Ah. The significance of the first shot in a film. Not many auteurs knows how and why they should do it. But Shamyl Othman (the son of the legend Hafsham) apparently knows.
The first shot shows and aerial view of a river. The same in Mamat Khalid's Lang Buana, U-Wei's Hanyut and few others. This film is made specifically for the Malays.
The scene where the shot specifically focus on the date of the independence (13st August 1957) hints that this is about the act of getting out of the colonization - not from the British - but from ourselves.
It is perfectly presented with the introduction (and exposition) of who the family is in Act 1. The Malay viewers might later recognise the characteristic of 'saka' and its requirement to be inherited to the next generation.
In this case it acts as a treshold or obstruction (or a villain, antagonist) to the call for progress and modernisation, which is represented by the character of the sister coming from the city, together with the call for an exodus.
Similar call in 1983's Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan directed by Jamil Sulong, where the husband character Lahuma (Ahmad Mahmud) got sick but refused to get a modern medical attention and which eventually dies. Also the refusal to use modern tractors for rice harvesting.
In 1963's Chuchu Datuk Merah, where Kuntum and Awang end up sucked in by the whirpool (lubuk puaka), might be an allegory for death being left behind by denying reforms.
Remy Ishak plays close to the archetype of Awang Janggut (Nordin Ahmad) from Chuchu Datuk Merah with his obsession with 'laga ayam' by paying close attention to his rooster. For a moment, his entry at the start of Act 2, seems to foreshadows a potential to represent traditional Malay men masculinity (like Awang Janggut) but just for a while.
Oh Remy's character name is also Awang.
An addition of a little 'leitmotif' might give the film more personality which audience often brings home and remember. Nowadays theres too much focus on how things look where cinema is actually the combination of both. Oh yeah. And this is safe for streaming coz it has very little (or zero) cinema - accept for the transition shot to a rooster after the romance scene (the scene where Melor sits on Awang is unnecessary). And the correct use of mirrors to speak of Melor's character's duality and dilemma.
Some might see the allegory for this film as a call to save the next gen from being the slave (khadam) of the 'saka' - like what the 2025's dark comedy film Angkat is saying - save the next gen from carrying the burden of the old gen.
Kudos on continuing the tradition of allegorical narrative of Malay social critique. Hope the 'cerdik' viewers manage to save themselves from becoming a tragedy like this tale of Melor.
Does local (especially Malay) filmmakers know about 'nawaitu' in making films?
Like Pak Hassan Muthalib hinted it all started with the color used for the title in the poster...it is horror genre but not the typical kind.
And it is a nice pay-off when the closing scene is a shot on the river too.
Worth the watch. It might have given me a different feeling catching it on the big screen but I did not. (That is why I still believe in the importance and significance of big screen cinema).
Who are the 'khadams' and who are the masters?
Currently playing on Netflix.
