NYAFF ’15: Banglasia

All the offensive stuff must have been lost in translation. Like clockwork, the latest film from Namewee, the rapper, film director, and goofball government critic was banned by the Malaysian authorities, but for westerners, it is hard to fathom why. Sure, he shows his dependable reckless disregard for logic and decorum, but so what? Maybe you really have to be looking for it. Most viewers will simply try to keep their heads from spinning when Namewee’s multi-national, multi-ethnic cast starts ricocheting all over the place in Banglasia, which screens as part of the 2015 New York Asian Film Festival.

Dirty Harris is a poor, put-upon Bangladeshi migrant worker, who has come to Malaysian to earn enough money to marry his sweetheart. Unfortunately, Laboni’s latest letter announces her imminent arranged marriage. DH has two days to get back to Bangladesh to set things right, but rather inconveniently his scummy exploiter boss Omar holds passport as collateral, until he pays off his transit debt. Harris tries to talk things out with him, but a gunfight breaks out instead, as they will.

Through an odd (and we do mean odd) chain of events, Harris gets an amnesia inducing knock to the noggin and winds up on the run with Hanguren, a Malaysian anti-immigration rabble rouser, whose name translates to “Korean Man” in Mandarin, and Omar’s rebellious daughter Rina, a nurse who swoons at the sight of blood. Rina immediately has eyes for DH, but Hanguren’s befogged grandmother mistakes him for her long deceased husband to further complicate matters. Frankly, it is a logical misperception, since Namewee contrives a way to get DH into the dead man’s rhinestone cowboy outfit. Fortunately, it seems the amnesiac can also shoot, which will come in handy when the Luk-Luk army invades Malaysia, with the help of the treasonous Omar. Or something like that.

At some point in all that, the Malaysian government put its foot down and “oh, no you don’t.” Perhaps they did not appreciate the mockery of Hanguren’s border-closing rhetoric, but it is weak tea compared to vitriol directed at big, bad Donald Trump. Nor is it a glowing endorsement of the treatment immigrants typically receive, but Omar is not exactly a loyal patriotic Malaysian either.

So, whatever. If you enjoy wildly goofy comedy amped up on Red Bull and Pop Rocks than Namewee is your huckleberry. No gag is too goofy and no cast-member is privileged enough to wriggle out of taking some humiliation for the team. Yet, somehow Nirab Hossain maintain a sense of dignity as the utterly confused Dirty Harris. Naturally, Namewee hams it up something fierce as Hanguren, because somebody has to in a film like this. The elegant Atikah Sumaine is also a good sport dealing with a relatively tight wardrobe a spot of blood here and there as the besotted Rina, while Shashi Tharan is completely insane as Wira, the berserker cop.

There are a number of potshots taken at the increasing regional domination of Korean culture, so let’s take a moment to welcome our Korean friends to rest of the world’s jealousy party. Trust us, you’ll get used to it too. However, it is hard to imagine Namewee films ever feeling old hat. For those who saw his Nasi Lemak 2.0 a few years ago, Banglasia is even more barking mad. Recommended for those who dig truly outrageous comedy, Banglasia screens this Friday (7/10) at the SVA Theatre, as part of this year’s NYAFF.

NYAFF ’12: Nasi Lemak 2.0

Every country has its native rice dish.  In Malaysian, it is nasi lemak.  They also have their local political rabble-rousing rapper, known by his handle Namewee.  The Malaysian government was not thrilled at the prospects of the latter extolling the virtues of the former, which is why they were less than supportive of his foodie movie.  It was a hit nonetheless.  Prepare yourself for generous helpings of multi-ethnic humor (that you might not fully get) when Namewee’s Nasi Lemak 2.0 (trailer here) screens at the 2012 New York Asian Film Festival.

Having studied abroad with a master, Hero Huang is an uncompromising specialist in Chinese cuisine.  He is beloved in the neighborhood because he stands up to all the punks, but everyone prefers the street vendors’ Malaysian food.  However, Xiao K. has need of a skilled Chinese chef.  Control of her family’s upscale restaurant depends on a Chinese cooking competition instigated by her greedy aunt, who hopes to turn the establishment over to her lover, Lan Qiao. 

Xiao K. and her father need a champion like Huang, but he has never beaten his old class rival Lan before.  After enduring a few beatings and some official harassment at the behest of Xiao K’s aunt, Huang gets with the program and sets off on a roadtrip with her to discover the mystical secrets of Malaysian cuisine in all its ethnic varieties.

Supposedly, there are a lot of jokes in Lemak that only Malaysians will understand, but the silly slapstickiness of it all is hard to miss.  Reportedly, a few local professionally-offended Muslims were upset with the film, but it is hard to understand why, unless you happen to be barking mad.  The film could also have more cameos than Around the World in Eighty Days, but many of them will be lost on Western audiences.  For instance, former Miss Malaysia Nadine Ann Thomas appears as Curry Daughter, whom Huang and Xiao constantly press to enter the Miss Malaysia contest while they stay with her curry-master father.

Namewee might have his Public Enemy moments in Malaysia, but Lemak is all rather gentle and well intentioned stuff.  Essentially, it extols unity and tolerance through Don Rickles and Jerry Lewis style humor.  Most of the musical numbers are comedic novelty numbers, such as the Bollywood parody, but the closing hip hop version of the Malay folk song “Rasa Sayang” is pretty cool.

Given his comfort with physical comedy and his big lummoxey screen presence, Namewee acquits himself just fine as Huang.  Malaysian pop idol Karen Kong is also quite a good sport, buried under prosthetic Dukakis eye-brows, Pippi Longstocking pigtails, and Clark Kent glasses, but still projecting a vivacious earnestness. 

Innocently goofy, Nasi Lemak 2.0 is ultimately more interesting to international audiences for what it represents for Malaysia than the on-screen humor.  It is not the only film at this year’s NYAFF to mix music with beatdowns.  Grandmaster Y.K. Kim & Park Woo-song’s The Miami Connection (video here) also screens at the festival, ahead of its in-your-face re-release later this year, courtesy of Drafthouse Films.  The Miami Ninjas pick a fight with the wrong band when they try to roust Dragon Sound from their new gig at “Central Florida’s hottest new night club.”  The ninjas and drug dealers might have formed an alliance, but they are no match for the one-two punch of Tae Kwon Do and cheesy 80’s synthesizer rock. 

The plot is maybe a touch hackneyed (you know when a Dragon Sound member puts on a fancy new suit for a special occasion, he is in for a world of hurt) and the dialogue is what it is, but the fighting is pretty awesome—and since co-director and motivational speaker Grandmaster Kim will be attending the screening (demonstrating the power of Tae Kwon Do and motivating your lazy butt), you had better agree, if you know what’s good for you.

This is why we love NYAFF.  You don’t see films like this at most other snobby festivals.  So take note, Miami Connection screens this Saturday (7/7) and Nasi Lemak 2.0 screens this coming Monday (7/9) and Thursday (7/12) as the New York Asian Film Festival continues at the Walter Reade Theater.