I love Malaysia. I love how incredibly dynamic we are as a soceity. My hope is that our film industry and our film culture lives up to our collective dynamic spirit.
That being said, I’d heard of Mentega Terbang for years online because it was being screened in various private venues; gaining a viewership outside of major theaters. The film trailer itself, gave me this exact vibe: a stage-to-film melodrama inside an old PJ home built in the 80s. I never fully pursued to catch a physical screening nor was I piqued when it was picked up by streaming service, Viu.
I didn’t have an apetite for this film.
Then, the unimaginable happened — the right wing saw it, got upset and started foaming in the mouth. Mentega Terbang was now national discourse.
This unfortunately re-framed the film for me as I was now curious as to why it had outraged the Malay community. Therefore, here’s a long list of elements in the film that probably pissed off the conservative Malay community:
• Islamic prayer fill the opening credits and then pans to religious Islamic material. The camera slowly shifts to the left, and we see a young girl (Aisyah) reading the Holy Bible in bed.
• Aisyah quotes the Bible after Muslim prayer with her parents over dinner.
• Aisyah informs her parents that the Holy Bible was given to her by a friendly non-Muslim person.
• Mother announces that Father previously had his first coitus at age 15. Aisyah is now age 15.
• The parents do not seem to be bothered that their daughter has invited a male friend. Father teases Aisyah to hide the guy from the neighbors gaze when inviting said guy over.
• Dog. Three scenes.
• Parents secretly teade the neighbor who seems concerned that they have allowed their daughter out alone.
• Both father and mother are suddenly in sleeveless attire, despite seeming religious.
• Girl asks friend if he can get her a copy of the Vedas to read.
• Mother proudly flaunts to daughter that many guys including her Father had chased after her when she wore a short Western dress. She proceeds to gift that dress to her daughter, Aisyah.
• Indian boy and Malay girl running hand-in-hand
• Aisyah expresses her desire to visit a Church
• Probably the first Malaysian movie to feature a Malay man’s ass
• Father has a back tattoo
• Aisyah eagerly wants to eat Char Siew (Pork), that she comes up with an elaborate game leveraging on chance, to decide whether she consumes pork or not.
• Aisyah tells her Christian neighbor that the Bible was a good read. The neighbor proclaims that Islam and Christianity are like siblings, while giggling. Aisyah agrees. They then have a conversation about how the neighbor converted from Hinduism to Christianity at age 20. Aisyah expresses her disatisfaction in the fact that she (as Muslim) does not have an option to convert out of Islam. The neighbor jokes about how JAKIM (religious authorities) will come after her if she tries. The neighbor then says that they must have their reasons; to which Aisyah responds by saying “Yes, to trouble us”.
• The Holy Water prank
• The interfaith prayer between Aisyah and her Christian neighbor
• Father giving the green light to his daughter if she wants to convert into another religion
• Aisyah removing her hijab
I don’t quite get what’s to take offense with the above — but listing it down and making these observations from their POV, just proves to show that perhaps there is a glimmer of greatness in Mentega Terbang’s screenplay — that religious freedom is not guaranteed for Malays in our melting pot; and being given the option to is radical.
STRAY NOTES:BRICKFIELD DATES
FIRST MALAYSIAN MOVIE TO PROCLAIM FORMER PRIME MINISTER NAJIB TUN RAZAK DESERVES HELL — “Najib going to hell? Hell yeah!”
THAT SHOCKED EXPRESSION WHEN SHE FOUND OUT BUDDHA “WAS” HINDU
“PHHODHA!”“OHH, WALK AROUND BRICKFIELDS FORAWHILE, SUDDENLY CAN SWEAR IN TAMIL ALL AH..”“I WATCH HINDUSTAN MOVIES LA…”THEY SPEAK HINDI, NOT TAMIL! YOURE SO MALAY!”“OK K WHATEVER”
THIS KIND SCENE
THAT AWKWARD LONG SHOT NUDE SCENE WITH NO MUSIC
DONT DRINK THE WATER. TAKUT NANTI HOLY WATER, LIDAH KERAS.
SURESH’S END SCENE POEM:“..ENERGY IS CONSTANT, IT IS THEREFORE ETERNAL. IT CANNOT BE CREATED NOR DESTROYED. AND THUS, CAN ONLY BE TRANSFORMED OR TRANSFERED FROM ONE FORM TO ANOTHER. THAT IS THE PRINSIP KEABADIAN TENAGA. LIKE HOW THE WIND BECOMES WATER, THEN BECOMES ELECTRICITY, BECOMES LIGHT, BECOMES HEAT, BECOMES WARMTH, BECOMES FRIENDSHIP, BECOMES FAMILY, BECOMES LOVE, BECOMES FAITH. A TRUTH BETWEEN MAN AND GOD. A TRUTH BEYOND ANY RELIGIOUS SYSTEM WE KNOW. CONSTANT AND ETERNAL LIKE ENERGY. TRANSFORMING AND TRANSFERING. FROM ONE FORM TO ANOTHER. LIKE KARMA AND REINCARNATION. I PROMISE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND ALL THIS ONE DAY. HAVE FAITH. LIKE YOUR MOTHER HAD FAITH IN GOD. HER FAITH IS TRUE, IS LOVE, IS FAMILY, IS MEANING. IT IS THE WARMTH THAT WILL KEEP YOU ALIVE IN THIS COLD LONELINESS. IT IS THE LIGHT THAT WILL LEAD YOU TO GOD AND YOUR TRUTH. IT IS CONSTANT. IT IS ETERNAL. IT IS YOURS.”
I love Malaysia. I love how incredibly dynamic we are as a soceity. My hope is that our film industry and our film culture lives up to our collective dynamic spirit.
That being said, I’d heard of Mentega Terbang for years online because it was being screened in various private venues; gaining a viewership outside of major theaters. The film trailer itself, gave me this exact vibe: a stage-to-film melodrama inside an old PJ home built in the 80s. I never fully pursued to catch a physical screening nor was I piqued when it was picked up by streaming service, Viu.
I didn’t have an apetite for this film.
Then, the unimaginable happened — the right wing saw it, got upset and started foaming in the mouth. Mentega Terbang was now national discourse.
This unfortunately re-framed the film for me as I was now curious as to why it had outraged the Malay community. Therefore, here’s a long list of elements in the film that probably pissed off the conservative Malay community:
• Islamic prayer fill the opening credits and then pans to religious Islamic material. The camera slowly shifts to the left, and we see a young girl (Aisyah) reading the Holy Bible in bed.
• Aisyah quotes the Bible after Muslim prayer with her parents over dinner.
• Aisyah informs her parents that the Holy Bible was given to her by a friendly non-Muslim person.
• Mother announces that Father previously had his first coitus at age 15. Aisyah is now age 15.
• The parents do not seem to be bothered that their daughter has invited a male friend. Father teases Aisyah to hide the guy from the neighbors gaze when inviting said guy over.
• Dog. Three scenes.
• Parents secretly teade the neighbor who seems concerned that they have allowed their daughter out alone.
• Both father and mother are suddenly in sleeveless attire, despite seeming religious.
• Girl asks friend if he can get her a copy of the Vedas to read.
• Mother proudly flaunts to daughter that many guys including her Father had chased after her when she wore a short Western dress. She proceeds to gift that dress to her daughter, Aisyah.
• Indian boy and Malay girl running hand-in-hand
• Aisyah expresses her desire to visit a Church
• Probably the first Malaysian movie to feature a Malay man’s ass
• Father has a back tattoo
• Aisyah eagerly wants to eat Char Siew (Pork), that she comes up with an elaborate game leveraging on chance, to decide whether she consumes pork or not.
• Aisyah tells her Christian neighbor that the Bible was a good read. The neighbor proclaims that Islam and Christianity are like siblings, while giggling. Aisyah agrees. They then have a conversation about how the neighbor converted from Hinduism to Christianity at age 20. Aisyah expresses her disatisfaction in the fact that she (as Muslim) does not have an option to convert out of Islam. The neighbor jokes about how JAKIM (religious authorities) will come after her if she tries. The neighbor then says that they must have their reasons; to which Aisyah responds by saying “Yes, to trouble us”.
• The Holy Water prank
• The interfaith prayer between Aisyah and her Christian neighbor
• Father giving the green light to his daughter if she wants to convert into another religion
• Aisyah removing her hijab
I don’t quite get what’s to take offense with the above — but listing it down and making these observations from their POV, just proves to show that perhaps there is a glimmer of greatness in Mentega Terbang’s screenplay — that religious freedom is not guaranteed for Malays in our melting pot; and being given the option to is radical.
STRAY NOTES:BRICKFIELD DATES
FIRST MALAYSIAN MOVIE TO PROCLAIM FORMER PRIME MINISTER NAJIB TUN RAZAK DESERVES HELL — “Najib going to hell? Hell yeah!”
THAT SHOCKED EXPRESSION WHEN SHE FOUND OUT BUDDHA “WAS” HINDU
“PHHODHA!”“OHH, WALK AROUND BRICKFIELDS FORAWHILE, SUDDENLY CAN SWEAR IN TAMIL ALL AH..”“I WATCH HINDUSTAN MOVIES LA…”THEY SPEAK HINDI, NOT TAMIL! YOURE SO MALAY!”“OK K WHATEVER”
THIS KIND SCENE
THAT AWKWARD LONG SHOT NUDE SCENE WITH NO MUSIC
DONT DRINK THE WATER. TAKUT NANTI HOLY WATER, LIDAH KERAS.
SURESH’S END SCENE POEM:“..ENERGY IS CONSTANT, IT IS THEREFORE ETERNAL. IT CANNOT BE CREATED NOR DESTROYED. AND THUS, CAN ONLY BE TRANSFORMED OR TRANSFERED FROM ONE FORM TO ANOTHER. THAT IS THE PRINSIP KEABADIAN TENAGA. LIKE HOW THE WIND BECOMES WATER, THEN BECOMES ELECTRICITY, BECOMES LIGHT, BECOMES HEAT, BECOMES WARMTH, BECOMES FRIENDSHIP, BECOMES FAMILY, BECOMES LOVE, BECOMES FAITH. A TRUTH BETWEEN MAN AND GOD. A TRUTH BEYOND ANY RELIGIOUS SYSTEM WE KNOW. CONSTANT AND ETERNAL LIKE ENERGY. TRANSFORMING AND TRANSFERING. FROM ONE FORM TO ANOTHER. LIKE KARMA AND REINCARNATION. I PROMISE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND ALL THIS ONE DAY. HAVE FAITH. LIKE YOUR MOTHER HAD FAITH IN GOD. HER FAITH IS TRUE, IS LOVE, IS FAMILY, IS MEANING. IT IS THE WARMTH THAT WILL KEEP YOU ALIVE IN THIS COLD LONELINESS. IT IS THE LIGHT THAT WILL LEAD YOU TO GOD AND YOUR TRUTH. IT IS CONSTANT. IT IS ETERNAL. IT IS YOURS.”
