Eco-Conscious Fairy Tale
The movie Duyung, directed by A. Razak Mohaideen was recently reviewed by Sharifah Afrah. It stars local talents Saiful Apek, Maya Karin, Awie, Yassin, Abu Bakar Omar, Raja Nor Baizura and Yasmin Hani.
“The environmental message — the importance of keeping the oceans clean — highlights the fact that the scriptwriters have a good vision of what they want to achieve. Putting this story side-by-side with some of the most picturesque underwater scenes (which is at Sipadan Island off the coast of Sabah) drives home the point: If you want to enjoy it for generations to come, please protect it by keeping it clean. No guarantee of a mermaid appearing though: That’s a real fairytale.”
Couldn’t agree more!
DUYUNG
Directed by A. Razak Mohaideen
Starring Saiful Apek, Maya Karin, Awie, Yassin, Abu Bakar Omar, Raja Nor Baizura and Yasmin Hani.
SET in an idyllic tropical coastal retreat somewhere in Sabah, a poor but loony eco-warrior named Jimmy (Saiful Apek) passes his time picking up rubbish from the waters. He tries hard to convince the parents of his childhood sweetheart Aspalela (Yasmin Hani) to allow him to marry her.
The first thing that strikes you about the film is Puteri, the duyung (Malay for “mermaid”). The role, tailor-made for Maya, sees her swimming deftly in the sea. Though the RM250,000 mermaid suit, which was custom-made in Thailand makes her look like a million dollars, her acting range in this movie is rather limited.
The best part of the film is the twist added to a well-known fairy tale (The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen). There is a chance encounter between Jimmy and Puteri, and she gives him a shell so that he can call her anytime by blowing on it. And when Puteri takes Jimmy to her “home” among the corals, she also takes him into a den of pirates’ treasure.
Puteri wants Jimmy to take the treasure but he declines. Evil characters abound too: chief among them is Kordi (Awie), who is jealous of Jimmy’s ability to steal Aspalela’s heart, and plots to make life hard for him and Puteri.
Jimmy may be a straightforward and naive character, but he is also hardworking. When Aspalela’s father tells Jimmy that he must own land before he can marry, Jimmy builds a ‘floating island’ made of plastic bottles and other rubbish he picked up around the village area.The environmental message — the importance of keeping the oceans clean — highlights the fact that the scriptwriters have a good vision of what they want to achieve. Putting this story side-by-side with some of the most picturesque underwater scenes (which is at Sipadan Island off the coast of Sabah) drives home the point: If you want to enjoy it for generations to come, please protect it by keeping it clean. No guarantee of a mermaid appearing though: That’s a real fairytale.
However, it is a travesty to see this made into just another “drama-cum-wholesome comedy” genre. As someone who favours the comedy genre, director A. Razak Mohaideen finds it hard to refrain from that usual brand of comedy that he’s known for. Granted, it works in his other comedies such as Mami Jarum.
But viewers will wisen up to the long-winded dialogues, pointless conversations, and banking on Saiful Apek to ham it up for funny lines. Using the same trick once too often will just backfire.
It’s so unnecessary to cast Yassin as the incessantly irritating companion to Jimmy, Orix. Is he an ape or human? The producers should have made an effort to train a real ape instead.
Source: The New Straits Times