What does it mean to be the most talented? Malay drama Talentime starts out with the usual answers– the most talented would be the people who have the most skill, whether that be in singing, dancing, or performing a new and novel act. But, as writer-director Yasmin Ahmad simply depicts this fairly mundane school competition through casual observations of the contestants’ day-to-day lives, deciding who should win proves to have certain difficulties. The most obvious factor is the competition itself, or who they would have to compete against, but in comparing between scenes, Ahmad reveals life circumstances and audience bias that can get in the way, as a protagonist with different demographics is given feedback to adapt and to meet higher expectations. It seemed like a simple talent show, but Talentime paints a broad picture of Malaysia’s multicultural society, all through a seemingly simple slice-of-life romance that sweetens the message it makes.

Considering this was Yasmin Ahmad’s last film, the plot line with Hafiz and his mom hits harder.