I seldom have the opportunity or the so called luxury of watching a movie at the cinema. It is often either Astro, VCD or DVD. If you don’t believe me, ask my wife. She’ll vouch for it 100%.
But, a few months ago, and if I could still remember exactly, it was on a Saturday, March 10, 2007 - I was inclined to run away from home with my wife, leaving my 3 year old boy with the Maid, and took a sneak peek of the latest Yasmin Ahmad flick, Mukhsin at the GSC Hall, One Utama.
We were late. So late that the movie was supposed to start at 8.45 pm and we were still at the lines queuing for tickets at almost 9.00 pm. We thought that it would be over and my 2nd option was The Bridge to Terabithia. Luckily enough for me, and I knew for sure that the movie will not start until 15 minutes later, we got two tickets for ourselves and ran all the way to Cinema Hall 9. We got one of the best middle seats in the Hall and the movie was just about to begin, as Adibah Noor was singing the Keronchong together with the Kampung fellas at the Serambi.
Mukhsin, after all the hype in the news and on TV, was a must-see movie for me, as I am an unofficial movie, retro music and soccer fanatic (not that many would know about it). And to tell you the truth, as I’ve seen many movies up till now, Mukhsin is definitely one of the Top 10 Malay movies of recent times.
The storyline was so simple and sweet that when I left the hall, I was left with a little smile on my face.
When I first saw Yasmin's debut effort, Rabun, I felt it was a bit too self-eccentric. A good movie but a bit personal. Sepet was the one that really raised the bar for me. She came up with a story telling method that was non-conventional yet it had an appeal to mainstream moviegoers. It did not do too well in the Box Office but it alerted so many people about the emergence of this great storyteller in the midst of the resurgence of Malay Movies. Gubra came next but it felt a little too much compared to Sepet. Two different and intricate little stories to be told within a movie can sometimes be a tad too much. Yet her trademark wit and cynicism were there in abundance.
What took me for a ride in Mukhsin was the fact that her dialogues were very straightforward and applicable to our current ears. Not too melodramatic like most Malay movies, not too "sempoi" either but just nice. Her character build-ups were also impressive as it builds upon you and leaves you with a strong sense of empathy towards the characters, especially the two main leads Mukhsin and Orked. And the two kids were so good in their roles that we were taken in by surprise when it was announced that it was their feature debut.
Just like in her previous movies, Yasmin crafted wonderful supporting characters, and above all the character actors that came in and out of Mukhsin, Adibah Noor and Rozie Rashid shone the brightest. Rozie was so impressive in Gubra that when she downplayed her role here in Mukhsin, we can immediately relate to her. That's how good she is - a truly remarkable and underrated actress.
Sharifah Aleya may not be able to emote or express her feelings like Ida Nerina but she did quite okay. And the guy who played the "Abah" was funny most of the times. A Harith clone but not quite Harith.
Above all, I just love the simplicity, the magic and the chemistry that Mukhsin exudes in abundance. The feel is totally "arty-farty", worthy of it's accolades overseas. And when the Keronchong Tune was re-rendered at the end of the movie, efforlessly sung by Yasmin's parents and later on joined by the whole crew, it was a fitting end to a complete trilogy.
Yasmin is indeed a true wonder in Malay Cinema...
