The Red Kebaya

Well what a great experience, a film beautifully shot on location in Malaysia, with Malaysian crew and cast which fitted in fantastically with an International audience in London. I very much enjoyed the film on all levels: characters to hate, empathise with, cry with and laugh with, two story lines so cleverly entwined you feel you get double your money and an evocative soundtrack that just pulls at your emotions. Well done to Samantha Schubert who made Mrs Reynolds so easy to despise, I really hope we have moved on since she was around. What I really liked was the neat way it all fitted in, no loose ends so you come away thinking it all through over and over and finding that it all really fits, it could all have happened. Patrick Teoh plays his role brilliantly in his few short, but so well written lines. Go and see this film, take your hankies and be prepared to think, its well worth it.

Just seen the 'Red Kebaya' at the odeon Covent garden in London, something to do with Malaysian week here. A great film, beautifully paced to develop into a dramatic and highly memorable climax. Mrs Reynolds, played by Samantha Schubert was brilliant, she generated a real feeling of dislike from the start and developed into genuine revulsion. Bob Mercer and Malaysian actress Vanidah Imran were also great as the tragic lovers from different cultures. Overall a sensitively and expertly crafted production of a difficult and emotive subject, brilliantly written and directed with perfect sound, music and cinematography.

well done all to the producers for having the guts to make this film and producing a quality product for which the country should rightly be proud.

The only reason I even attempted to watch this film is the fact that I had a free ticket to watch any movie I wished. But is it a bad film? No. Did I regret sitting alone in the already almost-empty cinema? Definitely not.

Hearing the title for the first time, with all the other usual titles that begin with 'the' and continues with a noun, I expected it to be a piece of crap. I stand corrected. Sure the acting leaves more to be desired and the script feels as if the actors painstakingly memorized it, but I have to give credit to the director for telling a story. Yes, it actually has a story that can be understood unlike most films that try very hard to be artistic in execution but does not even come close to watching paint dry.

The story is mainly about this orphaned-since-young professional photographer who goes around visiting abandoned houses as his passion. As usual he starts seeing and hearing stuff which leads him to yet another abandoned house where .... ( go watch it )

Seasoned actors were scattered all over the entire show.They were everywhere. There weren't too many different characters in the film and imagine recognizing each and every face the camera zooms up to. After awhile it gives the feeling like I'm watching a sitcom or drama instead of a full length film.

Early parts of the film feels forced and dry with almost no emotion, no fluidity in the flow of scenes and revelation and a really hard to swallow dialog among the characters. Maybe this was an effort to make Bahasa as politically correct in the film as possible to avoid criticism from the 'above', but people on the ground below just do not speak in such a manner. People say things with emotions and tones in their words, rather than perfectly delivered lines of flawless grammar.

The latter parts on the other hand are much more emotionally fulfilling and eventful.Loads of stuff happen but unfortunately the timing of the events and revelations might put most people off track. It might seem pointless at first, with the director hopping about with different scenes and subjects, but even with a few potholes here and there, it does come together along the way.

All in all, it was a good watch. Would I call it a successful Malaysian film? Heck I do not give a damn whether a film was made locally or abroad as long as there is a point to it. A story to tell. Expression of ideas and thoughts. That is what, in my opinion, makes a good watch.

Thumbs up for telling a good story and thumbs way down for bad acting and a forced script.

( A guy actually came into the hall and sat in front of me before the film started. As soon as the first line was delivered, he got up and left. Ouch. )