It’s about time Netflix brought movies by Yasmin Ahmad to the streaming service. Three of her films—Rabun, Mukhsin and Talentime—will start streaming on 18 December 2020.
The late Yasmin Ahmad left a legacy of powerful Malaysian stories. She shone light on important social causes creatively and will successfully live on in her work. And while arguably her most well-known movie—Sepet—isn’t yet obtained by Netflix, the three that will be available to stream are still must-watch movies.
Rabun
Rabun is Yasmin Ahmad’s debut film inspired by her own parents after her father turned partially blind as a result of diabetes. I’m pretty excited to have this streamed on Netflix because I’ve never watched this feature before.
Rabun stars M. Rajoli as Pak Atan and Kartina Aziz as Mak Inom. In the story, they return to the village after getting worn out by city life. Upon returning, the couple found that life in the countryside may not be that pleasant after all.
Mukhsin
If you’re familiar with Sepet, you’ve most likely seen or have heard of Mukhsin. The movie is the prequel to Sepet and Gubra, and the last film of the Orked trilogy. It even took home the Grand Prix of the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk for Best Feature Film at the 57th Berlin International Film festival.
It starred Sharifah Aryana as 10-year-old Orked, who catches the eye of Mukhsin—played by Mohd Syafie Naswip. Mukhsin soon then becomes tormented by his love for Orked when their relationship remains platonic.
Talentime
Yasmin Ahmad’s last movie, Talentime, tells the story of a school talent competition that matches Melur played by Pamela Chong and and Mahesh played by Mahesh Jugal Kishor—a deaf and mute Indian boy. The movie touches on love, family and the trials of everyday life.
In late May, Yasmin Ahmad’s movie Sepet streamed on YouTube for a limited time of one week. Viewers were also able to post any questions they had about the film in the comments section to be answered by the cast and production team.
