Synopsis
Selubung is a social drama about a group of young Malaysian students in Australia. They have to deal with culture shock, because of living in a Western culture, and with their idealism in connection with Palestinian terrorism. The plight of a young voluntary worker working for the Palestinian cause finds betrayal, love and hope through her journey. Mastura is a student in Perth, Australia failed to save EJ of religious fundamentalist groups. On her return to Malaysia, she engaged the charity body ‘Rescaid’ to bring a group of Palestinian children to Malaysia. Mastura fell in love with Kamal, Head of Research Department, but was disappointed because he had married. However, this relationship can be healed after Kamal divorced. Mastura managed to persuade EJ and Kamal joined the charity. Rescaid activities support the people of Malaysia but violently opposed by certain quarters that Mastura went into a coma.
Review
Selubung was a film directed by Suhaimi Baba and it is typical filmmaking in its focus on beautiful, young people especially young women. What I like about this film is the storyline of this film. The characters in this film find their betrayal, love and hope through their journey. Mastura is more westernism but EJ is more traditional women. There is a big contrast on their costumes. Mastura is a young and independent woman. She is progressive and strong minded. Her personality is different with EJ. EJ is a traditional woman. She choose to quit her study and married with Musa. She believes Musa will save her soul and bring her to the path of God. She quit her studies and married with Musa although there’s only a year left to finish. EJ has thinking that a disobedient wife is a wife who has a better education than her own husband, to be an obedient wife, she choose to leave her friends and married with Musa. EJ was the representative of first portrayal of femininity. According to Film Appreciation, Criticism and Interpretation lectures notes, the 1st portrayal deals with cinematic representations of masculinity as a response to what it sees as a threat to ‘authentic masculinity’. 2nd portrayal is the assertion of female sexuality without the use of libidinal desires. Mastura in this film represent the 2nd portrayal of femininity. She is articulate and speaks a mixture of English and Malay. The friendship between Mastura and EJ is one of the reason I like this film. When EJ was decided quit studying and married to Musa, Mastura trying to persuade EJ. When EJ was lost her son, Mastura trying to help her and persuaded her to join Rescaid. Besides that, the love story about Kamal and Mastura the reason of I like the film too. When Mastura was in coma, Kamal always beside her and take care of her.
What I dislike in this film is the pace of editing in this film. For me, audiences are easy to get confused in this film. There have many jump scenes in this film. Sometimes there’s no continuity and the pacing in this film is confusing. Some of the scenes need to re-watch many times then only can understands the meaning. Audiences were hard to catch up what the characters acting, what’s going on the story. The flow of the story seems like very jump and confusing.
In this film, I like the part when Pintu trying to help Kamal to chasing back Mastura in office. The conversations between Pintu and Kamal in phone were funny. This part can reduce the tension of audiences. Pintu always play the role of funny and he success to make audiences laugh.
Mise-en-scene is thus part of a film’s narrative, but it can tell a larger story, indicating things about the events and characters that go beyond any words they utter. From the scene when Kamal in lorry and ask Pintu to drive to Mastura’s house, we can see that Mastura is in an embarrassing situation when Kamal on the lorry and use the loud speaker to ask Mastura to see him. Kamal was sit on the lorry and director has do some decorate on the lorry. Kamal is wearing in formal and smart way while Mastura was in casual wear. Costumes for characters in this scene are quite stylized. Because of this scene is at outdoor, lighter has created the composition and guides our attention. The source of lighting is from nature light. Besides that, the others scene to describe the mise-en-scene and mise-en-shot part is when Mastura went into lift. Locations are outside and inside the lift. Cinematographer try to shake the camera to bring out the tension feel in this scene. Camera movement is not stable. The cinematographer always use low angle to shoot the characters inside lift. When Mastura was injured, camera angle is more on low angle and shoot on people leg so that brings out the chaos condition. The lighting in this scene is soft and darker to create the composition and guide audience’s attention. Quality of the lighting is more to soft and dark. When Mastura was injured, her makeup was more to bloody so that the character looked injured in more serious. At last, when Mastura was waked up from coma, there are many butterflies in hospital. Those flash back link to the starting scene when Mastura’ dad told her that butterflies bring luck to her and Mastura was awake. The last scene, Mastura was stand on the top than others.
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