Our take
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.
The story
A talent search competition has matched two hearts - that of Melur, a Malay-mixed girl and an Indian male student, Mahesh. Melur, with her melodious voice, singing whilst playing the piano is one of the seven finalists of the Talentime competition of her school organised by Cikgu Adibah. Likewise Hafiz, enthralling with his vocalist talent while playing the guitar, divides his time between school and mother, who is hospitalised for brain tumor.
When their music teacher hosts a schoolwide talent show, mixed-Malay pianist Melur meets hearing-impaired Indian boy Mahesh when he delivers her acceptance letter for her successful audition.
Considering this was Yasmin Ahmad’s last film, the plot line with Hafiz and his mom hits harder.
Yeah, they’re soaring… Flying… There’s not a star in heaven that they can’t reach…
The details
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
