REVIEW: KOLUMPO - Malaysia

The Malaysian movie I am about to review has received much hype and buzz in the local entertainment industry. Therefore, I was intrigued to see what this movie had to offer. The title of the movie is called Kolumpo. The word 'Kolumpo' is a slang term meaning Kuala Lumpur, which is the capital city of Malaysia. Kolumpo is an anthology film, one of the first of its kind in Malaysia. An anthology film means a film which combines several short films into one feature length film. Directors like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese has had anthology films in their careers.

This anthology film consists of three stories. These three short films are directed by Bront Palarae, Sheikh Munasar, and Rozi Izma respectively. When reviewing this film, I will refer to each story as Story 1, Story 2, and Story 3. The film stars Azad Jazmin, Mano Maniam, Radhi Khalid, Soffi Jikan, and Sabri Yunus in Story 1. In Story 2, the stars are Nell Ng, Ruminah Sidek, and Emely Poon. Finally in Story 3, the stars are Sharifah Amani and Amirul Ariff. The film is produced and distributed by Otto Films. Here is the trailer for Kolumpo:-

 

 

Will this one-of-a-kind film be worth the watch? Do read on...

 

 

SYNOPSIS:

In Story 1, a young immigrant from India comes to Kuala Lumpur for work but only to find out that he has been tricked into making his dreams of making money a false hope. He slowly discovers that his way of life is not what he hoped it would be.

In Story 2, a Chinese lady befriends a Malay old woman after she accepts a hitchhiking offer at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, As the Chinese lady drives the Malay woman to her destination, they form an unexpected friendship.

In Story 3, a young Malay girl spontaneously befriends a young Malay boy, who has never had a girlfriend. Together, they discover the of value of friendship and possibly love, as they walk the streets of Kuala Lumpur.

 

SCRIPT:

Each story has its own strength in the storyline. As you can tell that each story focuses on the three primary races in Malaysia; Malay, Chinese, and Indian. There is a theme going on which is obvious; all stories takes place in Kuala Lumpur. I liked the fact that this film tries to show the many layers of life among the races in Malaysia. The stories may be common but there were interesting enough for me to be engaged in it. The stories do not provide any sort of isolation but more tries to unite what is common between us. I like how each short story has a little twist to it, eventhough they were predictable.

 

Story 1: Azad Jazmin in blue and white sarong. Flanked by Radhi Khalid (left) and Mano Maniam (right)

ACTING:

Kudos to the filmmakers for mixing up the casting by hiring established and newcomers in this anthology film. Their performances were not memorable but just enough to serve the purpose of the story. I particularly liked how the veteran actors surrounded the newcomers.

 

FILMING:

Simple and effective for a film that is so obviously shot on a low budget. Creative use of angles which makes it interesting.

 

Story 2: Ruminah Sidek and Nell Ng

PACING:

A little slow but takes awhile to get used to. Story 1 had nice pacing. Story 2 was a little slow but made it up with some comedy. Story 3 was slightly draggy but sweet ending.

 

TONE (MOOD):

An adventure on the many racial facades of life in Kuala Lumpur.

 

Story 3: Amirul Ariff and Sharifah Amani

DOWNSIDE:

It is a drama anthology film. Can be draggy for some.

 

UPSIDE:

Good performances and nice stories.

 

Behind the scenes. Director of Story 1 Bront Palarae cameos in Story 2 with Nell Ng

OVERALL:

A heart-warming anthology film which could have been more better. Sweet feeling all-around.

 

RATING:

7.5 out of 10