Between Sepet and Gubra

I was kind of disappointed. Perhaps I have set my expectations too high to the critically acclaimed films especially when Sepet has won the Best Film in the 18th Malaysia's Film Festival and Best Asian Film at the 18th Tokyo International Film Festival. I have never followed the works of Yasmin Ahmad, but having an award-winning contemporary female director, it definitely earned my top must-see list especially when there's so much slapstick movies made these days.

Perhaps it's the director's way of telling the story - the romance of a not-so-typical and yet typical Malay girl to a very Beng-looking and yet not-so-typical Beng. The underlying theme is clear, but the approach is so gentle, too diluted that it is not gripping enough. It does not really stretch the minds, or the OB marker, based on my standards. Perhaps to a very typical Malay audience, some scenes may have sounded the disapproval alarm, especially when Orked's mother and dad were both clad in sarongs. Dad, bared chest and mum, chest high. Another scene had them both sleeping, still sarong clad. This could be one of the reasons that Sepet and Gubra have not been shown on Malaysian tv screens.

Gubra was a bit more daring in her way of stretching the intimacy of Malay couples on screens. We had Orked, this time married to Arif, upset when her husband did not wake her up so that they can shower together. In order to make Orked happy, Arif scooped her off the bed playfully and into the shower. Artistically, the shower episode was not seen but we can hear their delightful screams and wails. It wasn't sexually suggestive but more playful fun, but then again, that's something new in Malay movies. The next scene was in the car, where Orked kissed her husband on his cheek. And I did not count how many times after that, that Arif kissed his screen wife Orked on the forehead or chin. Though there was one angry scene, there was a lot of peluk between them. And after the credits was over, we saw Orked in bed with Jason's brother (can't remember his character name for now), the one with the failed marriage to a Singaporean.

What I liked best about Gubra is perhaps the way Orked confronted her husband's lover. That was admirable, and something most scriptwriters may not have considered. You only knew of how hurt she was during the bedroom scene, but of course, like I mentioned above, it was full of embraced as the husband tried to win her back. There were two plots in the show, totally unrelated to one another, both with differing themes, but one thing for sure, what Yasmin would like you to accept is "do accept others for who they are and their differences is something that we could love". But Gubra looks like someone who wants to ask you to accept too many human's idiosyncracies in one movie, that it looks like it's coming from a disorganised mind after a while.

A multi-racial relationship is nothing unique or queer especially between a Malay and a Chinese in this part of the world. But how a story can be compelling and romantic is another. It was not really diabetically romantic, but then the subtlety is lost. I don't know anything much about Yasmin and her fascination for all men Chinese. Yet one cannot help in figuring it out especially when she also had a scene in Gubra where a Chinese nurse fell for Orked's larger than life Malay domestic helper. Then what is it again that had her made Orked and Jason's brother attracted to each other that Orked had to seek him out and finding them later together on his bed, with Orked's face hiding in his muscular bod. I hope it will not be the start of 'kissing', more daring 'sleeping' and 'embracing' scenes in future Malay movies. Because I was caught by a slight surprise that there was a cheek kissing scene in "Cinta", directed by Khabir Batia, and performed by on screen couple Rashidi (Vanida's husband) on Rita Rudaini. Hmmm, are we seeing more daring moves?

Next on the plate is "Mukhsin", the third sequel to Orked's life, this time flashbacked to the days that she was a young girl. I would still watch it though (because it will be better than all the not-so-kelakar comedy movies), but I hope it will be more engaging and scraping the bottoms of my cerebral, rather than just hovering at the top.