Sepet

I have to admit I'm not one for Malay movies,well maybe yes when i was a whole lot younger.Anyway,throughout the years i have witnessed the downfall of Malay movies,a sad and slow demise.Malay audiences are more interested in seeing foolish teen-flicks with pop stars rather than actors. Sepet however is nothing like this.Its a movie about 2 people from totally different backgrounds who in the end(or in the very beginning of the movie) fall in love.However many complications arise since these lovers are from different races. What i really like about this movie is that finally someone has made a movie involving the Chinese and Malays,two races that until this day still cannot stand each other yet still try to live with one another.This movie is not ashamed to point out the flaws of each race but yet at the same time also praises the races concerned. All and all,this is a different kind of love story which should be watched by everyone especially if your a Malaysians.As i mentioned earlier,its not your typical Malay movie and thank God for that. (P.s: There's even one scene where Malay movies are criticized,and i loved that part.A slap in the face for people who like such MORONIC Malay movies)

This movie easily grab my attention to watch. I love the main idea and Yasmin did well for this movie. I've seen her works, Mokhsin and Gubra, both cannot compete with this one. This movie is one of the best in Malaysia cinema and one should watch this. Yasmin give an honest view through her film with this one and the last part, i mean the ending is the real large view of what Malaysia cinema can be. Two races from two different races and religion, there is no issue of converting whatsoever but, dark message here is, either hero convert to heroine religion or one of them need to die. This movie is great and it deserved 8 out of 10 stars! Well done Yasmin!

In this movie there will be a moment where you will laugh and there will be a moment when there are tears at the corner of your eyes, your throat feel lumpy and you tried so hard to control your emotion coz you don't want your fellow audience noticed that you are crying when watching a movie.. a malay movie that's it.

It has been quite some time since I watched such a movie that can move me into tears. The plot is simple. It's just about how people can fall in love at the first sight. The way Yasmin Ahmad took it and delivers it to us is enriching and enlighten. In this movie you'll learn to laugh at yourself and at your own race. The dialogues are well crafted and delivered in such convincing manner. It's where Malay, English and hokkien language used swiftly without any oddity.

Orked is a Malay gal that is different with her peers. She likes Takeshi and watched Hongkie movie such as A Better Tomorrow and Wong Kar Wai movie. Ah Loong meanwhile is a pirated vcd seller who falls in love at the first sight of Orked. He was so fascinated with Orked and tried to court her. Orked friends especially the guys really despise of her because she choose to have a Chinese boyfriend instead of her own race.

The ending left me dumbfounded. Totally different with what I had expected. Experience watching Malay movie makes it easier me to anticipate the ending but then this is not the same...

Go and watch this movie guys... You won't regret it...

For those of you who are not in Malaysia, it is important to give you a background of what the local film scene is like. This is written from a regular audience/citizen's point of view, so I could be wrong.

From my understanding and observation, it is the independent films that draw diverse crowds, with little marketing and funding as compared to officially funded projects. This is so because generally, the standard to storytelling is better expresssed in the independent scene.

Rarely do indie films make it to the silver screen for commercial screenings, and Sepet is one of the first to make it. So... there are two ways to write this review. 1) In comparison to other Malaysian films to date, 2) Film as film, period, without any other contextual bindings.

1) It is a very good film. It is among the best film to be made in the last 20 years or so, perhaps, in Malaysian cinema. If there is one film that quite accurately gives viewers a taste of what Malaysian village/town lifestyle is like, Sepet is the movie to go. It is not so much captured in forced dialogue, or marketing of typical trademark Malaysian structures, but rather in the subtleties that are made obvious, like slangs, choice of words, bla bla bla.

2) Film as film, it still is a very good film. I have qualms about how the film is cut in some scenes, and the editing is choppy at best, but that is in no way a turn-off point for viewers. The scenes where I cringed because of technical messups were few, and the scenes where I gazed at the screen in awe were plenty.

The story is good. Interracial relationships is a common issue in Malaysia, and it is good to see it discussed widely. The acting is fairly good, and the songs selected to accompany the film does well to boost the film's quality.

This is by no means what Schindler's List is to the Jews, or Braveheart to the Scots, but it is certainly a big boost for Malaysian cinema. Watch it if you can.

7.5/10

I haven't watch this movie. But i've seen the trailer. It was beautiful. At first this movie was banned in Malaysia, but fortunately, with the support from the Malaysian government, this movie was finally shown after all. It has a look at how two young lovers from totally different background cope with family and social pressure between Ah Loong and Orked. Ah Loong is a Chinese VCD vendor, while Orked is an all Malay girl. I found this movie is interesting, and fun. If this movie is shown in the USA, critics like Roger Eberts, Richard Roeper, AO Scott, and James Bendralli will sure like it. Don't waste your time watching mindless crap such as those rubbish teen movies, start watching Sepet. 10/10