PEKAK (2016)

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 1:36
Cast: Zahiril Adzim, Sharifah Amani, Amerul Affendi, Iedil Putra, Sharifah Sakinah, Joe Flizzow
Director: Mohd Khairul Azri
Screenplay: Mohd Khairul Azri, based on an original story by Azril Hamzah and Alfie Palermo

The arresting starting frame of PEKAK, the directorial debut of Khairul Azri, virtually stopped me in my tracks. Every shot thereafter is beautifully shot and the set up is just downright compelling. I was thinking to myself, "Wow, this is actually a very good movie!" But a strange thing happened somewhere at the halfway mark; it took an obvious nosedive into a telemovie territory.

I'm not sure what happened after such a promising first half. It's as though the filmmakers ran out of budget because it felt like two movies directed by two different directors written by two different screenwriters. That said, let's talk about the better half first.

The movie starts off by introducing us to Uda, our protagonist (played convincingly by Adzim), a deaf drug pusher who is forced to sell drugs to save enough cash for a surgery to restore his hearing. In the process of his daily job, he crosses path with Amani's character, Dara, a school girl who comes from a broken family. Predictably, a romantic relationship forms and what ensues is a Shakespearean tragedy-like tale.

Everything about the movie (well, at least the first half) is beautiful and it is has a somewhat poetic rhythm to it. The score is hypnotic. It is peppered with symbolism eg. Uda temporarily mends Dara's torn dress using a name tag with her name on it. And the build up is good where there is a genuine sense of dread and danger for our star-crossed lovers.

The casting choices are fitting as the audience could immediately relate to the characters. Very believable acting from the cast especially our supporting actors;  Affendi and Sakina. There are some risque scenes shown which are pretty bold for a local production.

Clearly, the folks behind Pekak understands filmmaking. So that's why it is really puzzling for me what happened to the second half of the film, where even the climatic resolution curiously turned into a Game of Thrones like sequence.  

In conclusion, this indie film is no Jagat but it comes pretty close.

Rating: 7/10