review of uyir the soul byMr.Hassan Abd Muthalib

Hi to all...Below is review of uyir the soul byMr.Hassan Abd Muthalib.


Well, what do you know? It's been a good start to the New Year – for me at least. I went to Odeon Theatre yesterday evening to catch the final day of a debut, mini DV, indie Tamil film, UYIR (The Soul), fully expecting to be hit by THE CURSE OF THE STUDENT FILM. For those who didn't know, Odeon KL, after being hitfor a short while with THE CURSE OF TURNING INTO A SHOPPING COMPLEX, now has been given a breath of life with 2 cineplexes.
UYIR was showing in Cinema 1 while Cinema 2 was showing – what else? KING KONG! (the big guy in a small theatre!? Peter Jackson would be shocked. Or perhaps not, with all the money he's rolling in now!). I forget the last time I was at the Odeon. Probably it was 25 years ago. The building no longer exudes the feel and ambience of the classic movie theatre that it had once been what with mini shops now cluttering its peripheries selling everything from VCDs to Chickadees. What to do-lah? This is prime real estate.It's all about money, money, money, folks!Well, anyway, I went to see UYIR after reading about it in The New Sunday Times yesterday (must support local movies - & especially indies, you know!).
UYIR is directed by M.S. PREM NATH PILLAI, a graduate of AkademiTV3. His previous effort was a short called GUNS OR ROSES which did well in the Astro Vaanavil short film competition. UYIR was only playing for 2 days – 31December & 1 January. Why? That's the best deal they could get. At Mid Valley, they would have had to line up & the producers of UYIR wanted a theatre screening before releasing it on VCD for Thaipusam.
UYIR is inspired by actual happenings in an estate inKuang, Selangor. Four youths (2 girls & 2 boys), gofor a holiday at an old bungalow (in Kuang,naturally!). They start to encounter all kinds ofweird happenings, etc., etc. Sounds like the average horror movie? That's what I expected. As I waited forthe film to start, the hall started to fill up – and miracle of miracles! It was full house – all Indians,of course. And for a mini-DV feature!! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.

Deepak & Santosh, eatyour hearts out!The film was mainly sponsored by MADURA CASH & CARRY.Who? Search me! Sponsors were also NEEM TOOTHPASTE & NESCAFE TARIK. So naturally, the script had an early morning teeth brushing scene (but it was integrated into the plot) & a Nescafe Tarik packet kept popping up in the kitchen next to the rice cooker (the cooker was also integral to the plot. Clever, clever!). But wait! It's not as bad as it sounds. This film made contact with the audience! I couldn't believe! They were just lapping it up. They laughed at the comedy(which was well done). They also laughed at the horror scenes! Not because it was badly done but because they knew what was coming (dramatic irony, folks!). So instead of being scared, they started laughing. The guy next to me forgot that it was just a film & was reacting & passing comments to what was happening on the screen. It was like the 50s & the 60s in the cinema (& in India!). Not only did I enjoy the film but also the atmosphere created by the crowd eventhough THE CURSE OF THE MOBILE PHONE struck a few times! I also kept hearing another soundtrack coming from somewhere but no one seemed to care, the film wasthat enjoyable.
Okay, okay, I haven't lost my mind, but here's a DV indie film that I actually enjoyed. But be warned.It's only enjoyable when watching with the kind of audience that night at Odeon! UYIR wasn't pretentious,it didn't have `messages,' it wasn't arty-farty, itwasn't meant to be profound.

These guys knew what theywere doing & they got it done. So what if they overdid the style with MTV camerawork & editing? So what ifthere were some minor problems with the scriptstructure? I've seen worse in local mainstream filmsmade by people who have had years of experience,including that made by a certain academic (see below).Coming out from the theatre, I was accosted by thedirector of UYIR & some of my students from AkademiFilem Malaysia who had been involved in the film.Usually after sitting through a turkey, I would slinkaway to avoid meeting the director. But I really meantit when I congratulated PREM NATH PILLAI saying howmuch I had enjoyed watching UYIR.Hassan Abd Muthalib(BELOW:UYIR was a comedy horror.

There's another `comedyhorror,' a mainstream film, now playing in thecinemas. The title begins with a `C.' Unfortunately,it's billed by the producer as a gangster movie! THECURSE OF THE CLUELESS WRITER/DIRECTOR seems to bebecoming the norm. I share the sentiments onceexpressed by AMIR MUHAMAD: that such fare is going toput me off local movies permanently