Is Mat Kilau controversial? You can decide for yourself when it streams on Netflix this Malaysia Day

If you haven’t watched Malaysia’s highest-grossing movie of all time yet, you’d soon be able to. Mat Kilau will start streaming in Malaysia on 16 September—just in time for Malaysia Day.

If you aren’t familiar with what Mat Kilau is, it’s a local film based on a historical figure from the late 19th century. It follows Mat Kilau, the title character, as he revolted against British colonists to protect his homeland. It’s directed by Syamsul Yusof, and stars Adi Putra as Mat Kilau, alongside Beto Kusyairy, Fattah Amin, Yayan Ruhian, Johan As’ari, Rahim Razali, and Jalaludin Hassan.

However, the movie is also seen as pretty controversial. Malaysiakini describes it as an “ethnonationalism film” as the Malay characters are depicted as heroes—while other races including Chinese and Indians played villains.

“To me, any movie that espouses ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ is problematic because it is a political construct that only came into prominence in the 20th century largely due to Umno… And to portray all non-Malays as brutal is unfair,” said a commenter on Malaysiakini.

Others mentioned that Mat Kilau is just a Marvel superhero-like movie like Captain America. Film critic Zaim Yusoff said that “the storytelling is simple” and that “the story of betrayal between Malays” is “something that is relatable to the current political climate”.

Despite the controversy, Mat Kilau because so successful in the theatres that it collected over RM96 million after screening in 40 days in Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. It’s also reported that the film had overtaken Munafik 2 as highest grossing film, which grossed RM48 million across the same region.

I haven’t watched the film yet myself, but I’d be able to on 16 September 2022, which is Malaysia Day as it starts streaming on Netflix globally (except in Indonesia, where it will launch on 14 October). Mat Kilau will also be joining close to 150 Malaysian films, series, and animated shows in the platform’s Rekaan Rakyat collection.

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