A BEAUTIFUL MALAYSIAN JOURNEY

I have never been prouder of a Malaysian film than I am of "The Journey". But before you set your expectations too high, I got to admit though, the movie does have its fair share of flaws.

But the thing is, the fact that it can still be so successful despite its imperfection makes this film a work of art, and in a way, one of the most perfect films I've watched.

It is deemed as 'our movie' for so many reasons.

Even the poster is beautiful. It summarizes the movie in so many ways.

#1 It's very Malaysian

If you are a Malaysian, you will find that you can relate to so many aspects of it. Our culture, the way we talk, the way we think, the way we act and the way we live.

I remember how I had flashbacks of my school days when I see the scenes in the school. I also laughed at how the Penang guy spoke with his very Malaysian English because that is just how we speak. If you are Chinese, you will also be able to relate to some of the superstitions.

#2 It is for all ages

I watched the movie with my entire family and I can't help but feel that all of us brought home a piece of the movie with us that night. 

For me, it hit me what respecting parents actually means. Just like the girl in the movie, I would opt to not have a wedding ceremony (if I ever get married). After watching the movie, I realised that my wedding ceremony is not really about me. As a daughter, it is my duty to make my parents happy by doing it. And it is something I have to do as a daughter, out of respect and out of love.

I relate it to other things, I realise now that there are a lot of things that I will have to do, although I am unwilling to, because I have to do it for them, out of love and respect.

For my parents, I think (or rather hope) that the movie opened them up to the idea of inter-racial marriage haha. I know that my parents won't be receptive of me having a non-Chinese partner (if I ever have one) but sadly, Chinese guys are not really my type if I have a choice. But I think the movie helped them understand tolerance. I think in many ways, my father is like the dad in the movie, although less strict. I guess the movie helped the different generation learn about each other. Dad would be able to relate to the dad in the film while us, the kids will know what it is like being in the youngster's position.

#3 It is also for non-Malaysians

Most foreigners do not get how conservative we are. They really don't. And it is hilarious. When they are in Malaysia, they'll be shocked by the many things we cannot do. For example, a guy and a girl shouldn't really sleep together if they are not married, that we are sometimes awkward to kisses and that we sometimes show very tough love. Well, okay maybe the urban dwellers are not that conservative but most of us Malaysians are still quite reserved. I remember how my boss shared this hilarious story which highlights so much about our cultural differences. My typical New Yorker boss went out with an Indonesian lady friend and after that, he sent her home and thought of saying "hi" to her parents. Boy, was he shocked to find out that they thought he was asking for her hand. I mean, seriously, sometimes, in certain more traditional families, a guy meeting a girl's parents could mean A LOT.

The Journey is a great start to understanding our culture and our interesting multilingual community. You learn so much about the traditions and the beliefs, because even I, a Malaysian Chinese is clueless about so many things. Example - chicken head cannot be served to elders. I had no idea but I never serve chicken head to elders for obvious reasons - there is no meat la!

And the bonus is that you get to check out all the beautiful places to visit in Malaysia, like Genting Highlands, Penang and Sabah.

#4 It's a team project filled with passion

Did you know that most of the actors in the film are first timers in acting? Even the lead actors have not had major roles in films before. But that's the beauty of the film because all of them came together to work as a team, under the guidance of the director and they made a film. I can imagine how great a leader the director must have been. His strategy is also incredibly smart because by getting the public to participate in the film, he indirectly led them to spread the word about the film and get their network of people to watch it.

In General...

I was very touched with the entire concept of love for parents, tolerance and friendship.

The film has such tight and solid themes that all came together so nicely. I salute the director, not only for his great cinematography, but also his detailed storyline. It is just incredible how he managed to include all these great themes together with our local cultures and if that is not enough, he also incorporated Chinese New Year elements in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebrations.

The movie also brings us through an emotional rollercoaster ride, whereby you have those high moments where you laugh your a** off and then the director pushes us down an emotional pit hole and make us cry like a baby with those heartfelt moments. For all of that effort, he deserves to hit the RM2.9 million (or is it more now) mark in the box office.

A special mention to the Australian actor who plays Ben in the movie. I think he did the best job in terms of acting and with him in almost 70% of the scenes helped the movie.

Favourite scenes

• When the girl drew her father and her fiance on 'the journey' on the window of her car and how the drawings rode along the Telco cables
• The ending when the twelve best friends gather for a group photo. It was too beautiful.
• When Ben told the father that he sold the bike, for the car.
• When the father laid two pieces of Salonplas on the bed and sleep on it to stick it on his back (TOO DARN HILARIOUS)
• The kid translator scene 
• The scene where the dad was accused of hiring a prostitute 

Improvements

The lead actress can be a lot better than this. It doesn't really make sense for a girl who has been in the States to come back to Malaysia with this level of English. Seriously, if she doesn't pick up an accent, she could at least get the pronunciations right. Oh well, she did a decent job though considering her first language isn't English. Plus, she is pretty, very pretty - so she does get away with this.

The chemistry between the hero (Ben) and heroine (Bea) is weak. I can't feel an ounce of emotion between them. If they are a couple, they have to do much better than that. If they are supposed to be an 'open' couple, they have to do much more. Not a single ounce of kiss (not F***) was given throughout the movie or did they? See, I didn't even notice. I don't think Western couples are so reserved like that. There should be at least ONE make-out scene. Then again, those might not have passed the Malaysian censorship board.

The fact that Ben found back his wallet after so many days is also UNREAL. Trust me, it was a miracle that happened for him. You guys got to know, if you left a wallet somewhere in a public area, in Malaysia, chances are, you can forget it and head straight to the Balai Polis (police station).

I believe some people cried throughout the entire movie. Trust me, I was close to doing that. I was tearing up almost 50% of the time. It is because of the connection - like I say, it is a movie that almost every Malaysian can relate to.

I have professional film maker friends who criticised the movie. I guess if you watch it professionally, you will find flaws. But I personally think it serves the purpose of a feel good movie. Artistically, the cinematography is not bad; in fact, I'd say it is good. The framing of the sceneries, the shots were actually stunning. There were moments in the movie where you will be like, "Wow, Malaysia is beautiful!

Maybe a bit too many cut shots but I don't think it does much damage to the film because the storyline is so strong that normal people won't even care.

Credits

The Director: Chiu Keng Guan

The Lead Actress, Bea: Joanna Yew

The Lead Actor, Benji: Ben Andrew Pfeiffer

The adorable father: Frankie Lee

Cinematographer: Eric Yeong 

Here is a glimpse of the movie - check out this trailer.

I must add that it is a very beautiful journey...

TC-My Ratings: