Thanks to AllMalaysia.info's All Malaysian Bloggers Project and @allmalaysia for the passes to Muallaf's Gala Premiere at Cathay Cineplex Damansara on 16 December 2009 (Wednesday), 9:30pm.Some of us tried our best to get ourselves into group photos with the stars - Sharifah Amani, Sharifah Aleysha, Brian Yap - who made a brief appearance in the movie hall before they left.
Muallaf is here not to fulfill your need of cinematic entertainment. Directed by the late Yasmin Ahmad (Sepet, Gubra, Mukhsin), Muallaf is a deep, thought-provoking movie that explores a few controversial themes: race, religion, family issues, plus the outcome when these three themes intertwine with one another.
Race: Brian Goh (Brian Yap), a young school teacher with Catholic background is attracted to Rohani (Sharifah Amani) and wants to pursue a deeper relationship with her. One is a Catholic, one is a Muslim.
Religion: Rohani and her younger sister Rohana (Sharifah Aleysha) are Muslims. Yet, they've acquired the habit to quote from holy books with ancient scriptures as cross references.
Family Issues: Rohani and Rohana "ran to safety" to stay away from their abusive father (Dato' Rahim Razali). Another thing, Brian is very rude towards his mother due to his bitter childhood.
When all these themes intertwine, we watch how Brian is irresistibly attracted to Rohani and Rohana because he's impressed by their extraordinary courage in the face of adversity. They share one thing in common - trying to survive emotionally after being traumatized by family members. This special friendship gives Brian the courage to confront the ghosts of his own childhood and finally, forgiveness and coming to terms with the past.
This is a remarkable story, purely not for entertainment.
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