Packing too much talent

review drama

TALENTIME (M18)

120 minutes/Opens tomorrow/ *** 1/2

The story: A Malaysian school holds a talentime contest, and participants and organisers get involved with one another as they work towards putting on their best performance for the finals.

Malaysian writer- director Yasmin Ahmad's sixth and last film encompasses many of the themes her earlier movies had touched on, but tries to do a little too much. Still, her skill in bringing out poignancy and concocting perfect movie moments is very much evident here.

Like in most talent shows, there are some high points and some off-key moments. There are also a few scenes of pure comedy, such as the requisite bad auditions as well as humour provided by two bumbling teachers.

The talent show premise is an old chestnut often used to highlight differences in a community and a perfect platform for the director, who died from a brain haemorrhage in July.

Her earlier films have boldly explored Malaysia, often examining interracial relationships within the community. This time around, the ensemble cast is sprawling and there is too little time to fully explore the characters.

Most of Yasmin's earlier films have concentrated on one main relationship, giving her more time to explore it fully.

Talentime has too many to juggle and some become underdeveloped and even hurried. Nevertheless, she is still capable of divulging quiet, humane moments.

The main focus is on student contestants Hafiz (Syafie Naswip), Melur (Pamela Chong) and Kahoe (Howard Hon Kahoe) and Mahesh (Mahesh Jugal Kishor), a mute Indian boy assigned by the school to take Melur to rehearsals.

The most poignant relationship here is between Hafiz and his ailing mother (Mislina Mustafa). Their relationship is explored with a delicate, tender touch.

Syafie, who was also in Yasmin's film Mukhsin (2006), deservedly won an award at the Malaysian Film Festival for his performance here.

There is also an interracial relationship between modern-day Muslim Melur and Mahesh, as they ride to and from rehearsals on his motorcycle (one of the forgivable contrivances of the film).

Their romance sets off fireworks, particularly from Mahesh's protective mother, who does not want him to marry outside his faith.

Due to the large cast, many of them remain ciphers. Melur's grandmother, who comes from England and has a thick accent, seems to be just there to prove a point about the multiracial composition of Malaysia.

The rivalry between Hafiz and Kahoe, a Chinese student who accuses Hafiz of cheating, is also too sparsely sketched to draw any real poignancy.

The music and songs, composed by Malaysian composer Pete Teo, is one of the best things of the film. The editing is fairly choppy and there are few surreal moments that are rather out of place.

Talentime is more polished than Yasmin's early works. But like a talent show with too many contestants, the movie tries to pack in too much.

While it might not be her best work, it certainly is an entertaining film that showcases her concerns and beliefs, which reverberate long after the final note is sung.