NOOB FILM REVIEW - SIMPLE MANUSAN directed by HARAN & SHOBAAN

SYNOPSIS and SUMMARY (IMDB)

A 32-year-old barber enjoys his modest life but struggles with a deep sense of loneliness, believing that marriage could fill the void. Under pressure from his family, friends, and society, he embarks on a quest to find the perfect partner, exploring everything from dating apps to traditional matchmakers. Despite this, he faces a series of disappointments and rejections. As his search spirals into frustration, he begins to doubt if the life he seeks is even possible or if he's just chasing an illusion.

REVIEW

Premiering on the eve of Valentine's Day, this cannot hit harder than those in their 30s and not yet tying the knots (also subtly saying the same to Arsenal football fans who will never score!).

Both directors worked on the film Metro Maalai which revolves around the same issue and is done at a slightly slower pace. Simple Manusan (Manusan means Man or Manusia) however goes borderline rom-com with fast cutting and close-ups a la Wong Kar Wai's Fallen Angels, to represent the manic situation faced by the protagonist. (found a YouTube video of the protagonists from both films in one scene. They are in the same cinematic universe! In Simple Manusan the protagonist has a name whilst in Metro Maalai he is the ‘unnamed’)

While Metro Maalai happened in the middle of a dystopian Kuala Lumpur with cyberpunk color tones, Simple Manusan in the rural side of Kuala Lumpur with all the social and Malaysian multicultural nuances to make the audience feel at home.

But there are also many parts of calmness, feeding the spiritual side of the narrative. For example in his dreams sequence and close romance. There are a few censored parts. One is the peak of his dream of meditating. Another one is at the start of a non-diegetic audio of a Koranic verse. I assumed that they were trying to emphasize the fusion between all faiths and that it revolves around the same thing. There are also scenes of the protagonist and his friend praying at a Buddhist shrine.

SOULMATE. LOVE. MARRIAGE.

At the center of it, what attracts me most is something from the trailer that says, "Soulmate. Love. Marriage. These are not the same. Don't mix it up."

That takes me straight to the film La La Land where the main couple were united by their inner love for art, but knows that marriage will never work for them and separated. After a few years apart, they met again, with the girl married to a rich man. No dialogues. They just looked at each other and understood the difference.

OF CREDO & LIBIDO

The same is true in P. Ramlee's Semerah Padi where Aduka and Dara are not enjoying their marriage at the ending, in contrast to during their picnic scene in Act 1.

What Aduka and Dara did, is called 'Libido'. It is a relationship that is established between two people alone. By doing that, they are going against the 'Credo', which is the arrangement by the one in power, in this case, Taruna the son of the Penghulu.

Aduka and Dara kept their affairs a secret and never in the film did they ever say of getting married. Their torture scene is just a theatrics showing how marriage is going to be the death of their love. The narrative on Islamic Law might just be a red herring.

Yet no one else will understand it other than the protagonist. How in the end of Wong Kar Wai's In The Mood For Love, the guy whispers into the old ruins. In Simple Manusan, he shaved and wore yellow and ran towards the ending away from the camera.

I have been looking at the poster (without watching the trailer) for quite a while (loves the colors and the unique and specialized font choices, saying that he got a road ahead but decided to stop and chill) and was expecting Simple Manusan to be something like Tan Chui Mui's Barbarian Invasion. Hence that's why they say do not just look at the poster heh.

Regardless, the 'Bujang Lapok' trope lives! Catch them in your nearest cinema this 20th February!

Trailer: