In some ways, Paloh reminds me of The Hours, It starts off as a puzzle of a movie, with scenes all jumbled together. But as the movie progresses, the various story lines click into place, revealing a gem of a story.
Paloh is the kind of movie that demands your complete attention. If you are distracted, then you will lose track of the story line. Of course, this means Paloh will not be popular with those who insists on a linear or straightforward plot line and there will be many confused faces among the audience at the end of the movie. However for those who like movies with a little more bite, you will come away impressed with Adman Salleh's take of a tumultuous time in Malayan history, and his use of time-phasing as a narrative device.
Set during the last days of the Japanese Occupation, the movie details the struggle between communist sympathizers and the Malays who had collaborated with the Japanese in the small town of Paloh. It uses the doomed relationship between a Chinese woman, Swee Lan (Janet Knoo) and a Malay policeman, Ahmad (Namron) to ask very searching questions about the concept of freedom and the illusion of choice. We learn that Swee Lan initially got involved with Ahmad at the behest of her father, who is the local leader of the Bintang Tiga sympathizers. He hoped she would be able to use Ahmad to get information about the movement of the Japanese soldiers. However Swee Lan falls in love with the conflicted young man and is torn between her desire to obey her father (and thus, not put their lives at risk from the Japanese) and her own feelings of powerlessness. Ahmad, on the other hand, starts having second thoughts about his own role in the scheme of things. As one character says in the movie, "Whether it is the British , the Japanese or the communist, they are all the same. But at least the communist are fighting to free us."
The acting in Paloh is generally good, with the women, especially putting in impressive work. Janet Khoo and Ellie Suriaty Omar shine in their roles (watch the scene where Swee Lan wakes up after a failed suicide attempt), but the male lead, Namron, is underwhelming.
One of the biggest flaws is the editing. The movie flits from one scene to the other, and throws up quite a few plot lines, many of which are underdeveloped. The abrupt ending doesn't help either.
Still, love it or hate it, Paloh is a brave movie.
