RECENTLY, I had a late coffee session with some buddies, most of whom are the who’s who in the local TV and film industry. This creative bunch comprised respected producers in their prime 40s, who are passionate about making the industry a vibrant scene.
As we ordered our caffeine fix, it didn’t take long before the topic of local films came up. Among others, we chewed over last year’s dreary and grim Malaysian cinema, until Polis Evo came along in September.
It provided that needed dose of excitement and gave the industry the much-needed jolt when it smashed the local box-office record with RM17.3 million, beating 2014’s The Journey by a mere RM200,000.
“My all-time favourite will always be Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan. Superb acting by the cast and easily the greatest Malaysian movie ever made,” said one, also a former journalist. This was echoed by the rest of the gang.
As I slowly sipped my cappuccino, I remember accompanying mother dearest to the cinema to catch this tear-jerker, which also marked my inaugural visit to “this dark place with a giant TV”. I was 10.
As the end credits arrived and the lights came on, I remember seeing these three young “makciks” seated behind our row all teary-eyed as they discussed some scenes in the movie. Mother’s eyes seemed a little red. I heard her weep, but she insisted it was just dust in her eyes.
The 1983 heart-wrenching Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan, directed by the late Datuk Jamil Sulong was priceless. A film adaptation of Datuk Shahnon Ahmad’s 1966 novel of the same name, it saw impeccable acting from a talented cast that comprised Datuk Sarimah Ahmad, Melissa Saila, M. Jamil, Marlia Musa and the late Ahmad Mahmud.
The movie became a benchmark of Pak Jamil’s (as he was fondly known) best work. And, even after more than three decades, none could come anywhere close to this gem of a masterpiece. He has left behind an indelible legacy.
“Ola Bola is trending!” pointed out this former actor before turning producer two decades ago. The movie has trended twice on Twitter since its cinema release. The social media is a great marketing tool to get swift publicity, but I still take it with a pinch of salt.
I read with amazement when netizens sang praises, dubbing Ola Bola as one of the best Malaysian movies ever made. Not one to concede to the herd mentality, I digress.
The football-themed movie, directed by Chiu Keng Guan of The Journey fame, made RM8 million at the box office. Unlike The Journey and his movies before that which targeted mainly the Chinese audience, Ola Bola is a departure.
It had a Malaysian feel to it as it features a “muhibbah” cast, which would translate to a more diverse audience and possibly an increase in the numbers.
“So, tell me, what’s your take on it?” asked this New York University alumni as he nudged at my elbow.
A former finance dude who played football for his boarding school, he somehow felt the football skills and on-field action by the cast were amateurish and hardly mirrored the standard of national footballers. It’s like getting an actor who can’t sing to play Amy Search in a movie, for example.
I read somewhere that Ola Bola was dubbed the ultimate football movie. The fact that the story is loosely-based on our nation’s great football team in the golden era circa 1980, should have given the director some indication on the importance to showcase magnificent ball playing by the young protagonists.
Prior to Ola Bola, two other footie-themed movies were released last year — Rembat and Jejak Warriors. Both bombed at the box offce.
Football may be a beautiful game, but that hasn’t always been translated into beautiful movies. Despite the fact that football is by far the most popular sport in the world, Malaysian cinema hasn’t exactly shown a knack for getting it right on screen.
Some argue that Chiu’s lack of emphasis on the technical aspects of the game should be forgiven, since his focus was on the protagonists’ emotions.
I admit Ola Bola has some “tug at your heartstrings” scenes — the overwhelming feeling that you almost want to cry so badly, but somehow can’t seem to get anything out.
Sorry, but these scenes do not quite hit me at the core, unlike how some Thai TV commercials effortlessly do. There were way too many moments where the acting, primarily, simply does not do the movie justice.
With most of the cast comprising your regular Joes and Janes, surely you can’t expect their acting to be flawless.
Chiu is widely known to prefer taking in non-actors to star in his films. So, here you have inexperienced actors to begin with, and the only acting lessons they ever had was the mandatory two-month acting class prior to filming.
I think someone forgot to whisper to him that great acting comes from years of experience, hard work and, most importantly, passion. It’s a skill not everyone can muster, what more in just a couple of months.
Saving the day is Bront Palarae for brilliantly playing the enthusiastic sports commentator Rahman, who rattles off dramatic live commentary and, in the process, makes football fans at the stadium and audiences in the cinema to root for the footballers. Never mind that Bront’s Rahman is just a supporting character, because to many, he is clearly the star of the movie.
Ola Bola came at an opportune time, with its strong message on the need to unite, making viewers feel a sense of great pride and patriotism.
Kudos to Chiu for not only giving viewers an accurate depiction of that era of bell bottoms, thick hair and side burns (even though some of the wigs worn could have looked more realistic), but also the engaging music score and the spellbinding cinematography which beautifully captured the mountain slopes and padi fields.
With its heart-warming story about ambition and perseverance, a multiracial cast, and the use of different languages and dialects, I can understand why most Malaysians want so badly to call Ola Bola as one of the greatest Malaysian movies.
Oh, and that piece of dialogue “Kita menang sama-sama, kita kalah pun sama-sama”, would’ve made a better tagline than “You will believe”.
But again, at the end of the day, just like our choice in coffee drinks, everyone has his or her favourite. So, let’s all just put our coffee mugs up and drink to that.
Hizreen Azleena Kamal is a passionista with a keen interest in showbiz and pop culture (online shopping included!). And oh, she is also the Editor of Groove