This movie review will be a bit different. It’ll be more of what I learnt from the movie (or at least, what I thought I learn). I’ll be discussing the stereotypes portrayed in it (this is originally my Malaysian Studies class assignment).
So, basically Sepet (means: Slit eye referring to a typical Chinese’s eyes) is a Malay movie set in a town(Ipoh) in Perak, Malaysia. It was written and directed by the late Yasmin Ahmad. Yasmin Ahmad (as most Malaysian would have known) is a director who has a style that is very distinct (than other Malaysian directors) and characteristic of her (not that I know her or anything, but it’s like – when you watch her movies/ads/etc you’ll know it’s hers). In one word, Yasmin Ahmad is different. Her works get very controversial most of the time (some banned), before grabbing awards for her. You can know more about her by just google-ing her name (i guess) and checking out her blogs
The movie is basically about the love story between a Malay girl, Orked (played by Sharifah Amani) and a Chinese boy, Jason (Ng Choo Seong). You might be thinking, ‘so? what so different about that – it’s just a love story anyway’ (if you’re not from Malaysia obviously). Well, firstly, it’s not JUST a love story. Despite the fact that inter-religion marriage is not something new in Malaysia, it’s still not something everyone gets hold of yet. It’s definitely not something common on TV. Plus, the way the story itself was told is a catch. Like, what small details she (Yasmin) focused on, how each scene was unfolded and the content of each conversations. There’s a lot in this story. I like her idea. I like that she’s different, I like that this story is different. But I don’t really like “different”. My idea of movie is basically something else. I watch movies to get out of “reality” and go into a place where things that don’t always happen in real life, happens. Well, that’s as far as the ending is concerned. The plot however, is something else. So, watch it!
Now, I present you my writing on the typical stereotypes in Malaysia (and how it was addressed in the movie and what I think about it).
Stereotype 1
The first and obvious one would be when Orked said “Malays are lazy, Chinese are greedy and Indians are drunk”. Well, she being typical Malaysian would definitely have this thought ingrained in her. I understand that every other Malaysians, if not all accept this as a fact (to some extend) but I personally find this offensive though. Perhaps it is true. Perhaps I am the one who still don’t want to/can’t accept this. Perhaps finding it offensive means that I am not as open minded as I thought I was. However, I still think I shouldn’t accept it because I would then take it as an excuse to reason the moments I feel so lazy to finish my assignments or do my laundry. I mean, that’s what most people do – behave horribly and blame it on your genes or disease or in this case, your race.
I believe that allowing people to categorize you into a certain group is unfair. Each individual is different. Yes, we are shaped by our environment, and genetics of course. But, we are all living in a borderless world, blaming genetics or environment for our bad behavior is not just ridiculous but also stupid. Nonetheless, as humans we are prone to being influenced. Malays lived in the rural area so they are stupid. Malays don’t set very high aims because they believe they’ll die and that the world is not the end of their journey. Malays are weak so the government have to help them. This IS wrong. Even the Malays (some) take this as bullshit. The British made a smart (and safe) move when they segregated the different races during the historical times so we won’t stand together during hard times or work with each other to tumble them down. The catastrophic aftermath of their doing remains till now. Chinese think the Malays are idiots and should not be given all the benefits they are receiving now and Malays think the Chinese are going to take over the country and make the Malays foreigners in their own country. Pfft.
Unless, we truly understand the meaning of sacrifice and love towards the country, no real development will take place in Malaysia and this stereotype will definitely stay for another century (I’m not using forever here cuz maybe/hopefully -since we’re stupid- the generations after will be smart enough to understand that they need to start working together).
Stereotype 2
Secondly, is when Orked’s mother was not portrayed as a typical Malay woman, when she simply sleeps on the couch in a weird manner and when she hangs around the house wearing just a sarong across her breast. This kind of scenes are not usually showed on TV at least, as Malay women are (almost always) shown as polite and very respectful group of people. However, I do not think it’s something people do not do behind the doors of their private lives. It’s not about wearing sarong in your own house and dancing around with your husband that bothers me. The awkward sleeping style may not be something a typical traditional Malay would do but wearing sarong like that is totally normal. It is the part where Ida Nerina (who played Orked’s Mother) and Syarifah Amani (as Orked) as Muslim actresses, dressing as such to appear in a movie is what I think unacceptable.
Stereotype 3
There is also the part where Orked never pictured a guy to be able to favor a romantic movie, write poems or play piano. The idea that a guy liking something so girlish appeared strange. Perhaps, on a deeper note, Yasmid Ahmad tried to show how men and women can have overlapping personalities. Perhaps she was trying to bring us into the grey area, show us that nothing is purely black or white.
Stereotype 4
The final one is about how bad (usually) employers treat their maid. This was broken to pieces when we saw how well Orked’s mother treats their maid, more like a sibling or a best friend. Where she can actually sit with them and watch TV. This was different for me. My aunt has a maid and I believe she is being treated fairly well but definitely not up to this level. It’s an eye opener, showing people that it is okay to treat a maid as equal as anybody else in the household. We (Malaysians especially since there are so many issues surrounding maids from our beloved neighbouring country) have been living in a stereotyped world where you think if you treat the maids overly nice, they’ll take advantage of it and overpower you. Maybe kidnap your kid, seduce your husband or steal your money. So afraid, we keep our distances and by doing so, we lose the possibility of bringing out the best of that person.
So, have you watched Sepet? What you think of what I think? Pen down your thoughts and I’ll try my best to respond! You can disagree (please do!) but bear in mind, I do not tolerate harsh words, vulgarities or anything alike.