#3: Kaki Bakar (1995) and Jogho (1997) by U-Wei bin Haji Saari

The film Kaki Bakar tells the story of Kakang, a man proud of his Javanese heritage and taking care of his family living in Malaysia. He instils in his children the traditional values and beliefs he has in him. Facing social inequalities as he is not a local, he has to survive and fight for his rights. This he did by defiantly exploiting the situation and handling the problems his own way. He taught and passed on to his youngest son, Kesuma these traditional values of justice and freedom.

Jogho tells the story of Mamat from Kelantan who moves to Southern Thailand in search of a new and better life with his family and works as a bull fighter trainer. Trouble ensues when a defeated challenger Isa shot dead his brother, Lazim.  The story continues with the search for the killer and tells a story of revenge.

The two films portray human relationship within a family and how this relationship connects between the different characters in the films and how it was dealt with given different situations. However each film characterizes different values, one about fighting for justice and the other about hatred and seeking revenge.

Kaki Bakar is a straightforward movie with its kampong style scenery and a script with moral values. This appeals to me as it highlights family virtues of integrity, justice and decency. The scene which I like is Kakang guiding his son to follow the right path and always fight for justice.

The ending of the film however was not to my liking as Kakang got misguided and did something unusual contrary to his beliefs. He did not follow his own teachings and subsequently burnt the hut which belonged to the boss.

The film, Jogho shows natural surroundings which depicts a carefree, simple and realistic lifestyle without sophisticated buildings and complicated way of existence. The many locations in Southern Thailand is suitably used to enhance the storyline. This piqued my interest and catches my attention.

However Jogho, to me, is not so attractive a film as I feel there were some parts which make the story irrelevant.  This is because of the appearance of minor characters which do not hype up the main story.

Authorship was depicted in both films as there are differences in the script and style. The first is the depiction of the characters. In Kaki Bakar, Kakang is a man proud of his beliefs and heritage, takes good care of the family but in a way he is also stubborn and arrogant. He always orders family members around and never listens to what others, especially the wife, have to say.

Jogho is different as Mamat is more sophisticated, a decision-maker and is always more concerned about the bull rather than his family. However he shows compassion and gave money to his late brother’s wife after his death. Mamat is more of  “to pay back blood for blood”  while Jusoh, Mamat’s son who is studying in Kelantan, is more  understanding and does not think violence can solve anything. Jusoh advises his father not to go for vengeance but was ignored. Minah, Mamat’s wife, always voices out her opinion about her worries about money but it never cross Mamat’s mind to do anything about it. Even so, she still meekly obeys her husband.

The next aspect of authorship derived in both films is the social inequalities. In Kaki Bakar, Kakang who is considered as an outsider, was shooed off from the village after he was suspected of burning the hut in the rubber estate. In Jogho, after the death of Dollah and Isa’s son, the police quickly went to Mamat’s house and detained him, suspecting him to be behind the murder.

In both the films evidences of tracking shot can be seen. In Kaki Bakar, in the scene when Kakang wants to return the carpet, the camera only pans from left to right and back again without zooming in on any particular scene. In Jogho, in the scene after the bull fighting ended, there were tracking shots of Mamat, then the camera moves to the spectators’ terrace from left to right, then back again to Mamat.

Another scene is where Jali went to help out two girls and gets the chance to speak to the girl he likes, there is a shot from the place he is with his friends at the shelter, then moves to the two girls and back to the shelter after they finished talking.

In fighting for his rights Kakang in Kaki Bakar refused to pay damages for the carpet he dirtied because he feels it is injustice to him. Similarly in Jogho, Lazim’s sons, Sani and Salim in fighting for their rights want to kill Isa and Dollah for murdering their father after the bull fight.

The role and voice of male and female characters are stronger in Jogho as both male and female characters have a balance role in terms of dialogue as there are more scenes involving both genders in it. However in Kaki Bakar most of the female characters have less to say while the male characters dominate most of the film progress.

In both the films Kaki Bakar and Jogho, different aspects of mise-en-scene are observed. For lighting in Kaki Bakar most of the scenes were bright enough to be able to see the characters well during daytime but at night the lighting was dark and I could not tell what the characters were doing outside. It was the same in Jogho as there are some dark scenes that I could not see clearly.

There were different forms of sounds created in Kaki Bakar. The audio especially the speech can be heard clearly but the language was difficult to understand when the main characters were talking as the Javanese accent was heavy. An eerie background song was heard when Kakang went to meet the owner of the rubber estate, and again when the owner came to Kakang’s house to ask him to wash the floor mat dirtied by him. Another sorrowful song was sung by Kakang after he got scolded by his boss who shows his despair which I see him very sad of his situation.

In Jogho, the Malay language was heard but there were some old Malay words used which is hardly heard off nowadays. An eerie song was also heard when the villagers went to check why the bull is making noises. Then the song climaxed when the bull charged at Mamat and gored him that made me to think what will happen next to Mamat in the film.

In editing, for Kaki Bakar, the flow is fine but there is one repeated scene where Kakang is in the court to settle the carpet issue. In Jogho I can say it was a good flow of storyline. However, there is one scene when Sani and Salim went to kill Dollah, one of them shot Isa’s son and there was no gunshot sound heard. At the end of the film, Isa shot Mamat’s left hand but no gunshot was heard too.

Commenting on the actor’s behaviour/movement in Kaki Bakar all the characters played their roles well and there are no mistakes whereas in ‘Jogho’ there are too many characters that I found it hard to concentrate on the few main characters as the story progresses leisurely and the minor characters have more screen time which does not relate to the story.

The props used in the film Kaki Bakar were well suited as they perfectly depict the background of the location but in ‘Jogho’ the props used were just ordinary and not anything unusual. The location of the rural village chosen for Kaki Bakar was a good choice as it shows off the natural setting of the film. In Jogho the location of Southern Thailand was also an equally good choice as it shows the nature of the village they live in.

In Kaki Bakar there were two different sets of costumes used, one wardrobe is for the poor and one for the rich. However in Jogho, the costumes used are simpler as it wants to depict the kampong style for the people living in the wooden houses. Make-up in both films was not obvious since both deals with rural setting and not a sophisticated lifestyle.

In conclusion, I would like to add that both films have different perspectives and has its own qualities to make a clear cut storyline that the audience can relate to and understand the story easily.

References

Kaki Bakar

Kaki Bakar - 1995. (2010). Retrieved December 3, 2011 from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110229/

Kaki Bakar. (2008). Retrieved December 3, 2011 from http://www.sinemamalaysia.com.my/film/info/?id=Kaki_Bakar_69

Kaki Bakar Sinopsis. (2003). Retrieved Deember 3, 2011 from http://www.filemkita.com/filem/k/kaki_bakar_01.html

Kaki Bakar/ The Arsonist. (1996). Retrieved December 3, 2011 from http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/134775/Kaki-Bakar/overview

Jogho

Jogho - 1997. (2010). Retrieved December 3, 2011 from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241604/

Jogho. (2007). Retrieved December 3, 2011 from http://www.sinemamalaysia.com.my/film/info/?id=Jogho_274

Jogho Sinopsis. (2003). Retrieved December 3, 2011 from http://www.filemkita.com/filem/j/jogho_01.html

#2 Abang (1981) by Rahim Razali

After watching the Malay movie titled ‘Abang’ (1981), I am of the view it is a straightforward drama and slice-of-life genre movie.  The story tells how one family is ecstatic over the return of the eldest son, Fuad who had been in London for 10 years. While the parents were happy, two brothers, Faizal and Farid disagreed with the arrival of their eldest brother as he had committed many wrong doings to the family. While the brothers do not get along well, Fuad has been making amends trying to make things right by doing charity and helping other people. The whole family suspects his unusual behaviour until a doctor came to tell them he had leukaemia and his health was fast deteriorating. On hearing this, the family went to see him but he was pronounced dead upon their arrival.

What I like about the film is, the development of the characters is from medium-pace to fast and I get to make out the real working life of these characters. The development of the characters were easily recognised, well-informed and there were more emotions in the film. It also shows the eldest sibling bears huge responsibility to the family which has an impact and a big influence on them.

What I don’t like about the film is the story development is too slow for the film. The work of the film is ordinary and there is no impact on the storyline which makes the story drag. There are several conversations that were not related to the story and scenes that took much of the time to be shown till the next one.

As regards Cultural Hybridity, in the film, the whole family were Western-oriented in terms of clothing, house design and their behaviour. But they never neglected their roots of who they are. Although Fuad has been living in London for 10 years, he never set aside his belief and own religion. Instead, he maintains a traditional life learning to be humble and teach his brothers to follow the correct path. Fuad was more to traditional lifestyle while the family follows the Western lifestyle. When Faizal visits Fuad’s house and having barbeque for dinner, Fuad served an orange juice which portrays a Western drink instead of a normal drink which is more characteristic of their religion. Dila, Fuad’s sister, was more into Western lifestyle as she is an idol in a disco club and loves to race cars.

There are some characters that used different languages other than their mother tongue. They often use English during their conversation as a short call. This is the form of Language Hybridity used in the film. Example, when Faizal was waiting for Fuad’s arrival with his wife Mona, they reminiscence the past, ‘a ghost from the past’ was what Faizal portrays of Fuad. The family too often use the word ‘I’ instead of ‘Aku’ as a shorter way to pronounce it.

There is Race Hybridity depicted in the film. At the beginning of the film, the family’s company is shown as a multiracial group consisting of different races including Chinese and Indian.

Even though Fuad has taught everyone in his family to be true to their selves, they never listen to him as he was a menace to the family before and did not trust him. In the end, after realising he had an illness and was going to die, everyone in the family starts to regret the way they treated him and was too late to see him for the last time.

As I continued watching the movie, I noticed a few things about the ‘mise-en-scene’. As for lighting, some background scenes were too dark and the characters were only partially visible. Some scenes were quite dim and the features of the characters were not easily noticeable. For the sound effect, all the character’s voices are clearly heard and there were no blunder in the dialogue. But I do find that certain background songs were not compatible with the scenes been shown. When Fuad and his partner were about to meet the company associate, the background song does not suit that particular scene.

The editing of the film was not done systematically. At the scene where Fuad came to Faizal’s house to visit Mona, his ex-fiancee and when both were having a conversation, the background song of a piano playing was often played and stopped, then continued again for few minutes. This disruption created a dull atmosphere to the scene. There were mistakes in the editing when the conversations between them were different from the video. Their voices were heard but the video shows a different scene which is irrelevant. Example, when Fuad and Mona were talking, the video changed to the part where they met for the first time, but the conversations were still going on. When Dila was singing with Fuad playing the piano, I noticed she was lip syncing because the song did not match with her lip’s movements.

Coming to the actor’s behaviour and movement, the character’s behaviour changes when the story progresses and they have different emotions being applied in the film. There is one scene where Faizal went to Fuad’s house for a visit. After a heated argument, Fuad asked Faizal to follow him to a certain place in the garden and in the next scene, they were on good terms and having dinner together. This is confusing as there is no way to determine how they make up.

Props used were appropriate. There were many that fit the scenes’ environment.  I find the props were suitably used. Locations portrayed in the film were varied and there were many different locations been shot in Malaysia and they even got a view of a village lifestyle which truly shows the Malay roots in the film. The costumes worn by the characters suits the era of the film. It managed to show the popular costumes of that period. As regards make-up, there were not that much make-up used for the main character as they want to portray him as a natural looking person. On the contrary, Mona’s face was too bright and her hair was dry and fluffy. Overall, it was an average look for the characters as they were not too detailed in the make-up.

In conclusion, ‘Abang’ was a clear-cut film that portrays the sacrifice of a person to perform good deeds and to make an impact on others. It also teaches us to appreciate the things we have and always listen to elder’s advice.

References

Menoleh Filem Dekad 80-an. (2008). Retrieved November 24, 2011,from http://www.sinemamalaysia.com.my/main/clippingnews/Menoleh_filem_dekad_80-an_1485

Abang – Sinopsis. (2004). Retrieved November 24, 2011 from http://www.filemkita.com/filem/a/abang_01.html

12 Malay Movies – Abang/ Big Brother (1981, Rahim Razali). (2010). Retrieved November 24, 2011 from http://thoughtsonfilms.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/12-malay-movies/

#1: Selubung (1993) by Shuhaimi Baba

After watching the Malay movie titled ‘Selubung’ (1993), I am of the view it is a straightforward drama and romance genre movie.  The story is about Mastura and her friends who went to study abroad. Over there, her good friend E.J. was greatly influenced by a religious group led by Brother Musa whom she later married. Feeling the deep loss of her friend, upon graduation, Mastura decided to contribute to society by becoming a volunteer at Rescue Aid International (RESCAID). She was supported by her friend Halim who had experiences in voluntary work while serving in the Middle East. Mastura also received support in her voluntary work from Kamal, the Director of the Organisation. They eventually fall in love and she found out later he was a divorcee.   Mastura’s work was acknowledged worldwide and this success was further enhanced when RESCAID held a charity concert to collect funds for the Palestine children. However, tragedy soon strikes at Mastura unexpectedly.

As I watched the film, I observed there was character development from one point to another. This is what I liked about the film. Most of the characters show their own personality which sends out a strong message to movie viewers that they are capable of doing what they set out to do.  Eg.  Initially Mastura was new in voluntary work but she worked hard and became popular and her contribution to the needy was recognised by the world.  Another thing is the background song for some of the scenes suits the mood when the film is being played. When Mastura was in coma at the hospital after the bombing at the headquarters, the background song played represents hope for the character to awaken.

However, there are certain aspects of the film which I find not to my liking. Some of the dialogues are irrelevant to the story in the movie. Eg. “I love the earrings” when Kamal tried to persuade Mastura not to leave.  In the flashbacks, there are too many for a few minor characters, eg. Brother Musa’s first wife, Hani which causes confusion to the flow of the story. In addition, there were masses of jump shots of different locations and even before the characters were able to finish their line, causing disruption to the flow of the movie.

As regards part of the film I like, the location in Perth, Australia made a safe and interesting element for the movie as it shows the college where Mastura and her friends study before graduating. What intrigued me was the choice of the University of Western Australia, Perth which represents a university that produces highly educated and mature students as portrayed by the characters. 

The quality of Masculinity is portrayed by Kamal and Halim. Kamal, a divorcee tries to win back Mastura after she rejected him on learning he had been married before.  Halim was helpful in protecting the children from the soldiers when the attack took place at the Lebanon headquarters. He tries his best to save the people’s lives but he was a victim and died when the bomb exploded at the top of the building.

The portrayal of Feminism can be seen in Mastura’s character. She represents a tough and independent female who changes from a normal working office lady to a modern goodwill ambassador for the RESCAID.  Feminism is also seen in E.J. who at first was a traditional girl who follows the path of the religious group. After she suffered the trauma of her baby’s death, she became timid, unsecured and shy.

The parts that I dislike about the film are when some of the characters could not be seen clearly due to the poor shots. Also, one scene was too long and too detailed.  This is the scene where Halim takes Mastura out on a date on a motorcycle. There were many shots of Halim adjusting his seat, puts on his helmet and starts the engine of the motorcycle before he moves off.

As I continued watching the movie, I noticed a few things about the ‘mise-en-scene’. One of them is lighting. Certain scenes were not brightly lighted to show the characters in full form. It made them look like shadows that I was unable to identify who is talking to whom. Eg. The scene when Mastura was in coma, Halim was seen at the hill looking depressed. The audience knows who he is but his face cannot be seen due to insufficient lighting thus causing the audience unable to see his facial expression. Another fault in lighting is when Mastura and her friends were watching a video at the classroom in Perth, the lights were from bright to dim and this happened twice. As for sound, some sounds were clear and some have echoes when the characters were talking especially towards the end of the movie. However, the sound produced during the bomb scene was realistic.

The editing was not done very well. Most of the story flow was jumpy and not really in sequence.  There were many flashes of different locations shown from time to time and it is difficult for me to understand the director’s concept. At the scene where Mastura visits her father in Terengganu, the film was moving too slowly, this is when Mastura has a butterfly on her cheek. The actors displayed good acting skills and I feel they have done a good job as I can identify the various character’s moments of sorrow, joy, loss of hope and confusion. However, in Kamal’s character, most of his facial expressions were quite superficial.

The props used in the movie varies from location to location. I can see that there were many types of props used to accommodate the different scenes. The locations were varied and ranges from local to international. Eg. From Terengganu to Palestine and from Kuala Lumpur to Perth. The costumes worn by all the characters fit the criteria of the years the movie progresses through. It managed to show the fashion and created the era of the period from the year 1969 in Terengganu, the costumes of the children in Palestine and until the 90’s when the movie ends.  I was impressed by how they make up Mastura’s injured face after the explosion at the RESCAID Malaysia headquarters.

Overall the film was quite touching as it portrays different aspects of human emotions and miracles can happen if you believe in it.

References

Selubung /1992. (2003). Retrieved November 13, 2011, from http://www.filemkita.com/filem/s/selubung_01.html

Selubung (1993). (2011). Retrieved November 13, 2011, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105350/