KUALA LUMPUR – 'Miss Andy' (2020), a Malaysian-Taiwanese film about the life of a transgender woman living in Kuala Lumpur was released in Taiwan on January 8. This is to circumvent a likely ban in Malaysia, where the LGBTQ community still struggles for equality.
"We were well aware from the start that the subject matter would have had its challenges in Malaysia and most other Asian territories," producer Jin Ong tells Nikkei Asia.
'Miss Andy’, directed by Teddy Chin, ‘follows in the footsteps of controversial Malaysian Chinese filmmakers such as Lau Kek Huat and Wee Meng Chee (also known as Namewee). They had also turned to Taiwan, one of the most LGBTQ-friendly countries in Asia, to release films that could not be screened here.
Produced by MM2 Entertainment of Singapore, ‘Miss Andy’ is one of the first Malaysian films to use a mak nyah (Malay slang for a transgender woman) as a protagonist. The film has been shelved for more than a year because of its controversial topic and cinema closures caused by the pandemic.
"While it's shot in Malaysia, the issues that plague the transgender community are common in a lot of other places. And Taiwan being one of Asia's most LGBTQ-friendly countries made it the perfect launchpad for the film to highlight their plight," says Jin.
‘Miss Andy’ follows a handful of earlier Malaysian LGBTQ films. ‘Bukak Api’ (2000) directed by Osman Ali, was the first independent documentary to depict the life of Malaysian transgender people. ‘I Don't Want to Sleep Alone’ (2006), a Malaysian-Taiwanese coproduction directed by Tsai Ming-Liang, depicted the homosexual attraction that a Bengali migrant worker develops for a homeless man to whom he gives shelter.
‘Waris Jari Hantu’ (2007) by Suhaimi Baba mixed supernatural folklore with the story of a man who wants to become a woman and eventually undergoes a sex change operation. ‘Dalam Botol’ (2011), directed by Khir Rahman, tells the story of a gay man who changes his sex to please his partner, and then regrets his decision when the latter falls in love with another girl.
‘Miss Andy’ brings into focus the hardships that LGBTQ people must face daily. In the film, 55-year-old Andy, played by Lee Lee-zen, completes his transition into a woman called Evon five years after the death of his wife.
Andy's son and daughter cannot cope with the shame of having a transgender father, and shun Evon. To make matters worse, the degrading sex work that Evon must resort to in order to make ends meet turns grimmer and more violent day after day.
The audience is gripped from the get-go by the film's opening scene as we follow Evon from the street, where she is almost killed for refusing to service a client. Cut to a police station where she is harassed and ordered to strip naked in front of a group of foul-mouthed officers who want to body-search her.
But sweet-natured Evon is far from being the monster that society thinks she is. Although she needs income from sex work to pay the bills she owns a decent home, and has regular work driving a delivery van. She has friends too, including a joyful fellow trans woman and a handsome and gentle work companion called Teck (Jack Tan). He is hearing impaired and with whom she shares a feeling of being a "lesser" human.
"Prior to doing research for this particular film, I didn't know that the LGBTQ community faces legal challenges in Malaysia," says Lee.
"A heterosexual person can conduct himself/herself in a normal and courageous way when it comes to his/her pursuit of love. So why are LGBTQ individuals, [who are] also perfectly normal people, forbidden from loving someone of their choice and doing things of their interest," says Lee.
"But all of the above is forbidden in Malaysia, as well as many other countries, which is very saddening to me."
‘Miss Andy’ earned international acclaim at several movie festivals in 2020, including the Osaka Asian Film Festival, the New York Asian Film Festival, the Taiwan International Queer Film Festival, the Kaohsiung Film Festival, and the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
However, it is unlikely to receive a premiere in Malaysia, where LGBTQ themes are mostly embraced only by independent film producers. – The Vibes, May 9, 2021
