An Analytical Essay on Rahim Razali's Film "Abang": A New Wave in Malaysian Cinema "Abang" was a landmark in Malaysian cinema by Rahim Razali. Part of the Malaysian New Wave, this movie challenged every common convention and air-fed life into the industry. In what follows, one will get to see the film's uniqueness, its effects on Malay society, and the critically directed view on the director himself.
Theatrical Influences and Film Techniques
The directorial debut of Rahim Razali introduced theatrical devices that were not found in other Malay films from its time. First, the film featured exaggerated acting, as can be found in stage performances. For example, the character's voices were eloquent and poetic, just like it is in stage monologues. Secondly, the movement of characters was grand and slow, just like it is in the theater performance. In the same breath, the visual language of the film also borrowed from theater. Razali used long take shots and static frames in such a way that he held the shots long on purpose. The long hold of shots made this viewing style command the concentration of the audience who were, in most cases, engrossed in what the actors on-screen were saying. As such, just like how audiences of a theater immerse themselves with the characters on-stage, the presentation in "Abang" actually led one to get immersed in the talk itself.
Social Critique and Cultural Shifts
"Abang" gently criticized modern Malay society, especially its unthinking acceptance of things Western. It painted a world in which liquor consumption had become the norm among the well-to-do, totally neglecting its status under Islamic law as either being "halal" or "haram". As one character was about to die, his or her actions became more and more eccentric – what to others would be thought of as eccentric – until the people in his or her life became inured to them. To an astute observer, such as Razali's camera, it was as if the landscape, with its vivid greenery and vast skies, accepted the natural order of things – including death.
Rahim Razali: A Critical Thinker
While the philosophy and themes in this film would take too much space for this essay, it is noteworthy to consider the critical use of thought by Rahim Razali. His films constantly attempt to incite the Malay audience and make them question what has been established as a customary practice in culture. As an ex-theatre student, I found Razali's use of theatricality to be quite interesting. Even though "Abang" is an older Malay film that can easily have most critics brush it off as melodramatic, I still find that this film and director really wanted to bring up important issues and push direction boundaries.
"Abang": The Vanguard of Malaysian New Wave Cinema
"Adakah dia jembalang atau hantu atau syaitan atau…" ("Is he a demon, ghost, or devil?") should be the tagline for this enigmatic film. "Abang" is just the beginning of the Malaysian New Wave—a new revolution anticipated by moviemakers, critics, and audiences hungry for change and revolution.
The movie deals with the metamorphosis that had taken place among Malaysians in this period of economic prosperity brought on by the New Economic Policy. With wealth and success now within reach, the traditional cultural values were eroded by the ideals of the West. "Abang" does a depiction of the changing parameters of cultural norms and the transforming attitudes of the Malaysians.
Legacy and Enduring Relevance of "Abang" Razali's avant-garde work and his critical gaze redesigned the physiognomy of the Malay film terrain, yet it also charted the path for others to follow. As previously noted, Razali, through his interest in bringing the elements of theater into contact with those of cinema, created a fresh style of narration that leaned towards sinew more than sheer spectacle. Such a process opened the way for other filmmakers to tap into the same process of engaging issues and new ways of narrating their stories. "Abang," further importantly, stays a reference point in the midst of discourses on cultural identity and social change in Malaysia. It retains relevance for as filmmakers and contemporary audiences re-look at and re-evaluate that dogged tension between tradition and modernity, of which the film has been capable, its potential to trigger thought and dialogue can hardly be considered irrelevant in Malaysian cinema. And in short, Rahim Razali's "Abang" film was the groundbreaking debut that has made Malay cinema shake its game. Its combination of theater approaches with cinematic techniques and social critique together with its motive made it more than memorable. But first wave of Malaysian New Wave of Cinema, "Abang" is still one such film that is a proof of how much provocative storytelling could question and be an inspiration, respectively challenging the norms set by the industry itself. Footnote: This article draws inspiration from an essay written by Dr. Rozinorazali for university journals in 2010.
Comments