A Malaysian movie to be proud of

Director Liew Seng Tat (third from right), producer Sharon Gan (fourth from right) and the cast of Lelaki Harapan Dunia at the Malaysian premiere held at the GSC in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on November 25, 2014. – Piic from movie's FB page, December 11, 2014.’Tis the season for movies and there is more than a fair share of great flicks for moviegoers to enjoy during this school holiday season.

It is something I have not done in a very long time: that is, to catch a movie at the cinemas almost every week, sometimes two or more in a week, over the past month or so.

Starting with three movies from the Latin American Film Festival at the Kuala Lumpur Performance Arts Centre (KLPAC) last month, I then caught the US blockbusters “Interstellar” and “Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1”; great comedies “Dumb and Dumber To” and “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’; and the wonderful works of animation “Penguins of Madasgascar” and “BigHero 6”.

However, there is one more movie which I watched on Tuesday, a local one at that, which has left an indelible mark on me.

“Lelaki Harapan Dunia” (“Lelaki”) started its run on November 27, two days after celebrating its Malaysian premiere to great fanfare at the GSC Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur.

Made in Malaysia by Malaysians with an all-but-one Malaysian cast, the movie had already made its world premiere at the 67th Festival del film Locarno, in Switzerland last August.

More importantly for me, it is one of the most refreshing local films in more than a decade, and on a few levels at that.

Firstly, I love that it is not yet another horror-cum-comedy film. Seriously, it is ridiculous how many have been made, that sometimes it feels like there is a new one every month, based on the promos that are appearing on Astro.

Second, “Lelaki” reflects a reality of “kampung” life that is simple and practical in its storytelling.

Finally, it does not rely on some local pan-Asian or foreign Malay actor who is flavour of the season to try and draw in the crowds.

“Lelaki” follows a series of wild mishaps that befalls a quaint Malay village which leads to misunderstanding, false accusations and more than a few hilarious situations.

It boasts a line-up of excellent character actors from the local movie, TV drama and theatre scene, including Wan Hanafi Su, Harun Salim Bachik, Jalil Hamid, Azhan Rani, Soffi Jikan and Azman Hassan.

“Lelaki” was written and directed by Liew Seng Tat, whose first effort in feature films was “Flower in the Pocket” from 2007, which won a few awards at international film festivals in Europe and Asia.

If that does not ring a bell, you might possibly remember him for his short film “Halal” (starring Adibah Noor), which was part of the 15Malaysia short film project in 2009.

One significant piece of information I noticed in the credits at the end of the movie was that “Lelaki” initially had little in terms of local funding and support. The director received backing instead from Germany, the Netherlands and France.

Still, I am glad it eventually received the recognition it deserved from Finas and the local authorities and saw the light of day.

To be fair, there is nothing wrong nor controversial in the movie. As I mentioned earlier, it is realistic and takes in a lot of the “kampung” lifestyle and culture, as well as religious traits that most Malaysians can relate to. It also takes a satirical view with the usual exaggeration as is human nature with people everywhere.

However, as a friend who watched the movie with me commented, Malaysians are on edge these days, and thanks to the government’s actions, or lack thereof at times, “some Malaysians are offended by everything and ashamed of nothing”.

He said this because some film directors and local film critics had suggested that the movie contained elements that “menghina Islam dan Melayu”.

Really? With all the veteran Muslim-Malay actors in the cast and the support from Finas, that is all these critics can come up with.

I can only surmise that these critics, especially those who are in the industry, are lashing out because they are simply jealous or plain ignorant of the satirical nature of the movie.

Fortunately, more rational Malaysians of all ethnic groups have taken this movie for what it is meant to be: a reflection of how people rely on their misguided beliefs and are also easily swayed by suggestions.

These supporters are also from the entertainment and media circles, so that bodes well for the industry.

“Lelaki Harapan Dunia” is currently at the tail end of its “compulsory screening” condition imposed by Finas on cinema chains for local movies but I do hope that it gets some traction and extends for a few more days before the movie ends its run.

It would be a pity if more Malaysians did not get a chance to enjoy one of the best local movies of the past decade and by far, the best local movie of the year. – December 11, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.