I just finished reading Amir Muhammad's Yasmin Ahmad's Films, and i have to say, it envoked a lot of things in me. just within that one read of the book, i have travelled back and forth to the past, present and future.
one, is because it is pre-requisite, to be able to mentally travel to these separate sections as you need to recall Yasmin's films that you've watched, as you are reading. second, as it involved so many emotions that are relatable to the many life experiences we (the readers)'ve been through, that you jumped from one memory of your life to another constantly. third, i cant help visiting the things that could be ahead of time as i think about the things that Yasmin might have come up with..and how she could actually change our nation, and eventually, the world.
critics have been criticizing (coz thats just what they do) Yasmin's work for as long as i can remember. but thats the thing; they often mark her down for, the technicalities of her products. they see her films as her work, not her art. there's a huge difference there that you could put mexico in between.
she often quotes andrew wyeth (a great painter), and the essence of the quotes are normally consisting of how your emotions and feelings as an artist are portrayed in your art; that art cannot be forced. therefore art is pure, honest, true and simple. unless the beholder of the criticisms want them to be otherwise.
what amir has done is his book, is basically just straightening out all the misconceptions and judgements of people who've made negative remarks, and have constrained ideas of her films. he did an amazing job of laying out all the facts (i.e. the symbolisms in Yasmin's films), and at the same time express his personal views of the films and adverts. he also inserted trivias in the book about the things related to the films or Yasmin herself (i.e. the green tea donut. it was her
favourite j.co flavour, and thus was made the cover of the book).
me personally, when i watch her films, i get more than what i see. there are so many subtexts, and yet she managed to put it all in as simply and as unflustered as possible. her films gave room for debates and discussions, because she normally would deliberately leave some space for the viewers' interpretations and ideas of "how it could be". she lets the audience craft with her, to make it relevant to them too.
i like all her films, except for Mukhsin. it's just too stretched and i have a lot of wtf? moments when i watched it. i might have to watch it again and see how i react then.
of all her works, my most favourite is her film, brilliantly called Talentime. i love it even more, after i read Amir Muhammad's commentary on this film in his book. the fact that it's her last film, also undeniably adds to the appeal. i love everything about this film, that i wished i had written it myself. haha. oh by the way, i love everything about the film, except for the plastic family ties of Melur's family, and Melur herself. Pamela Chong? are you kidding me? she hasnt gone through much in her life and that shows in her acting. whereas her character is supposed to be well-developed. how can you be so calm when you almost lost your loved one! dammit. so it's the fault of wrong casting of Melur and maybe her siblings too. if the film should be criticized, its because of them. hahaha! (yes im blunt with criticising).
anyways, amir muhammad is a fantastic writer and very informative too. his language is simple, yet has a depth that you would not understand if you were so ignorant. in some ways, he reminds me of Yasmin. yes of course because he is writing about her, but also maybe his style of writing, which i think if translated, would be how yasmin did her films. simple, deep, meaningful and most importantly appear as if they (yasmin and amir) are talking to us through their arts.
