The Journey

I was hesitate to watch this local production movie, but after a few rounds of good comment and some push from my kids and wife, I finally gave in and step into the cinema for a Malaysian movie. I must say this is a good piece of work reflecting the meaning of life in a typical Malaysian community, the importance of filial piety, treasuring friendship transcending races, "just do-it" attitude and make your own dream come true.

It is fun to see new faces across the country border in making this movie a must-see. I must say, my tears drop when they finally made the hot air balloon and release it. I must mention that the cinematography have been improved very much and the Cameron Highland scenery was superb. Although various language and dialects are used, but this is reflecting the real Malaysian life.

Double thumbs up for Director Chiu! I hope he can keep up the expectation and bring even more surprised for next Chinese New Year movie.

The Journey is a cross-continental Malaysian comedy drama film with a simple story but full of depth and meaning. The story is about Bee, who returns from Britain to Malaysia to seek her conservative and stubborn father's blessing for her marriage with a Caucasian, Benji.

However, due to Benji's lack of cultural understanding of Chinese culture and traditions and the issue of language barriers from both parties further complicates the situation, which results in Bee's father, Chuan strongly opposes the union. But, due to a series of unexpected events happening at that time, Chuan reluctantly agrees to give his blessing, with some terms and conditions.

Soon, the journey begins with Benji and Chuan riding a motorcycle together to deliver the wedding invitations to Chuan's ex-primary schoolmates all over Malaysia. Throughout the journey, the two learn valuable lessons about love and accepting each other's differences.

The film successfully depicts the Malaysian Chinese culture and tradition, the love between father and daughter, life-long childhood friendships that transcend time and culture, the liberal views of our current young generation on screen, the unpredictability and fragility of life...all in one film. The script is genuinely funny at times, emotionally poignant and relatable to all Malaysians. It's incredibly rare to see a local production of this quality. It's a tremendous accomplishment for the Malaysian movie industry and it's something we, Malaysians should be proud of.

Moreover, the cinematography is surprisingly stunning for a local production and the film is shot on various locations in Malaysia: Cameron Highlands, Ipoh, Penang, Kedah, Melaka, Sabah and Johor. The film captures the beautiful sights of the country...the hills, paddy fields, beach, bridges, etc. The props used in this film...the old furniture and decorations in Chuan's or any of his other ex-classmates' house provides a feeling of authenticity.

The Journey is a character-driven story, the film shines because of its wonderful casts. Lee Sai Peng is wonderfully cast as he managed to provide a great performance as the mopey and grumpy old man. On the other hand, Joanna Yew Hong Im and Ben Andrew Pfeiffer both provide a convincing performance as the interracial couple, managed to convey believable character emotions for certain scenes in the film.

Overall, it's one of the best Malaysian Chinese film ever made, don't miss it. It's a film for the young and old, a film that exceeds my expectation. It's better than many of the trashy and pointless foreign Asian productions out there now. Highly recommended.

http://yjcool.blogspot.com/2014/02/movie-review-journey.html

The Journey happens to be the first Malaysian film i ever watched in the cinema. The beauty of my experience is that there were 4 generations of my family enjoying it - my 76 year old mother, my old 50 year old self, my 35 year old cousin and her 9 year old daughter. We all connected to the characters and their issues immediately.

The first reviewer has probably mentioned almost everything there is to be said about the movie but i want to add that since i am an educator by profession, i would love to use excerpts of the film's conversations as teaching - learning points for our current generation. The part when Benji did a telling off to his father in law for his reluctance to send off his dead friend highlights the important point of my learning and teaching resource. The little boy who stood in between them as interpreter did a wonderful job. He epitomizes the very essence of human communication... keeping the message simple, precise, easily understood and preserving the original purpose and intent.

And that, is mastery of excellence in communication :)

After a long wait, finally there is a local production that utilizes life as the main theme for a film. While at first it looks like a familiar plot which begins on family relationship problems, the detailed screenplay gradually expands into the issue of cultures conflicts, hope between parents and children, love and friendship appreciation as well as unity which is one of the most precious thing in life. Good direction and cinematography are not only successful in presenting great scenery across 6 states in Malaysia (without any effects) and the unique Chinese cultures and local multi-races tradition; but the good performance from unfamiliar cast, hilarious mixes heartfelt moments and amazing scores has successfully delivered audiences a clear message: it's sometimes just a coincidence that it makes those involved to be unhappy and misunderstood at the same time in life, but actually deep in heart everyone is cherishing each others. It deserves local people to be proud for being one of the best local production and to aim as the highest grossing local Chinese production.

It has been awhile since I last watched a movie that moved me so much. I managed to catch the movie whilst back in Malaysia for a short holiday.

I must say that Malaysian movie production has certainly come a long long way. The movie brings back many sweet nostalgic memories of Malaysia's rich blend of culture. I came away from the movie with shedding more than a tear. Ben, Joanne and Frankie all gave remarkable performances. Top credits go to Joanne and Frankie making their debut as big-screen actors. One can sense that the main characters flow naturally in their respective roles without too much acting needed. The mix of various Chinese dialects and comical phrases are simply a touch of brilliance. Last but not least, the soundtracks by Geraldine and Ben respectively are so captivating and beautifully presented. Looks like the music scene in Malaysia has also come a long way.

Such gem should not be Malaysia's best kept secret. I am sure if made available worldwide, many Malaysians living abroad would enjoy this movie. I was disappointed that I could not get hold of a DVD/Bluray to bring with me to Australia so that I can spread the love around.

Looking forward to enjoy many more Malaysian movies.

Malaysia Boleh!