Village People Radio Show – Apa khabar orang kampung (2007)

Directed by: Amir Muhammad | 72 minutes | documentary | Actors: Pak Kassim, Pak Abdullah, Makcik Suriani, Pak Hatta, Pak Budin

In 2005, director Amir Muhammad made the documentary ‘The Last Communist’ about the life of Chin Peng, the former leader of the Malaysian Communist Party. In ‘Village People Radio Show’, which is a sequel, he goes in search of former combatants and ex-members of the same Communist Party, who live in exile in a small village in the south of Thailand. The former members, who are already well in age, tell extensively about the glory years and their guerrilla struggle against the British colonists and Japanese oppressors during and before the Second World War. Their faith – they are all Muslims – and their attitude towards religion are also regularly discussed. It turns out that during the war the faith was not always strictly observed. For example, the statement that a warrior had to be strong was a good excuse to eat anything.

‘Village People Radio Show’ is the second film in a row by Amir Muhammad, which has been banned by the local regime immediately after its release. When you consider this, you wonder why the documentary is blacklisted. As an outsider you can hardly imagine that the objections of the government weigh so heavily to make such a statement. It is more than logical that opponents of the regime are not positive when asked for their opinion. It would be very naive to expect otherwise. Unfortunately, Amir Muhammad cuts himself by not letting the other party speak. As a result, the documentary is monotonous and loses power. Even if it concerns an important period in Malaysian history, it is nothing more than verbally throwing mud at a number of elderly people. In addition to the interviews, the viewer is presented with images of the village, the inhabitants and their daily worries. This makes for a boring affair. The ex-combatants, who do not want to return to Malaysia, are living out their lives and freely admit this. The scenes are connected with separate visual shots, which represent radio waves. This trick gets boring quickly, especially because the length of these shots is often too long. Every now and then Amir Muhammad manages to show beautiful cinematographic pictures of the landscape.

What is also striking is the combination of images and interview texts. Seemingly simple images are used to reinforce the statements. When Pak Kassim talks about pulling the groups of fighters into the jungle, the viewer is presented with a shot of a group of ants. This is just one example of this approach. Throughout the film, a story is also told of two kings and a queen, who are suggested to be cheating. It is unclear what symbolism hides behind this story, which is presented as a radio play, which occasionally distracts the viewer’s attention. ‘Village People Radio Show’ is one-sided and boring but also informative. Despite the fact that the film has caused quite a bit of commotion in its own country, it will mainly get radio silence outside Malaysia.