people of different cultures and languages
Can still come together and forge happiness
As they get close to each other
We also get close to them
The loveable characters feel alive
By the end, it really feels like I've made a bunch of friends
Friends that can teach us how to get along
Sarah proves to be a great surrogate for foreign viewers
Giving us a window into the daily lives in rural Malaysia
If you want a cozy film about people overcoming their differences
This is a nice little film for you
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[Chapter Two]
Now, let's take a look at a harsher film
Jagat is a 2015 crime drama
About an Indian Malaysian boy being seduced into a life of crime
Bet most of you didn't even know Indian Malaysians exist
Inspired by the writer/director's personal life
This film offers an honest and brutal look at one of Malaysia's
Most discriminated ethnic groups
"Hey"
"You're calling me like that?"
"I have a name!"
Through the eyes of a child
We see how poverty drives the kid's father and uncle
Into two different paths
The father brings his frustration home
The uncle decides to live the life of crime
In fact, everyone acts along the same line in this film
Frustrated and restless
Abusing whatever powers they have in order to feel in control
And this pursuit of control
Is one of the key themes of the movie
"Our parents braved the jungles and formed this country"
"Now, all that's left of them are their graves"
"They sold the estates, and left us high and dry"
"We'll need money if we want to break this cycle of slavery"
The history of Indian Malaysians is rooted in colonial slavery
They came as indentured workers
Bound for rubber estates of the British Empire
When all forms of slavery were finally banned in the 20th century
Plantations closed, 300,000 Indians were evicted
But there was no government program to resettle the workers
Malaysian Indians became a forgotten class
The film does an excellent job at showing the effects
Of this generational poverty
The kid seeks control by mimicking those whom he thinks are powerful
Heroes in movies
Neighborhood gangsters
Uncle seeks control through violence and the promise of wealth
Risking his life doing so
And the father controls his son's behavior
Hoping he can break this cycle through education
I won't be spoiling the ending
But needless to say
It's unlikely for it to have a happy ending
Despite its low budget
This film has some very inventive compositions
The talent of the filmmakers really shines through
Through these almost unfiltered images
We are given a glimpse into a corner of Malaysia
That goes unseen by the rest of the world
It helps us realize that
Each country has its own set of issues
If you want a film that's more challenging to watch
Both in terms of content and presentation
This is a good pick
[Chapter Three]
Lastly, let's take a look at an optimistic one
Rise: Ini Kalilah
"Why do you care so much?"
"It's my country"
This is... probably not the best film of the list
But it's worth watching purely because of its subject matter
The film recounts the story of the historic 2018 general election
In which Malaysia overcame barriers like gerrymandering
And unseated its corrupt prime minister
How corrupt, you ask?
Supposedly the administration misappropriated funds
On luxury items, including funding Hollywood movies
So... that's kinda wild
The film depicts multiple characters from all facets of society
Coming together to exercise their right to vote
Despite personal hardships
We have a police officer stationed in a rural area
A fixer working with a foreign journalist
A university student living in England
A Chinese-Malaysian worker in Singapore
And an Indian-Malaysian dance teacher
All of these characters are hopefuls
And have grew disillusioned with the country's state of corruption
Take the teacher, for example
She finds out funding for her classes has been cut
"There are no more funds"
"No more classes"
And her reaction is
"I'll continue. Free of charge!"
Just like its characters
The film is equally optimistic
We see friendship across ethnicity and skin color
Love across language and culture
The film depicts what society could or should be
Change is difficult, when life is difficult
The police officer, idealistic and refuses to take bribes
Struggles to support his family
Meanwhile, many Malaysian students in England
Receive their ballots late
One of them will have to fly back with all the votes
And potentially miss out on their job applications
"Yes, we are all far away from Malaysia"
"But we want to make a difference"
In this situation, what would you do?
Unsurprisingly, the film calls for personal sacrifices
"Okay, I'll do it"
And applause those who do so
It's a celebratory movie
Cheering for the people who did the impossible
Through democratic means
It may not be a great movie
"Because very vote counts"
Its overtly patriotic tone is, at times, very manipulative
Doubly so, if you are Malaysian
At the same time, I feel like every country needs a film like this
India has Newton
That's an awesome movie
If there is one thing Rise does well
It's that it shows more than just colorful diverse
It also shows us how society shifts and changes
The nation has desires and hopes
Has problems and seeks solutions
Malaysia is a living breathing country
[In Conclusion]
Hopefully, with today's films
We all learn to challenge our preconceive notion
And dispel the myth of the homogeneous Asian nations
The people fo Malaysia comprise of many ethnicities
Of many cultural backgrounds
Living all around the world
With varing, ever changing goals and desires
When watching these films
I can't help but noticed how it makes me feel nostalgic
For a place I've never been to
Maybe it reminds me of my small town childhood
Or my idealistic student years
Or maybe, it just reminds me how similar we all are
All these social issues we all share
And our desires to overcome them
Malaysia is diverse
Because the world is a diverse place
Just as the mother in Sepet said
"Strange. A different culture, a different language."
"And yet we can feel what was in his heart."