Small Town Heroes – bring a box of tissues to this uplifting comedy-drama

SET in Penang and mostly told in an extended flashback, Small Town Heroes is a Chinese New Year movie that celebrates family – though not necessarily the one you are born into – and the diversity that makes Malaysia special. 

Part of the tradition of Chinese New Year movies, this tearjerker comedy/drama mostly takes place at an orphanage. It starts off with a young man driving back ‘home’ for a 10-year reunion. There’s a feeling of nostalgia that anyone who balik kampung can relate to.

As he drives past some kids on bicycles, the movie goes back in time to when he was a child himself and tells the story of how he met a boy named Hero (Roger Shak) who was dropped off at the shelter.

Over the next year, Feng (Chandler Phua) – the resident lovable troublemaker – and his band of friends, after some childish disagreements, become fast friends with Hero. They go on all sorts of adventures and misadventures, including a trip to Penang, while reeling in a whole host of lovable characters. 

There’s Zhong Wu (Jack Lim), who is Feng’s father. He drops off goods at the orphanage and brings merriment wherever he goes. Aisyah (Layla Sania) is the substitute teacher for the kids, which unfortunately goes against her mother’s wishes. Gua Qing (Yuan Teng)  is a durian seller in a nearby town who is smitten with Aisyah. 

In terms of the variety of characters and the languages they speak, Small Town Heroes is in many ways a reflection and celebration of Malaysia’s multi-cultural reality. 

The vast majority of dialogue is in Mandarin, but there is plenty of Malay and some English spoken. A few characters easily bounce from one language to another, which fits into the way everyday Malaysians speak – oftentimes in the span of a sentence. Aisyah can speak all three, while some others can only speak two.

Shot on location in various places around Penang – both on the mainland and the island – including George Town, Pulau Tioman, and Frog Hill. Some of the imagery can almost serve as a tourism advert. It also features some of the final moments of the Penang ferry, which has since ceased operations. 

Small Town Heroes is a story about finding a family, after you’ve been left behind on your own or making one with other members of your community. Different characters have their own traumas that they are trying to get past with a smile on their face, but the sadness is never far from the surface.

Bring a box of tissues because the second half of the movie piles on the drama with crying scenes aplenty from just about every cast member. Sometimes it feels like a bit much when it is scene after scene, but most of the time the tears are earned.

Though most of the movie only takes place 10 years ago, there is a hint of a timeless quality to it, capturing the nostalgia of childhood. The lack of cellphones (and face masks) is also an easy shortcut to bring the audience back in time. 

Small Town Heroes, through tears and laughs, makes us reflect on the people we’ve come across and the impact they have had on our lives. – The Vibes, February 3, 2022

*Small Town Heroes is playing exclusively at GSC Cinemas