I have said for years now that Malaysia was sitting on the verge of a major breakthrough. A nation with a population size easily able to support a local film industry Malaysia has had a bustling one for decades, the issue being that in recent years most producers have opted for speed and cost when producing their local market films. And the end result have been titles that too often, regardless of the talent behind them, have been produced so cheaply with such shoddy scripts that while they may play locally they have no international appeal. More recently a thriving indie scene has emerged on the other end of the spectrum, a generation of arthouse filmmakers producing films that while still low budget have catered to arthouse tastes and found huge success on the international festival circuit. What Malaysia has not generally had is a filmmaker who can bridge those two impulses - the urge to play to commercial tastes and the desire to produce internationally recognized art.
I suggest to you that Dain Said may be that filmmaker and Bunohan that film.
Said has been in these pages before thanks to his 2007 effort, Dukun. Based on a real life story involving black magic Dukun released some powerful teasers before protests from the real life families involved scuttled its planned wide release. He's back now with Bunohan, which goes by the English title of Return To Murder.
I suggest to you that Dain Said may be that filmmaker and Bunohan that film.
Said has been in these pages before thanks to his 2007 effort, Dukun. Based on a real life story involving black magic Dukun released some powerful teasers before protests from the real life families involved scuttled its planned wide release. He's back now with Bunohan, which goes by the English title of Return To Murder.
The first trailer for Bunohan has just released and it's a potent bit of work, one that calls to mind the early work of Pen-Ek Ratanaruang in titles like Sixty Nine and Fun Bar Karaoke, though Pen-Ek never had this much of an edge to him. Production values are fantastic, the tone neatly balancing character and action. And that action, though stylish, maintains a darkly realistic edge to it. Faizal Hussein, Zahiril Adzim, and Pekin Ibrahim star. Very tasty, this one, check it out below.Dain Said's BUNOHAN is set in the secluded mangroves of Malaysia. Three brothers return to their home, each with their own path and each with their own fate. Kickboxer Adil, the youngest, is on the run from an illegal fight, while Ilham, a hired assassin and the oldest brother, hunts for his next prey. It is the middle brother, Bakar, an opportunist, that sets them all on a collision course of deceit, regret and murder. As quickly as their lives reunite, their ties are forever ripped apart.