“Dukun”, the directorial debut of Dain Said, finally reached mass audience after an online leak in 2018. Responding to the release, Dain Said took a subtle but witty approach by saying the film was like an ex-girlfriend he already moved on. After all, no one knows why Astro Shaw (the production company) shelved it for 12 years.
“Dukun” is streaming on Mubi Malaysia
Initially written in English by Huzir Sulaiman, it became the screenplay we know today with help from Dain Said and Fariza Azlina Isahak. The writing credits are rounded-up by Al Jafree Md Yusof who translated it into Malay. “Dukun” won four awards out of eleven nominations in the 30th Malaysian Film Festival in 2019.
This particular review will employ a literary theory introduced by Roland Barthes in “S/Z”. It is a network of codes that Barthes developed as a method of reading Honoré de Balzac’s “Sarrasine”. There are...
“Dukun” is streaming on Mubi Malaysia
Initially written in English by Huzir Sulaiman, it became the screenplay we know today with help from Dain Said and Fariza Azlina Isahak. The writing credits are rounded-up by Al Jafree Md Yusof who translated it into Malay. “Dukun” won four awards out of eleven nominations in the 30th Malaysian Film Festival in 2019.
This particular review will employ a literary theory introduced by Roland Barthes in “S/Z”. It is a network of codes that Barthes developed as a method of reading Honoré de Balzac’s “Sarrasine”. There are...
- 12/11/2020
- by Abdul Rahman Shah
- AsianMoviePulse
HBO Asia’s “Folklore” is a six-episode, hour-long series that takes place across six Asian countries – Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Each episode is based on a country’s deeply-rooted myths and folklore, featuring supernatural beings and occult beliefs. The respective episodes are helmed by a director from that country and filmed locally in the country’s primary language. In the particular segment, Ho Yuhang deals with the myth of the Toyol, a spirit in Javanese mythology of South-East Asia.
Folklore is available to Us subscribers on HBO Now®, HBO Go®, HBO On Demand and partners’ streaming platforms
A Member of Parliament faces a dire situation in his constituency, a fishing town, when all the fish turn up dead. Also having to struggle with the errors of his father, who had the same position before him, eventually succumbs to his advisors, who suggest to him to hire a shaman secretly,...
Folklore is available to Us subscribers on HBO Now®, HBO Go®, HBO On Demand and partners’ streaming platforms
A Member of Parliament faces a dire situation in his constituency, a fishing town, when all the fish turn up dead. Also having to struggle with the errors of his father, who had the same position before him, eventually succumbs to his advisors, who suggest to him to hire a shaman secretly,...
- 2/6/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
One of Malaysia’s most controversial titles, director Dain Iskander Said created a firestorm of controversy with his 2007 film ‘Dukun.’ Based on a true story about a woman tried for witchcraft and other occult practices after the murder of a prominent politician in the country, the film ran afoul of the country’s Islamic censors who suppressed it for over a decade, before it finally started getting leaked onto the internet through various social media platforms.
“Dukun” is screening at the Five Flavours Festival
Awaiting her execution, Diana Dahlan recounts the story of her arrest. Several months earlier, lawyer Karim Osman is assigned to her case after being convicted of murder and witchcraft against a colleague and tries to win over the confidence to defend her. As the trial continues on, more evidence is revealed, not only about her connection to him but also about a deadly mystery involving his own missing daughter,...
“Dukun” is screening at the Five Flavours Festival
Awaiting her execution, Diana Dahlan recounts the story of her arrest. Several months earlier, lawyer Karim Osman is assigned to her case after being convicted of murder and witchcraft against a colleague and tries to win over the confidence to defend her. As the trial continues on, more evidence is revealed, not only about her connection to him but also about a deadly mystery involving his own missing daughter,...
- 11/19/2018
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
One of Malaysia’s most controversial titles, director Dain Iskander Said created a firestorm of controversy with his 2007 film ‘Dukun.’ Based on a true story about a woman tried for witchcraft and other occult practices after the murder of a prominent politician in the country, the film ran afoul of the country’s Islamic censors who suppressed it for over a decade, before it finally started getting leaked onto the internet through various social media platforms.
“Dukun” is screening at the 17th New York Asian Film Festival
Awaiting her execution, Diana Dahlan recounts the story of her arrest. Several months earlier, lawyer Karim Osman is assigned to her case after being convicted of murder and witchcraft against a colleague and tries to win over the confidence to defend her. As the trial continues on, more evidence is revealed, not only about her connection to him but also about a deadly...
“Dukun” is screening at the 17th New York Asian Film Festival
Awaiting her execution, Diana Dahlan recounts the story of her arrest. Several months earlier, lawyer Karim Osman is assigned to her case after being convicted of murder and witchcraft against a colleague and tries to win over the confidence to defend her. As the trial continues on, more evidence is revealed, not only about her connection to him but also about a deadly...
- 7/15/2018
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
Udine Far East Film FestivalUDINE, Italy -- As the first black-and-white Malay-language film in 30 years, "Kala Malam Bulan Mangambang" aspires to be a stylish homage-cum-pastiche of the Golden Age of Malay Cinema. Yet, despite glorious chiaroscuro cinematography, brilliant replica of the '50s studio set feel and a giddy whirl of genre elements from thriller and musical to horror and political satire, director Mamat Khalid seems content to imitate rather than subvert or offer any interesting perspective on the era. With incoherent scenes stirred into a plot as thick and an ending as cloying as coconut milk, it becomes what it parodies.
The film did poorly in the domestic market where audiences are most likely to pick up on his film and period references, so overseas appeal is even lower, except to scholars of Malay film classics or culture.
The title means "Night of the Full Moon", which is when men disappear in a village. Arriving to solve the mystery is Saleh (Rosyam Nor), a laid-off reporter who stumbles on two intertwined leads. The first spoofs noir detective and spy thrillers with as much subtlety as "Austin Powers" with comic timing too slow for anyone used to TV skits and mainstream farces.
The inclusion of a Communist conspiracy also colors the film with an ideological stance out of place with its tone of mindless tomfoolery. Another supernatural subplot about a phantom's curse imitates low tech effects and make-up of old horror films with affection, but there is little self-conscious humor to distinguish the overblown ending from the real McCoy.
For those who know who P. Ramlee is, the modeling of Saleh on the legendary Malay entertainer's screen personas yields some in-jokes. The film's biggest charm factor comes from its femme fatales -- a sultry Chinese songstress (Corinne Adrienne), a nubile hostess (Avaa Vanja) and a sweet Malay village girl (Umie Aida), all of whom radiate more charisma and personality than their gender and ethnic stereotypes require.
Cast: Rosyam Nor; Umie Aida; Avaa Vanja; Corinne Adrienne. Writer-director: Mamat Khalid. Producer: Gayatri Su-lin Pillai. Directors of photography: Y.M. Raja Mukhriz, Raja Ahmad Kamaruddin. Art Director: Wan Nazrul Asraff. No MPAA rating, 110 minutes.
The film did poorly in the domestic market where audiences are most likely to pick up on his film and period references, so overseas appeal is even lower, except to scholars of Malay film classics or culture.
The title means "Night of the Full Moon", which is when men disappear in a village. Arriving to solve the mystery is Saleh (Rosyam Nor), a laid-off reporter who stumbles on two intertwined leads. The first spoofs noir detective and spy thrillers with as much subtlety as "Austin Powers" with comic timing too slow for anyone used to TV skits and mainstream farces.
The inclusion of a Communist conspiracy also colors the film with an ideological stance out of place with its tone of mindless tomfoolery. Another supernatural subplot about a phantom's curse imitates low tech effects and make-up of old horror films with affection, but there is little self-conscious humor to distinguish the overblown ending from the real McCoy.
For those who know who P. Ramlee is, the modeling of Saleh on the legendary Malay entertainer's screen personas yields some in-jokes. The film's biggest charm factor comes from its femme fatales -- a sultry Chinese songstress (Corinne Adrienne), a nubile hostess (Avaa Vanja) and a sweet Malay village girl (Umie Aida), all of whom radiate more charisma and personality than their gender and ethnic stereotypes require.
Cast: Rosyam Nor; Umie Aida; Avaa Vanja; Corinne Adrienne. Writer-director: Mamat Khalid. Producer: Gayatri Su-lin Pillai. Directors of photography: Y.M. Raja Mukhriz, Raja Ahmad Kamaruddin. Art Director: Wan Nazrul Asraff. No MPAA rating, 110 minutes.
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