1. First up, a quick PSA. We feel that it’s important to note that no actual bhais were harmed in the making of this movie. But in all seriousness, the imagery of Mat Kilau and his followers only fighting and killing Sikh soldiers is incredibly problematic given the piss poor state of our education system and the understanding we have of our past. There is a complex and nuanced history with regards to the Sikhs in Malaya and this movie’s two-dimensional and cartoonish take on it is both unfair and incredibly dangerous.
2. The most interesting experience we had at the cinema while watching this movie had nothing to do with the movie itself. We were sitting in the twin seats at the back row of Hall 5 at TGV 1 Utama when the lady next to us leaned over and asked Uma if he was there to watch Mat Kilau. He said “yes” and then proceeded to continue doomscrolling on his phone. A few seconds later, she leaned over again and said, rather apologetically: “Minta maaf ye, tapi you orang India kan? Why are you interested in watching this movie?” It was a fascinating exchange. And one that speaks volumes. The fact that this lady genuinely could not fathom that an Indian person would be at all interested in watching this movie speaks volumes about where we are as a society and as a nation.
3. Were British soldiers just killing Malay people for sport back in the 1890s? Is this why Mat Kilau was so pissed off?
4. #BangsaDanAgama #HidupMelayu
5. Do we learn anything about the inner lives of these freedom fighters? Do we know what their motivations are? Is there any character development at all in this movie? (The short answer is no.)
6. Why is the British Captain Syers speaking with a strangely Dutch sounding accent? (In fact, where did they find all of the low rent white actors in this movie? Changkat?)
7. Of course the only (only!) Chinese character in this rah-rah-Malay movie is a weaselly sniveling turncoat who will sell his services to the highest bidder. Which feels like exactly the kind of badly written cliche you’ll find in a movie like this.
8. #BangsaDanAgama #HidupMelayu
9. Hmph! Pregnant women are so unreasonably emotional. Why doesn’t Wahid’s wife understand that he is an important man who is doing important work in service of bangsa dan agama? Maybe she’ll get it once she’s brutalized and murdered by British soldiers and mercenaries. Yup. There you go. Now she understands.
10. Does Adi Putra ever blink?
11. How are Mat Kilau’s followers, who haven’t been trained in the use of guns and rifles, so proficient in the use of guns and rifles. I mean, there isn’t even a montage sequence where they learn how to use them.
12. #BangsaDanAgama #HidupMelayu
13. In a production that reportedly cost eight million ringgit, was no one asking why all the kampung folks had really clean clothes? It practically looks like a Hari Raya ad!
14. Does the movie insult our royal institutions? The last lines in this movie are incredibly subversive. After a climactic third act battle, Mat Kilau proclaims that it isn’t culture, or customs, or Sultans, that will save the Malay race, but rather their faith and adherence to the teachings of Islam. It’s a brave proclamation. More so given how treasonous it sounds.
15. What happened to Mat Kilau after that final battle? Why were there no title cards explaining why he allegedly faked his own death and disappeared for over 70 years? Now there’s a story that would make for a great movie.
16. #BangsaDanAgama #HidupMelayu
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