Dosa Siapa: Whose Sin Was it?

Dosa Siapa as I translated as Whose Sin Was It, reveals three stories which roots at one starting point. A story of Faridah, a woman who was gang raped. Due to the rape she was pregnant and later gave away her son. She left her son at the step of a surau. Thus, Dosa Siapa centred around Faridah’s anger, revenge, trauma, paranoia, hysteria and guilt.

Dosa Siapa questioned the issue of our typical social problems. Those are familiar and close to us such as the issue of an abandon child, a homeless woman and husband's secret affair.

It uses the element of gang rape as the drama’s narrative drive which serves as a tool to move the story. Hence, this element fragmented into various emotional drives such as anger, revenge, trauma, paranoia, hysteria and guilt. It is these emotional drives that construct the three story of Dosa Siapa.

First, the story of Hamidah, Faridah’s sister, represents Faridah’s anger and revenge. Second, the story of Shahrul, Faridah’s illegitimate son – who she conceives from the gang raped- represents Faridah’s trauma and guilt. The third story is the story of herself, which represents her paranoia and hysteria after the traumatic event – the gang rape.

What interest me most is the conceptualisation of Sofia, an imaginary daughter of Hamidah. We identify her as Hamidah’s ‘real’ daughter immediately as the story first introduces her to us; at the beginning of Hamidah’s story. To a certain degree, Sofia ‘holds’ Hamidah’s sanity. In the sense that she represents Hamidah’s consciousness. Clearly, through Sofia, Hamidah’s image is uphold as a loving mother. But later, when the true identity of Sofia is revealed - through Zahra’s lens [a reporter] we learned that there was only Hamidah in that photo, thus, Sofia did not exist- the image of Hamidah as a caring mother is shattered. Hamidah to us, at this moment, is a crazy woman. However, much later in the story, as Hamidah talks to the psychiatrist, she ignores Sofia’s present. Sofia then walks away. At this moment, the notion of Sofia who walks away signifies Hamidah stage of consciousness. Her actions of ignoring Sofia indicates she has gains back her sanity.

In brief, Dosa Siapa represents a story of question. The story urges us into questioning whose sin was it? Is it Faridahs’? Since she is the one who creates the ‘chaos’? Or is it Hamidahs’? She, who manages to save herself from the gang rapist and left Faridah helpless, as she runs away to seek for help, while the gang is still capturing Faridah. Or is it the rapists’ sin’? Since it is them who actually start the whole ‘story’, thus are responsible for Faridah’s traumatic experience: trauma, paranoia, hysteria, anger, revenge and guilt.

Whose sin is it, then? My answer points to the gang rapist. And Faridah is the victim thus Shahrul is the result of their action. To add, their action fragmented to other social problem such as an abandon child-Shahrul- and the rest of the stories in Dosa Siapa?

Affair: A Woman Slasher Film.

AFFAIR (2010)

Affair (2010) tells a story of two girls – Santi and Reta - who used to be closed friend during their younger years and reunited later in their college life. To fit the film’s storyline in the framework of ‘affair’, the Affair directed by Nayoto Fiu Nuala focuses on the love triangle theme, between Santi – Daniel – Reta. Reta who is new at the college falls in love with Daniel who at that moment is Santi’s boyfriend. After an incident of Reta’s collapse in the café, only then Santi comes to know about Reta’s brain tumor. Then she decides to ‘give’ Daniel to Reta as her way to make Reta happy, since she will only has three month to live. Daniel who strongly rejects and refuses Santi’s decision, at first, later has to ‘give himself’ to Reta.

As three months passes Reta is still alive and healthy. One dark evening, every secrets reveal when Reta breaks the news that Daniel has proposed to her and she agrees. Reta, in her jealousy emotion reveals that she actually knows that Santi and Daniel are couple all a long, she also knows that Santi is pregnant and she also realise that Daniel only pretends to love her. Further she reveals that the brain tumor is just a fake and she is also pregnant with Daniel’s baby- which actually just a lie as to triggers Santi’s anger thus as a mechanism to satisfied Reta’s jealous emotion, as we witness her satisfaction smile later in the film. Santi’s hatred and anger control her, as we later witness the stabbing and killing of Reta by Santi with a knife from the kitchen. Santi’s hatred and anger has succeeded transforming the sweet and lovely Santi into an evil slasher monster. Thus, since she tells Daniel that she has killed and chopped Reta’s body into many small parts and stored them in a suitcase.

The film explores the issues of lust and romantic jealousy, which to a certain extent these feelings succeed to spark the emotions of hatred, anger and revenge between Santi and Reta. Thus, these emotions lead to the action of violence; the murder of Reta by Santi later in the story.

The Affair’s storyline starts with the middle ‘act’; in the morning after the murder of Reta by Santi. In a interesting way the director ‘moves’ Santi’s Reta’s and Daniel’s story at the same pace. Particularly at the parallel time wave and space between the ghostly Reta - who at this moment neither us nor Reta realise that she has been killed by Santi and now a ghost - and Santi in the ‘real world’. It is Santi who feel Reta’s present instead of Reta.

We were introduced with a sense of ‘horror’ feeling as the film starts. Santi’s hand moves by itself and later strangles her. To a certain degree, the scene indicates that Santi’s hand has a mind of it’s own and therefore serves as the configuration of the film’s monster. But as the story ends we then realise it is Reta’s who possesses Santi’s hand as her action for revenge.

At this stage – the middle – the film beautifully connotes the border of these two worlds; Santi’s and her real world, and Reta’s and her after life world. Santi world’s mise-en-scene is designed by a low key light, blue flitter and, ‘lonely’ and gloomy space. As for Reta’s world, the mise-en –scene design is white with a high key light and bright, and ‘clean’ yet quiet which represent ‘an after life’ world.
The middle act ends as Santi’s rushes to Daniel’s apartment and is surprised to hear that Reta is in the apartment. Santi then tells him that Reta is dead because she has killed her, ‘the ghost’ Reta who is in the kitchen - who Daniel meets earlier, waiting for him in his apartment when he comes home - then only realise that she is no longer human but a ghost. The beginning acts continues through Reta’s flashback; as she remembers her past we slowly start to understand the story.

As a whole, the Affair tells a woman’s story, which underlines the capability of a woman to transform into ‘a monster,’ either as a human or as non-human. Further, as a ‘human monster’ Santi’s fight and revenge is not demonstrated against the patriarchal order - which represents by Daniel - but towards Reta. However both Santi and Reta are seen to ‘over ruled’ the Order by dominated and controlled the Order as they easily take charge when deciding to whom Daniel should be with. Santi’s possession and her death, and Reta’s murder and later becoming a ‘lonely and sad’ ghost underline their punishment for to over ruled the Order. As for Daniel he is seen to be back in charge, as he take controlled of the situation when Santi’s in the state of panic after her killing action. But later dies in the car accident.

In brief, Affair represents a new dimension of woman monstrous element as a slasher in Asian cinema. However as Asian woman ‘human’ slasher, it has it limits. The rampage occurs only towards Reta – another woman - since the configuration of the Santi as slasher monster sparks by her hatred and anger towards Reta’s love jealousy for Daniel’s love for Santi. Not towards Daniel the Order.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzTxk_ExBDI

Untuk menyahut Cabaran 26 EG sila klik:  http://haswidaabubakar.blogspot.com/p/novel.html

Tersasar Di Jalanmu: The Hope And Fear.

Recently at Anugerah Skrin 2009 [ 2009 Screen Award], a telemovie: Tersasar Di Jalanmu (TDJ) has won 6 out of 8 awards in TV: Drama, category. Thus it has been named as the best telemovie for this year.

The story centres on the issues that resonate around the infamous Lorong Haji Taib [Haji Taib Street]: drugs, prostitutions, gangsterism and other social illness. It tells the story of a couple: mummy and her young husband, with their three children. Mummy, her young husband and their 3 children can be read as typically Lorong Haji Taib community member. They represent a family that can normally see in that particular area.

TDJ, touches the real issues on this street and narrates the hope and dreams of those inhabitants. Cleverly blend the significant issues in one story. For example, the story of the drug addicts: their death that occurs everyday mean nothing to the crowd, the story of a low class cross dressing prostitutes, a story of an illiterate and no education boy : Iman, who mothered by an old prostitute who uses her own flat as her `workplace’, the story of Jamilah, who is the wife to Ghani: a pimp. As we learned through Jamilah’s story as she tells Mummy: she was a kampung girl. Ghani tricked her into marrying him with an intention to bring her to Kuala Lumpur just to be turn into one of his prostitutes. Further, Ghani always beats her if she refuses to do the `work’.

Mummy and her husband, earn their living by selling drinks and food at their `street food stall’ and through renting their place for prostitution `activities’. Two of their children, `flow with the flood’ without their parents knowledge : Nasir has turn himself into becoming a drug dealer and Lia has become a drug addict. Thus, sometimes `sell herself’ just to buy a small portion of drug. But only the youngest : Ayu, as we learned later in the end of the story, she blossoms well as she manages to make her dream come true: to be a Minister.

Like Nasir and Lia, Ayu, the youngest of the three siblings has been brought up and rise in the `comfort and luxuries’ of the street `dark legacy’. In this regard, obviously the street social illness foster a sense of self motivation for her as to help `her people’: upgrading them in higher living standard and change the negative image that others have of this street.

Indeed, Erma, through Ayu character represents a sense of hope to this community in the sense of she will be the one who will set them `free’ from their `dark legacy’. Ayu is thus constructed as their `heroic figure’. Nor Erma let them down in the sense that she later make Ayu’s dream comes true: as we later see at the end of the story- she then holds a position of Minister of Social Welfare.

Obviously, Erma as the director cynically make her remarks as she creates and developed Ayu or Ayuni character. Ayuni, a girl who used to be part of the street life, has to set a dream to become one of Malaysia Minister. Thus, only then somebody at that level will notice and take action as to rescue them.

Tersasar Di Jalanmu, to a certain extent reveals the story of the street community’s fear and hope of their future generation. By drawing attention to their way of life, the TDJ suggests that these street need serious attention if the authority mean to help them.

SELAMAT PAGI CINTA AND IT’S `YOUNG’ LOVE.

SELAMAT PAGI CINTA AND IT’S `YOUNG’ LOVE.

Selamat Pagi Cinta (2008) or should I translate it as Good Moring My Dear Love, is a love story constructed from a point of view of the youngs’. Tell a story of 2 sad ending loves. First, the love diary of Azam, a university student who has to let go of his newly cherish love for marrying another man. Second, the love story of Julia’s. She has lost her love when her newly wed husband dies from a deadly disease. Selamat Pagi Cinta (SPC), outlines a simple storyline but carries a certain depth as we distinguish the issues that lay beneath the text.

The love diary of Azam, centre on a cliché love story: the forbidden love between classes but not as tragic as it is normally seen. Thus, Azam who is actually already `give up’ the fight since he first sees Suci’s big mansion, takes the relationship in a slow pace. It is this momentum that forms a lack in its dramatic drives. Hence at the end we could not manage to synchronise with Azam’s frustration emotion of his shattered love.

To a certain degree, Azam’s `non-fighter’ characteristics are clearly explain by the director indications through his violin and his obsession in literature especially poem. As we seen later in the film, his `fighting weapon’ for his love is just merely his owned composed song of his tragic love. Thus, he plays the song at an empty university’s theatre hall. All we can hear is just the melody of his tragic song resonates loudly throughout the hall, as Suci searches for him in tears. Later we see Azam’s hand sticking down into the frame while holding his violin, when the song ends, behind the stage curtain: as the frame foreground. While Suci who is sitting on a chair cries due to her shattered love: as the frame background.

The positioning of the characters and the frame mise-en-scene does signify the characters’ lost for their fight. But, initially there is no `real’ love story to begin with. Only a story of 2 friends who are starting to nurture their relationship as to establish a second – stage relationship: love, as Azam explains to his grandfather ‘I really like this girl but that doesn’t count as love’.

Nonetheless, Azam’s issues in SPC are more than as what it seen. It is also tells the story of an orphanage who lives with his sick grandfather who has been diagnosis as kidney dysfunction patient. Azam also works part-time at a restaurant as to generate  income for his studies. Later he has to stop his studies and work full-time since his grandfather is admitted into the hospital. It is this `weaknesses’ that triggers a sympathetic emotion for Azam from the audience.  They serve as a reflection of an ordinary phenomenon among audience. Obviously, Azam’s background story serves a certain weight for his side of story rather than his ` sad love story’ in SPC.

If now we turn to another love story in SPC. The story of Julia’s sad ending love. For me, it is this story that forms a total weight in SPC. The story centres on Julia and Ilham only. No parents are involved as commonly seen. This representation identifies the world of Julia and Ilham. Close up on their immature action: action of the young’s, and the serious and `mature’ risks which they have to burden later.

Taking this point further, we learn that Ilham and Julia decision to wed is base on coin flipping. Taking for granted the serious life of marriage, for Ilham, Julia is meant from him since they accidently meet twice in front of the same bookstore in a day. Their marriage life is blessed with love and happiness but later it shattered when Ilham dies of `unknown’ deadly disease.

Clearly in Julia’s story, the transformation of Ilham’s character of before and after he is told of his deadly disease is not clearly illustrate. Thus, might be because of it is told from Julia’s point of view: as she express to Ilham who is lying unconsciously on the hospital bed that `we tell everything to each other. I thought we are best friend, Ilham. But when you are in pain I did not know’

Noteworthy, Julia’s story in SPC has no background story as we saw in Azams’, since as I mentioned earlier it is the story of Julia’s and Ilham’s `loves.  It main focus centres on Julia and Ilham life. Thus, this method of representation is capable of luring the audience sympathetic emotions for Julia’s simple story.

Indeed the emphasising on Julia’s love technique manages to detail out her every day routine such as `at the table routine’. This routine functions as a nostalgic element for Julia and us, as we observed later in the film.  It is this nostalgic element that construct as the depth of Julia’s love story: as such the album and the video memory of them.

Though the film uses the first person storytelling method but the technique of Azam’s and Julia’s storytelling are different: the former - `wide’ storytelling, the latter - `close-up’ storytelling, to a certain extent these storytelling techniques manage to put forward their main issue: their sad love stories in a different angle. Indeed, in this method –the first person storytelling technique- capable of securing them as `the innocent one’. For example, the choice of the `wide’ storytelling of Azam’s story is for us to observed that it is not his fault that Suci decides to choose another man. Since he has other responsibilities which are more important to attend: his grandfather and his part-time work, as he comes from not so wealthy background. Later, the choice of `close-up’ storytelling for Julia’s story is for us to observed that it is not Julia’s fault for to wed early and as we learned she is forced to agree on the flipping coin method.

In brief, SPC put forward the issues of  a`tragic love’. We are place to observed the viewpoint of the young’s perspective of  the definition of love, which everything seem simple and easy but does carries a heavy consequences.

Ayat-Ayat Cinta :The Women Story

Ayat-Ayat Cinta [AAC] (2008), film is an adaptation from a novel by Habiburrahman El Shirazy which has the same title. Offers mix reading between religious and gender. It tells a story of an Indonesian religious student- Fahri, who is studying in a prestigious religious university in Egypt: Al-Azhar. Fahri is shown as a person who is popular among the female students. Thus, his sincerity, standing up for the women and has moderates values brings him admirers.

It is these characteristics as I observed lends itself to a gender reading, which I will discuss later. Despite the fact that Ayat-Ayat Cinta centre on Fahri, the film clearly distinguishes issues of woman.

Women in AAC are conceptualised as Maria, Nurul, Noura dan Aisyah. These women represent four different types of woman but have one in common: they all admire Fahri. They all want to be Fahri’s wife. But as we all know, Fahri who is conceptualised as an ideal figure to these women only choose one: Aisyah.

Aisyah to Fahri is `a perfect wife candidate’. At such, she is chosen by his well known religious teacher – Syeikh Usman, Aisyah is shown as a woman who embraces a deep devotion for Islam, she comes from a wealthy family, and most of all, Aisyah is of course a beautiful woman– hides her beauty behind her veil: her beauty mesmerised Fahri, as for the first time she reveal her faces to him. Her characteristics serve as a mechanism that manages to construct Fahri’s status and image of an ideal figure.

Instead of Nurul an average girl – not as beautiful as Aisyah dan comes from a family that not as rich as Aisyah. Or Noura, a girl who has lost her virginity to her `father’, as she was raped and later we learned that she is pregnant. Or even Maria, Fahri’s Christian friend and who admires him dearly.

Indeed, Fahri decision to wed Aisyah does consequence of heart broken and frustration among others. Thus, leads to jealously, anger and a revenge feelings. Certainly, these `selfish’ feelings trigger hence drive the AAC’s narrative. Noteworthy, these feelings to a certain extent signify a certain threat and harm towards Fahri.

Soon, we see that Fahri, who holds an ideal figure image, is shattered by these women’s selfish feelings since none of them are willing to accept that neither Fahri is no longer avalaible nor accept Fahri’s love only for Aisyah alone.

Nurul, through his parents, seek for Fahri’s consents when they –Nurul’s parents- propose the marriage proposal to Fahri, since they are worried about her heart broken condition that has influenced her states of mind. Certainly, Fahri rejects the proposal since he is already married to Aisyah. Furthermore, Nurul is just a friend to him.

As for Noura, she is a much braver woman. She takes her selfish feeling further by making a false accusation of rape towards Fahri- the person who has helped and saved her from his brutal and evil `father’ – which consequences her of outside marriage pregnancy. This false accusation then illustrates a claustrophobic atmosphere that forms the film’s dramatic drive.

In her statement during her confessions in the court, later in the film, she tells the court that on that day –the day that she was rape- she was on the away to Fahri’s house. Since Fahri did not reply her `marriage proposal’ letter which she wrote `‘dear a man with a good heart. There is no one else in my life accept Allah. How I wish I could be your wife […]’ [my translation]. She then continues to confess to the court that `I love Fahri. My heart shattered when I knew that he is already married. I am afraid of a man who has raped me. But also I am afraid of losing my family’s love.’[my translation]

Likewise, Maria, who is also fail to overcome her heart broken feeling. To such a degree, her deep frustration emotion put her health in a critical state. Hence, consequences her of being in a coma after she was run by a car, as part of the conspiracy to frame Fahri by Noura evil `father’. Maria’s critical condition forms a hopeless future towards Fahri: as to set him free. Since Maria holds a key of truth which could reveal the real situation. The only solution to cure Maria’s deep frustration is by, Maria to be wed by Fahri. Fahri rejectes this idea at first, as I mentioned earlier, that he loves no ones but Aisyah alone. Moreover, he admits that polygamy for him is a responsibility that could not be taken lightly. Thus, he is not strong enough to bare that responsibility.

In the light of the above discussion, Aisyah, Fahri’s wife, needs Maria’s help as to set Fahri free. Furthermore, she wants her unborn child to have a father. Noting this point further, Aisyah actually is the person who urges and persuades Fahri to wed Maria, as she expresses ‘there is a Muslim soul inside Maria’s body. Please marry her. Besides, your child needs a father.’ [my translation].

For me, her persuasions can be analysed into two levels. First, the level of selfish feeling. In this view, Aisyah’s persuasion can be seen as her way to `set Fahri free’ as to give her unborn child to have a father. Despite Fahri’s rejection, reasons and feelings. Second, the level of sacrifices. Here, in this level she forces herself to willing ask and let Fahri weds Maria since inside Maria there is a `Muslim soul’. Hence, that soul needs to rescue and to be cared for.

Indeed, the selfish feeling among AAC women has put Fahri as the prime victim that needs to be rescued. Rescues in a manner of denying his feelings and suppresses his `ideal figure’ ego which has been advised by a friend of his in the cell. The denial and suppression of his unconditional loves towards Aisyah, actually safe him. He agrees to wed Maria as to free himself so that his unborn baby has a father and save the `Muslim soul’ inside Maria’s body.

For Noura and Maria, their `woman’s’ capability of self expression has constructed a threat to the patriarchal society codes, such as towards Fahri’s marriage. Therefore they need to be punished as to ensure the safety of this society. However, despite their wrongdoing, Noura and Maria, at the end of the film, are not punished but, instead is forgiven by Fahri.

For Fahri, Noura wrongdoing: her false accusation towards him, is forced by fear of her safety from her rapist and fear of losing her family’s love if they knew that it was actually her fault, since she was rape while secretly went to find Fahri, alone.

However, as for Maria, she is forgiven due to the reason that she has redeemed herself by becoming a good wife to Fahri as well as a good companion to Aisyah. Her redemption and her seeking for Aisyah’s and Fahri’s forgiveness before she dies - as she realises that she has `harm’ their marriage- at the end of this film, has managed to put Maria at the same level as Aisyah in Fahri’s heart. Which we can see in the scene that follows, a montage of Fahri and Maria walks happily in a bright and spacious desert. This scene clearly signifies the acceptance of Maria in his heart and represents Maria as a good wife and Muslim. At this moment, Fahri’s image which has been shattered now reform: as an ideal husband to both Aisyah and Maria and as a new ideal figure to us.

In brief, Ayat-Ayat Cinta, tells the stories of women. The story serves as their self-expression of a long suppression which will circumstance a certain threat and harm towards the society.

Hak Cipta Terpelihara