you would expect that a blog with matasepet in its name would give some sort of response to Yasmin Ahmad's cross-cultural love story, Sepet. well, u're right. though it has no relations to my life, firstly being that i am a malay who has never had an inter-racial relationship in my life...i guess most Malaysians can identify with the film. i won't try to be a Siskel & Ebert wannabe here with some sort of smart review. i think movies are best reviewed by anyone who loves movies. period. and being a movie-lover, this is how i see Sepet as an audience in Row K on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

i never would have imagined that one day i would hear the word 'sepet' on TV and radio. i don't know if it's registered in the Kamus Dewan or something, but ever since i could remember, i've been stuck with this word. even my mum has this manja name for me when i was little that had something to do with sepet. so when i heard that a movie called 'Sepet' was coming out, i knew i had to go and see it. it's like associating myself with something that has nothing to do with me. talk about wishful thinking...

for the record, Sepet becomes the second local movie that i went to see at the cinema. 2 times in a couple of months. hmmm...not bad, i suppose. and yet, i haven't been dissapointed. the thing that i really loved about Sepet is the smart dialogue. the script for me, was excellent. and the main cast delivered it with style. for me, a good indication of a great script is having a conversation played out on screen for a couple of minutes without the camera changing angles. it just focuses on the dialogue being said without relying much on visuals, i thought the best part was the scene when Orked and Jason went on their first date at a fast food joint. kinda reminded me of Quentin Tarantino movies that have the characters talking plain crap. but that's how it is in the real world, when we talk...we talk crap most of the time. and it's cool, too. some notable quotes (from the top of my head):

"I remember growing up watching P. Ramlee movies."

"Oh yeah..they're the best."

"What happened to Malay movies ahh?" ouch

"What is it with you and orang-orang mata sepet?"

"Mata sepet lah best." damn right u are, girl

(playing Scrabble)

"M-I-L-F? That's not a word!"

"It's err...mother likes....(mumbling)" is this MILF what i think it is?? the one that Gasingers love to download...hehe...

"Kau tu Mat Salleh celup! English paper pun fail!" we got plenty of 'em here alrightt...

i was really impressed with both leads Choo Seong and Sharifah Amani. both were 'selamba' and did their part with sheer coolness, despite being newcomers to the big screen. it was a delight to watch the two of them and her cuteness certainly didn't do harm to the cause.

supported by the likes of Ida Nerina and Harith Iskandar, you had a blend of the old and new. but some of the other supporting cast didn't do justice to the great script by delivering some rather less-convincing performances. i thought some of them were really like the drama swasta you see on RTM, which was rather sad for a film like this. other than that, i had no real complaints about Sepet.

set against the classic, retro background of Ipoh town, i thought it was an excellent choice. it gives you some sort of a funny feeling seeing the places u're so familiar with on the movie screen. i mean...we're so used to seeing the autumn leaves of Central Park and the Eiffel Tower in the background. it's great once in a while to see places u can relate to. it's like saying, "Hey, I know this place" without sounding much like a snobby-ass yuppie. the Ipoh landmarks were clearly visible for those who were lucky enough to stay there. the makan stalls at TKK, the newly-developed Greentown area, the old shophouses near the pasar / Super Kinta area and of course, the old government quarters near the Polo ground. ipoh is such a romantic town. the classic feel to it is just perfect for a movie like this.

Sepet is in-your-face kinda movie. it doesn't try to hide the reality that most Malaysians don't wanna talk about. fact is, we're afraid of each other. we don't trust those who differ from us. and to see a special relationship come out of it is such a joy to watch. it doesn't have to be race, it's just fighting against public streotypes. and it brings us to the age-old saying that 'Love is blind'. is love blind? i dunno...but it doesn't take a pair of sepet eyes to see it.