‘It’s Not About Anything, It’s About Everything’ by Crystal Woo and Sidney Tan
Funky graphics and a pretty original, if bizarre, storyline. The protagonist agonises about choosing between two lovers. She shares a history with one, full of good memories, but perhaps he is a thing of the past? Lover No. 2 is younger, fitter, good looking; perhaps a better choice for now and with an eye to future pleasure? The climax of this film was at the point where our protagonist has to choose between a lolly that will take her to the past and a pill that will take her to the future. She chooses the lolly. It's hard understand why someone would choose an already-experienced past over a wholly new future. She might have done so in a fit of nostalgia, granted. But perhaps our protagonist has a deeper appreciation for the fact that it is only with reference to our past that we make decisions presently. Or perhaps she is incapable of the heartlessness required to dump her old lover for the younger one. (Interesting how so many men—especially middle-aged ones—are perfectly capable of such heartlessness. Perhaps our protagonist needs a greater sense of entitlement to her own pleasure?) Whatever the reason, her choice of the past is the more human decision. I am no fan of stories where women mull over lovers like it's the biggest problem one could possibly have (why not spend the time trying to solve our climate crisis instead?), but I'm glad her decision was not based purely on cost-benefit analysis either.
‘I'll Trust this January’ by Virginia Kennedy
Focusing entirely on shot, setting, and star-power (the beautiful cast included Craig Fong of Spinning Gasing fame), this film falls short in terms of storyline. A married woman decides to take revenge on her adulterous husband by going on a trip with him to find a man to fuck. Such a plot deserves more in-depth treatment. The audience cannot be expected to empathise with a character that we cannot understand, and by goodness, this woman makes little sense. Why would she go on a trip with the husband, allow him to help direct her selection of random-male-to-fuck, and expect that the planned sexual encounter would do anything to make her feel better? The notion that she is out for revenge is too simplistic. The film left me with many questions; I only wish the multiple dimensions of its characters were better teased-out so that I could see those questions as worth answering.
'Sub Rosa' by Nadiah Hamzah
Well-executed although highly unoriginal treatment of the classic subject of cross-cultural relationships. The film could have been more interesting had it been longer, to allow for greater character development and material that would make the result less textbookish.
‘She’ By Idora Alhabshi
Bernice Chauly was wonderful here. What an emotive face! The focus on pure, raw emotionality was powerful and felt realistic. I liked that the audience seemed to observe rather than feel with the protagonist, although perhaps those who have gone through a harrowing divorce might identify with her.
‘Bare Hands’ by Nadira Ilana
Had the feel of a home-movie, the kind you make in a couple hours on a rainy day for the family to watch after dinner. The image of bare hands seemed confused: are we talking about love in spite of physical appearances or rather in spite of the capability, or lack thereof, of expressing love and giving pleasure? Unfortunately, the poetry was lost in the pretension. The clip felt repetitive and too long by half, although it was only two-odd minutes: a sure sign that substance was entirely lacking.
‘Kow Loon Story’ by Juliane Block
A solemn, sincere attempt at capturing a woman's sense of desolation and melancholia living in a city that seems to exclude her, to have no space or desire for her. The protagonist takes to planting origami shapes around the city in an attempt to express her individuality. Sadly, by the time someone picks the shapes and searches for the individual behind them, it is too late for her. The profound depression (which she cannot actually bring herself to voice) that led her to such creative expression also led to her suicide. Individuality is precarious and cannot sustain itself without support and recognition. And these she cannot find in the bland, impersonal city that held but could not house her. A poetic film that manages to articulate sentiments in silence.
‘2 Boys, 2 Girls and A Beat Up Car’ by Mien.ly
A refreshing departure from indie short films that focus on highly conceptual images at the expense of telling a good story. We go on an enjoyable ride with two young women on their way to meet their boyfriends. The women are a professional lawyer and fearless activist respectively—strong, independent women who do not suffer fools but who are not without a mischievous, good-humoured side. The boyfriends themselves are middle-of-the-road, 20-something yuppies. They are fairly one-dimensional, but that is probably a necessary editorial cut to keep the film more a comedy and less a tragic love complex.
It is not entirely by chance that we see the two women hit it off and the two men share so much affinity for one another. Gender has a role to play in this story after all. The particular upbringing of each character—affected in large part by whether the character is recognised as male or as female—sets her or him up to respond to the world in different ways. The women typify a certain generation of young Malaysian females: ambitious professionals, committed social activists, politically savvy, and determined to live lives increasingly on their own terms. It is unsurprising that they should connect as they do. It is lovely to see that such a connection can now more imaginably and more visibly take the form of a sexual relationship. We have come a long way.
But the comedy is not without cautionary notes. Homophobia is alive and well, even among young professionals who may travel in more progressive circles. Arbitrary detention is still used to silence whistleblowers and political opposition. All is not well in our beat-up country, and we must wish those who attempt to live here the best of luck.
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