A Different Assignment

In this semester, the subject I loved most is Malaysian Median and Culture.

Despite I have three lovely lecturers and tutor, Dr. Carmen, Ms. Gee and Ms. Ezzati

I also enjoyed one of the assignments which distributed around one month ago

'YouTube Film Review', the name of the assignment.

To complete this assignment, we need to do 4 film reviews and watch a movie/ short film during our tutorial.

This is so excited because I've got no experiences in doing this kind of assignment since stepped into university. Plus, I have camera shy issue in my life... hahaha
A big thanks to my partner~ Rene!
She is the best partner ever I met

The first movie we watched was Perempuan, Isteri, dan...?

This is a Malay movie which directed by U-Wei Haji Saari.

I have to admit, although I am a Malaysian but seldom watch Malay movie. I will not try to watch it unless for assignment purpose. BUT! The movie was beyond my expectation. A good movie with a bold storyline, and able to produce in the era of lacking modern film technology.

2nd Movie will be Tiga Abdul.
This movie is more on comedy genre. It is a story of three brothers. The eldest brother and second brother refuse to share the properties with their youngest brother after their father passed away. However, the eldest and second brother cheated by a business man. At last, the youngest brother uses his wisdom to take the revenge.
This movie was directed by Malaysia's Star!!! Mr. P. Ramlee
I've studied about his history when I was secondary school, but only now I have a chance to watch his movie.

3rd Youtube Review is about 3 short films which are selected from 15 Malaysia. 15 Malaysia consists 15 short films which produced by 15 Malaysian Film Makers.
The name of the 3 short film I watched are: Duit Kecil, Lollipop and Meter.
Rene and I had interpreted the underlying messages from this three short film, hope you guys abe to enjoy it since we were putting a lot of effort in it!!!!

The last movie was Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah.
This is a Malay film which had mixed genre: Horror and Comedy.
The film was directed by Mamat Khalid and screening on December 9, 2010.





Thanks to this assignment, I've watched so many interesting films which I will not to choose to watch in the past.
But, I realized that whenever I wacth any films from now on, I will automatically interpret the content, cinematrography and the underlying messages in it. I wonder this is good to me or not since I can't simply enjoy the movie right now.

The Baling Talk

3rd April 2016
We attended a documentary performance named BALING

Thanks to Dr. Carmen has posted some information about this performance in the FB group for us to understand the content before we attend for it.

Dr. Carmen: The play is about the Baling talks and the negotiation between the British (represented by David Marshall), the Malaysian leader at the time (Tunku) and the Malayan Communist Party (led by Chin Peng).

OMG~

I'm very excited when I realized the talk is about Chin Ping.

Because:

1. In 2013, I saw a newspaper with a BIG headline: Chin Ping died in Bangkok, Thailand. His last wish was back to Malaysia but cannot be fulfilled until he was dead. I asked my father who is he, my father did answer me but I can't understand because I'm not really concerned about it. <<stupid girl

2. When I was Form Six's student, my Pengajian Am teacher always bad mouthing about Chin Peng. Said he is cruel and inhumanity...blah...blah

The venue for this talk not as big as my imagination

But I loved the decoration

The venue named: KOTAK (box in Malay)

When we entered into it, I felt like I'm squeezing into a little black box

Haha

Because it was all black, it able to create mysterious and serious phenomena to me 

Besides, I loved the format in this talk because there has a movement for audience during the talk

We have to move upstair, move around according to different sections in the performance.

Apart from it was able to avoid me fall asleep, these movements more likely to make the audience get into the performance. I believed that most of us felt like changing the live scene represented changing the venue or timeframe during the debate section between Tunku, Marshall, and Chin Peng.

The performers are awesome! Their facial expressions and body languages able to bring the nervous atmosphere for us although they were not hyperbole. Their script and dialog are based on the talk which is the original documentary: Transcript of the Baling Talks. But it wasn't bored at all for me although I hate Sejarah subject in my secondary school.

When they were performing, they were holding their script. At first, I was wondering why they are holding their script? Because they can't remember it?

Luckily, my question was able to be answered by the director in this talk, Mark Teh. He said that the performers, of course, able to remember all the script due they are professional. But he wants to present history is an object as the script is an object too. The script can be a tool to persuade us they were holding the documentary as Tunku, Marshall, and Chin Peng were holding the agreement when they were debating.

Cannot be denied, I'm quite disappointed because the content in this talk just like touch-and-go. I want to know more about it!

From this performance, I able to know that Baling talk was about the talk and conflict between the Government of the Federation of Malaya and the Communist Party of Malaya which held on 28th and 29th December 1955 in Baling, Kedah.

British Colonial government declared it was Malayan Emergency instead of WAR.

Besides, I able to know more the details in their meeting's conversation. In the end of the meeting, the Federation Government rejected the terms which applied from the Communist Party.

Before the end of this performance, they played a short interview video for us. It was the last word from Chin Peng who stayed at Thailand after the surrounded of Communist Party. However, Chin Peng can't be answered the question from interviewer but only stated that he wants to back to his homeland, Malaysia. Maybe he was suffering from his illness since he looks like he does not remember anything.

In my opinion, Chin Peng aka Ong Boon Hua was just an old man who wanted to go back to his homeland. But why the government does not allow it happen even until he was dead? Maybe the government thinks that an old man or his ash able to destroy a country?

He was a young man who has a courage and different ideology from the Federation Government, but he used the wrong way to express his ideology. 

Catharsis and Distancing

Dr. Carmen has mentioned a word in our tutorial class (6th April 2016)

Carthasis

What is catharsis?
From online sources, Catharsis is derived from the Greek word which translated as 'cleansing' or purification.

Dr. Carmen explained that Catharsis in a drama which means that people able to gain a feeling with a very strong relieve and release in the end. Usually, people will get a satisfy ending in that particular theater or drama.
In many years ago, many sucky life people will often spend money to watch a drama get catharsis. After they felt relieved and released, they able to resume sucky life.

Other words mentioned by Dr. Carmen were

Distancing and Alienation

Distancing and Alienation effect is totally different with catharsis. It won't simply gives the entertainment or gives direct messages to the audience. The theater with this effect will make the audience think.

Before Dr. Carmen teach us these words, she asked about our preferred drama, film or theater. A story with a happy or sad ending? A story with a complete flow or mysterious ending?

When I was a kid, I preferred a story with a complete and happy ending. I able to get the catharsis. I felt happy after getting the catharsis as I felt relieved.
However, I prefer a story with an incomplete or mysterious ending.
I able to think or imagine the ending I want. Actually, it is quite fun when you share your opinions with your friends.
I able to gain a lot of knowledge and view from the others since a different individual has a different interpretation.
Some people will like or dislike on the particular of film or drama.

For example, my friend actually felt catharsis after we went for the Baling Talk.
She said that she have such a long time did not attend to high standard drama performance. For me, the answer is no.
I felt that I need to know more about the story of Chin Peng. Hence, I went for searching the information through online sources and asked my father about the story of Chin Peng.

I think... Dr. Carmen's lesson able to let me differentiate the younger me and the older me.