A story about first love...

As a final event before the Malaysian Society Committee members of 2004/2005 retire (yippeee!!), we decided to show the movie 'Sepet'. Everyone's been talking about it. It won a couple of awards. So we wanted to see what the fuss is all about. (Actually, I've seen it beforehand with Vasan, and we thought it would be a good idea to do a screening).

How was it? Well, it's always fun to watch a movie with friends. There were not too many of us, just a cozy number in the small lecture theatre. Although it was my third viewing, I still enjoyed it very much.

There were several issues brought up by Yasmin Ahmad in the story; mostly about racial differences and how love crosses that boundary. After the show, someone commented that there were quite a few controversial things mentioned in the movie. That's true, but it was handled very tactfully that it did not come across as offensive (well, at least I think so). She was just presenting to the audience the facts, nothing more.

The dialogue was witty, it didn't sound unnatural at all. You can actually imagine people in real life saying those lines. There were a couple of scenes, though which I thought was quite daring (I wonder, HOW did they get the 'ok' from the censorship board?). The scenes involving Orked's parents. When the first scene happened, the thing that went through my mind was "Uih....gilalah! Camner boleh lepas babak nih? Isyk..habis hilang ilmu!!"

Hehe. Was traumatized for exactly 30.002 seconds.

I did think though, that Orked's dad was the only sane person in the whole movie. His objections to the boy was reasonable enough. I'm sure no father would want his daughter to be involved with a guy who has made a girl pregnant. Tapi mak dia selamba jek. No doubt la Jason (or Ah Loong) was a really nice guy, but surely any mother wouldn't (or rather, shouldn't) be THAT supportive? If my mom did that, I would think that she's taken leave of her senses. Or her mental faculties have gone a little bit awry.

But, despite saying that, it was a really nice movie. And I can say with a clear conscience that it deserved the awards it received.

Found this on Yasmin Ahmad's (the director) blog (which you can access here) :

"I also wanted “Sepet” to be about first love. First love has always fascinated me because it happens to you at a time when you have not yet learned to lie to yourself. With first love, within five minutes, you accept the other person for everything that they are, warts and all. I believe that our first love is the truest love of all."

At the end of it, she quoted from a poet, Wislawa Szymborska :

“Let the people who never find true love believe that there is no such thing. Their faith will make it easier for them to live and die.”

First love is always wonderful. Things may happen in life, and people may move on and find new love in their lives, but the first will always be unforgettable. You will never forget that one person who unlocked your heart and showed you that the world is indeed a beautiful place, even at its cruelest. That person who makes you realize that life is worth living when you live for someone, with the knowledge that that someone lives for you.

Oooookay, dah mula merepek dah. I'm leaving now. Before that, let's have a bit of poetry, shall we? I can say this for a fact, that EVERYONE - well, almost - who has a blog and had written about Sepet would've included Rabindranath Tagore's poem in their entries (Since he was quoted several times in the movie). In the spirit of rebellion, I beg to differ. This entry is also about first love. Well, this sonnet reminds me of mine.

Is it thy will thy image should keep open

My heavy eyelids to the weary night?

Dost thou desire my slumbers should be broken,

While shadows, like to thee, do mock mysight?

Is it thy spirit that thou send'st from thee

So far from home, into my deeds to pry,

To find out shames and idle hours in me,

The scope and tenour of thy jealousy?

O, no! thy love, though much, is not so great:

It is my love that keeps mine eye awake;

Mine own true love that doth my rest defeat,

To play the watchman ever for thy sake:

For thee watch I whilst thou dost wake else- where,

From me far off, with others all too near

~William Shakespeare : Sonnet 61~