Words Say Too Much, Love Comes In Silence

Yes! I have finished Yasmin Ahmad's movie marathon! The only thing I haven't watched is her telemovie Rabun. Before I start on my review, have you noticed I have been posting poems lately? I had my essay streak the other day, now I'm on a poetry streak well due to the fact that I've been coaxing myself that I won't see my essays again. *sob, sob*.

Well, it's actually easier to write an essay, but when inspiration comes, or you just can't seem to express yourself with the correct words, you feel you sentences are too empty, or that you want to say something, but are afraid you'd say too much, poetry is a good outlet to do so.

So, I watched Mukhsin, the last in the Orked trilogy. It is more 'Malay' than the previous ones. However, there is an issue of breaking through the Malay stereotypes. Neighbors who jaga tepi kain orang, little girls playing brides and grooms. The odd one out is Orked because she hates playing brides and grooms and plays with the boys, and her mum who speaks a lot of English. I like the part where Inom pretends to whip Orked. It was hillarious. Seriously. Again a dash of the unconventional. Of course, you saw everything coming, the infatuation, the muddled friendship. I really like the guy who played Mukhsin. Yes, he's cute and he puts on quite a puppy dog face like Eric Bana in The Time-Traveller's Wife. The look of longing and anguish. The ending as expected, remember Jason from Sepet, yep, the ending was a little bit like that. They didn't get to meet. I found myself mumbling, "why-lah always like this, Orked?" Twice too little too late. I like the naration at the end. It wrapped things up pretty nicely and it was saaaaaaaad. I don't like conventional love stories, and I know my friends before this almost nearly wanted to 'murder' me for preferring love stories with sad endings. I don't know, it just makes it seems so much more romantic? Not that I'd want a sad ending of my own, no, but yeah, blame it on schadenfreude for me liking these things.

Then, I watched Talentime. It was odd not seeing a sign of Sharifah Amani in Yasmin's films. And Pamela Chong played the lead, Melur, and she did okay. Melur and her sisters surely speak impeccable English. It was a lot more jiggy than the previous films, like, d-uh, it's centred on a talent competition. Mukhsin dude returns as the guy with the guitar. Aizat gives his singing voice. Of course, Mukhsin dude turns on his puppy dog face again because his mum is dying of cancer. The scene where he sang 'I Go' was really sad. Another beautifully played character is the mute and deaf Mahesh. He didn't say a word, but his face tells everything. The longing, the anguish..ahhh..all those emotions that I adore being acted out really well. Music's really nice! Of course, a better ending for the inter-racial lovers, they seem to have better luck than Orked. Although I do find the sleeping lovers sharing pillow yin-yang thing to be a bit corny.

Lastly, I watched Muallaf. This was damn nice. Lots of English dialog. I just can't seem to understand why this movie was almost banned. I don't see any elements made to lead you astray from your religion. Oh yeah, and the hype over Sharifah Amani bald, the scene didn't even last one minute. I thought they'd film the head-shaving process, I was preparing myself for the horrifying scene of Rohani struggling against her own father and the blade or something, with lots of blood and gore and violence, but none of that! How disappointed I was. (so, the only horrifying scene I've ever seen in a Malay movie for now is the rape scene in Budak Kelantan. Oh my God! I don't ever want to watch that ever again! that scene was menakutkan! meremang bulu roma. Oh my God.) I do find the question of comparative studies rather intriguing.

Overall, I think Yasmin writes a very good script. Nice cinematography and music score, and definitely, the acting is so much better than other Malay movies, although there are a few bits here and there in terms of small, small details that you still find flawed, but yeah, it can be overlooked, considering the message delivered. Watch her movies with an open mind, what you see is an unconventional Malay movie and far from a shallow presentation that lacks substance. There are things you can ponder about life by the end of every movie.

Satisfying.


Sigh. Too bad she left us so soon, I'd wanted more.


Your face says what it says
Your eyes they speak with mine
I know just what it takes
to make you smile awhile
Words they say too much,
Love comes in silence