The Journey

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!

Syok ah...song ah...

The Journey is truly a heartfelt Malaysian film that is unprecedented in its overall film making. It has scenes captured around Penang and Cameron Highlands that are totally an eye opening experience even for a local like me. They are so gorgeously filmed that I was immediately being pulled into the story right from the very first scene. It's truly amazing. I'm very proud of our local talents who have demonstrated excellent cinematography to make each and every scene come to life.

This is a story about Uncle Chuan's daughter, Bee who has just come back from overseas with her fiancé, Benji and planned to have their simple marriage carried out locally. Things aren't that simple and when Uncle Chuan disagrees with almost everything Bee and Benji do, the journey begins. Believe it or not, everything plays out like our everyday's lives and I think that's what made it so real and related to us. Each character acted so naturally that I couldn't even tell that this is indeed a film. We can feel their emotion as they are very lifelike.

One thing that I should point out is that this film contains three spoken languages as well as three spoken dialects. It adds to the cultural diversity of how we actually speak in Malaysia. Sometimes, it plays around with the various languages and dialects, making fun with jokes known only to Malaysian and Singaporean. Then there are times where it tells the tale of every Malaysian's life and those are the gem of it all.

Filial piety is a virtue we Asian regard as of highest importance and this incredibly virtuous value is showcased perfectly in the story. Parents have dilemma and they ultimately have to make the difficult decision for their children. Whatever the decision may be, we have to know that they love us more than anything. Besides that, it also makes us realise that life is too short to bear regrets to the things we dare not do. Therefore, I believe that as long as you are an Asian, you will feel moved by the story.

Honestly, I've never thought that I could enjoy watching a drama at the cinema this much. The Journey seems to prove me wrong and I'm very glad to have made the trip to GSC today to watch this fantastic masterpiece. Oh, the laughs, the tears and the joy, it's definitely worth my time. I'm giving it a two-thumbs up with a score of 12/10 for my highest praise and 'more than' absolute satisfaction. Abuden?

Nonetheless, if you have a dream, go live it because time is never on our side! You can be like Uncle Chuan, pergilah!

P.S. : Let's welcome more locally produced motion picture. Malaysian Got Talents!

(v1.2)

For me, what's make the movie called 'great' is if the movie's genre is romance, we can feel the soul of love. If horror, we can feel the fear. If comedy, we can laughing out loud all the way. Drama? We can cry.But, for this family drama movie, honestly is just an average movie that we always see and I'm not really feel anything, you know I was crying with "Titanic". For the cinematography, yeah its really great and beautiful! I never see any malaysian production did something like this, the air balloon, the background color. Congratulation for the art camera team! The story, its just okay. Maybe its release on the good timing or the right time, Chinese New Year celebration and all Chinese want to watch at least something local in the cinema so they got this one.So, "The Journey" are the lucky one, because of all their hardwork, I think they deserve this box-office. The highest grossing Malaysian movie of all time until now.

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

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.