I was fortunate enough to be invited to a private screening of the film Estet by Mamat Khalid a month ago. Here is my review of the movie.
If you're a fan of Mamat Khalid's sense of humor, I urge you to get your ass to a nearby cineplex and watch Estet.
As a budding (and learning) filmmaker, I hate hate hate describing a movie in detail because you know, what's the point of watching the actual movie when you know what's going to happen? What's the point? To show off as a film critic? Bah!
Personally, this is my least favourite Mamat Khalid film. It is as if everyone is trying too hard to incorporate many elements (1Malaysia being one of them) in what was supposed to be a feel good romantic film. While we're talking about romance, Estet teases its audience with the malay hero and indian heroine's budding love for one another BUT there is no fucking romantic relief! I wasn't too surprised because all Mamat Khalid films have sucky, dry and unsatisfactory endings.
The sequent and flow of the film is so badly constructed that I can't make sense of the interconnecting elements of the film. In layman terms, susunan babak yang mengelirukan dan tak membina.
Fortunately, Estet is a compilation of Ujang-type jokes. There are plenty of funny scenes to make a cynic like me a happy chap. The funniest would be the suicide attempt. Oh so so funny!
I read somewhere in the newspaper that Mamat Khalid is frustrated because he didn't win Best Film for Estet in Festival Filem Malaysia. It was said the some of the judges were biased and the column writer even compared his situation with the late Yasmin Ahmad's loss in FFM.
But actually ah macha, FFM aside, Estet is not an award-worthy film, not unlike the actual winner of FFM. There are plenty of good films by Malaysians but they never get to be nominated in FFM. (Instead they are recognized in Berlin, Japan, Venice and Cannes. Yes, we Malaysians are stuck with mediocre films made by mediocre filmmakers with self delusions of thinking they are all film mavericks and geniuses.)
All in all, Estet is worth watching for its jokes and not for its story, cinematography, music or anything else for that matter. If you're a fan, please fan the fire of this film so Mamat Khalid can make more unintentional anti-climax films. If you're not a fan, you can just wait for its TV premiere on the second day of raya(?) next year.
8 comments:
nice review..thanx!!
latest entry:
http://danieldeadie.blogspot.com/2010/11/3-p-pengalaman-baru-panas-penat.html
errr...sejujurnya saya setuju :)
Like the last statement.."If you're not a fan, you can just wait for its TV premiere on the second day of raya(?) next year" :D
i like his film, ROCK is the best.
but compared to your short film...well....i better watch ROCK 700 times
hihi ;)
Ah kau rockstar. mamat tu dah otai, mamat ni baru je start. kau expect dia terus terer ke? Orang macam kau ni lah yang menjatuhkan industri filem tanahair, orang bagi teguran baik disangka mengutuk.
Aiseh, BETUL KATA ZAFFA! Hahahaha!
Yes I will get better in due time, you don't expect someone who has just made videos for 2 years to be a better filmmaker than Mamat Khalid. I'm learning but that doesn't make me oblivious to bad films.
Zulkifly Ahmad aka Yasmin Ahmad choose to make Chinese his bread and butter.
Mamat Khalid choose Indians!
Mamat didnt understand that what attracts malays to hindi films are not indians.
They are attracted to the beautiful hindi films stars filled with love and sex stories that are allowed since they are kafir.
Indians to attract malay audience..well 320k is all he can managed with a budget of 2 millions.
Some people make wrong conclusion about humans actions and paid for it.
Some make the wrong conclusions and get rich and thinks he is right out of delusions...hehe.
You may be right but when I went to the private screening, he hinted that his target audience were 1Malaysians, so I take it that he wants to attract indian viewers.
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