Film Journal: Abang (1981) by Rahim Razali

Synopsis

The film Abang narrative about the main character, Fuad Din, who been missing for 10 years without any single word. One day, a telegram has send to his father and said that Fuad Din is coming back home soon. Fuad’s family has different expression and feelings when they heard about his returns. When Fuad is back, he keep avoiding from telling his family about the reasons he left home for such a long period. He faced conflicts with his family. With that, his brothers, Faizal and Farid, and his ex-fiancée who are now his sister-in-law, Mona, have a lot of resentment and incomprehension of his missing. And yet, Fuad tries to make things right and help to bring his brothers to the right path, do the charity and so on. In fact, Fuad’s missing to abroad to seek the medical treatment of his disease of leukemia. His family only gets to know it when Fuad’s personal doctor go to his father’s house to find him and telling them the truth. His family went to see him but Fuad was passed away when they arrival. The reason of Fuad back home is because he miss he beloved family and homeland. (Retro Evergreen, 2011)

Review

What I like about the film is the storyline of the film and the character. The storyline of the film is very realistic and also very touching. Fuad tries using the time he left to do some meaningful thing such as donation, and charity. The characters action can bring the audience into the film. The character Fuad, showing his role as the elder brother to his younger siblings by helping them to do the right thing. Even though his brothers are misunderstood him, and didn’t happy with him when he is back to home and control thing, he will tell them not to forget their role in their career and in religious.

What I dislike about the film is the editing of the film. There have a scene that where Fuad went to visit Mona to beg for her forgiveness. When Fuad and Mona were arguing, and Faizal back to home. Then the editing problem occurred. The scene then was inserting by another scene and the mistake was happened several times in that scene. There is also another sudden cut off shot appear in the film where Fuad was back to home and everyone in his family giving him a hug and regards, and when his younger sister run to him, then the scene then been cut off to black.

The part of the film I like is where Fuad when back to the village and enjoy the village lifestyle there. Fuad was swim in the river, climbing the coconut tree, playing games with the kids and even ride bicycle and fall into the paddy. All those activities that Fuad does were something that he go through when he was young and stay in the village. Even though Fuad was been in abroad for 10 years, he still can get into the village lifestyle. In that scene, we can see that Fuad is very enjoy during that time and also show that he is the person who really love to his homeland. He doesn’t feel awkward to what he has done.

We can found out the culture hybridity, language hybridity in this film throughout the costume, language, and setting of the film. Fuad and his family are educated and they speak mixture language of both Malay and English. They were born into a rich family where they stayed in the village and then moved to the modern Malay family. From the way the act and also the way they wear are more to the western style. They seldom wear the traditional Malay costume especially Fuad. Fuad are wearing modern western costume with trouser and shirt throughout the film, only during the praying in mosque, and then only Fuad wear the traditional Malay costume. The house Fuad and his family live in also no longer the Malay traditional house. They live in a western, modern and fashion house with crystal lamp in the house.

In the language hybridity, the mixture language of Malay and English are often speak out by the character in the film. Example, come on, the word “awak” or “saya” been replaced by “I” and “you”, ans also the other English sentences can be listened during the conversation in the film.

In conclusion, the film is successfully brings out the culture hybridity and language hybridity. The film is very realistic and touched. And it is also remind us to remember our own root and identity, not to forget what will belongs to no matter how the society getting modernize.

Reference

Retro Evergreen. (08/03/2011). Filem Melayu: Abang (1981), Sinopsis. Retrieved 27 November 2011, from http://retroevergreen.com/filem/filem-melayu/abang-1981

Film Journal: Selubung (1992) by Shuhaimi Baba

Synopsis

A group of Malaysian youth is study at Perth, Australia. Mastura try to stop her friend, E.J. from joining the fundamental religion group and marry when they are still study in university, but she failed to stop E.J. Mastura joined “RESCAID”, the charity organization as a volunteer when she is back to Malaysia and so with her friends, Halim and Wen Eng, to help victims in the Middle East and especially for the Palestinian children. Unfortunately, Halim and Wen Eng were died in the war. Mastura falls in love with Kamal but does not know that Kamal is actually a married man. But they get back together after Kamal divorce with his wife. E.J. then back to Malaysia after her baby is dead. Mastura recruit Kamal and E.J. into their organization. RESCAID was very supported by Malaysians, but there is also have the ANTI-RESCAID group try to destroy RESCAID with the violent ways. Mastura become the victim when there is an ANTI-RESCAID person try to bomb the office and she fall into coma. RESCAID has flied the Palestinian children to Malaysia and the organization has run a charity concert to raise fund for them. Kamal is accompanied with Mastura during her coma period. Mastura eventually awake from coma and back to RESCAID (Sinema Malaysia, no date.).

Review

Mastura, the main character in the film is the reason that I like about the film. Mastura’s characteristic of courage, personality, fashion, assertive, loyal in love, and willing to help have caused her outstanding. For example, she has the thought of helping those poor and helpless refugees in the Middle East country since she was study in university. And once she back in Malaysia, she joined the RESCAID as a volunteer. Mastura usually wear very fashion and western style with blazer, jeans and dress when she working. When Mastura get knows that Kamal have wife, she feel angry to him because he never tell her the true. Mastura don’t want to be the third party in Kamal marriage, so she gets away from Kamal.

The editing of the film is something that I dislike in this film. It is because the film has a lot of jump cut where it makes people somehow confuse in watching the film. For example, when E.J been consulted by Zek in the office, then a jump cut to Mastura walks with her friends in the university compound. E.J was seat at the courtyard and flashes back to the previous life when she stays in Australia with Brother Musa and Hani. The flash back doesn’t have a clue or an effect that to show it is actually E.J’s flashes back, it is more like a jump cut to another scene in the film. And then it suddenly jump cut back to the reality again where E.J was seat at the courtyard. Other than that, when Mastura’s friend, Lin, quarrel with Mastura because Mastura keep avoid herself from E.J, and another jump cut happened when Mastura flashes back to the past when she and her friends went to visit E.J and found that E.J’s baby was killed by Hani in Australia. These jump cut and flashes back has caused the flow of the film didn’t smoothed.

The part that I like in this film is when Mastura was coma in the hospital, and there have a lot of butterflies surrounded her. In this scene, it was recall the scene where Mastura was at her hometown, Terengganu, and met with her grandfather, there also have a lot of butterflies surrounded them. Mastura drove away the butterfly on her face. Her grandfather told her that the butterfly can hinder the bad luck if the butterfly came near people. So the butterflies can bring her good luck by surrounded Mastura when she was coma and wake her up from the coma. Although butterfly can bring a good luck when the butterfly near to the person may just a local rumor and no scientific proof, but if believe in belief, it can still bring good fortune.

The part that I dislike in the film is when Mastura realized that Kamal has married. When Mastura interrogate Kamal about why he didn’t tell her that he had married. Kamal answer her that he thought everyone includes Mastura have knew it. Kamal answer is very irresponsible and not loyal in love.

mise-en-scene & mise-en-shot.

Mastura, is a person that confident, modern, courage, personality, fashion, assertive, loyal in love, speak fluent in both English and Malay, and willing to help. She is gone to study at abroad and back to Malaysia work as an engineer and also a volunteer of RESCAID. She represents the second portrayal of femininity where she knows what is want and need. She joined RESCAID and helps other who needs their help. She is modern and yet she still keeps the traditional side in her. When she is working, she will wear more to western style with jeans, shirt and blazer, and the way she talk is very confident and assertive. She will also wear Malay traditional costume. For example, she wears baju kurung to meet E.J on E.J pre-wedding night. Mastura is also articulate as when she doesn’t want to be with Kamal when she knows that Kamal is married.

While E.J is represents the first portrayal of femininity, but in the end of the film, E.J was turn to become the second portrayal of femininity too. She was a shy, unconfident, followed whatever Brother Musa told, the fundamental religion group leader, and even married to Brother Musa because she believe he can bring her to the path of God. E.J back to Kuala Lumpur after her baby was killed by Hani, an aggressive and unstable mental woman. She then joined RESCAID but she is still lack of confident, as she asked Dr. Sardar question with soft voice and scared. After influence by Mastura and Dr. Sardar both of the confident and modern women, E.J then also change become confident and also the way she wear, with jeans and shirt.

Kamal is a modern masculinity man that he was a very supportive person to Mastura and RESCAID. He will feel unsafely when Mastura know that he was married, and affraid Mastura leave him. He did a lot of thing such as seat on the lorry and use loud speaker to propose Mastura.

The film was set at Terengganu, western university in Perth, Australia, refugees’ camp in Palestine, and Kuala Lumpur. The film uses a lot of narration to lets the audience know what the film have happened. The sound effect also help to make the film more realistic and attractive, such as gun shot and booming when war happened, the low and soft music when Mastura heard Halim and Wen Eng have dead. The costumes in the film have includes Malay traditional costume, baju kurung, Brother Musa and Hani are Islamic clothes. Mastura and the other character mostly wear western style clothes such as jeans and shirt. Hani act as an aggressive and unstable mentality woman, so her make-up is more exaggeration. The lighting of the film was most probably yellowish and both hard light and soft light are using in the film. Soft light have been use the situation where have a lot of emotional scene like where E.J tells Mastura that she is going to marry with Brother Musa. Hard light used to highlight the critical situation, like the war happened in Palestine where Halim and Wen Eng were died by boomed. Over shoulder shooting and low angle camera position has used most frequently in the film. For example, the first scene of the film where Mastura’s grandfather singing, when E.J been consulted by Zek in the office, and Mastura talked to Brother Musa to asked him lets E.J finish her study.

Reference:

Sinema Malaysia. (no date). Selubung. Retrieved 12 November 2011, from http://www.sinemamalaysia.com.my/film/info/?id=Selubung_173

William V. der H. (2002). Google books: Malaysian cinema, Asian film: border crossings and national cultures. Retrieved 12 November 2011, from http://books.google.com.my/books?id=k3HTdu1HuWQC&pg=PA218&lpg=PA218&dq=shuhaimi+baba-+selubung&source=bl&ots=RWxee1DV1w&sig=wf1JuW3sgR8ubA5Z91mQr0flgfY&hl=en&ei=9ne_TtKhPMvIrQfg9-yGDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=shuhaimi%20baba-%20selubung&f=false