STARTING out as an award-winning stage play way back in 2002, Spilt Gravy (Ke Mana Tumpahnya Kuah… in Malay) has had a long and torturous process on the way to the big screen, having been held back by the Malaysian Censorship Board (LPF) for the better part of a decade, and another two years by the pandemic.
It will finally hit cinemas on June 9, playing in 30 locations around the country, with a runtime of 115 minutes and a PG-13 rating.
“I didn’t even realise it’s been 11 years, I thought it was 5 or 6 years, until I was reminded just now, and as I said earlier it is something (Spilt Gravy) that without a doubt, I have a feeling that it just… I don’t think it’s dated, I don’t think it will ever date.
“I think it’s a story and tale that needs to be told and I’m sincerely hoping that it was as enjoyable to watch on the stage 20 years ago as it will be on screen right now,” said comedian Harith Iskander, who plays an angel alongside the late Jit Murad.
“I’m glad it’s finally released and it took a lot. I think it had to go through as you can tell, so much of censorship before to get where it was today.
“We did the play 20 years ago in 2002, and that was my very first play and then we shot the movie 11 years years ago, and it does seem classic and it’s never going to age,” said Bernice Chan, who plays Hortense.
As the debut feature directorial effort by actor and theatre director Datuk Zahim Albakri (who is also one of the stars of the film), and based on the acclaimed play from Jit, Spilt Gravy does indeed touch on several topics which are controversial in mainstream Malaysian discourse – such as homosexuality, drug use, generational trauma.
Set over the course of one day (specifically June 8, 2011), the story concerns a dysfunctional upper middle class Malay family in a rapidly changing Kuala Lumpur. Bapak (Datuk Rahim Razali), the family patriarch realises he doesn’t have much time left and invites his five children for one last dinner feast to discuss their inheritance, as well as some unspoken family secrets.
The five children are Zakaria (Zahim), the oldest child and black sheep, Husni (Sean Ghazi), the most successful child who is also a closeted gay man, Darwis (Na’a Murad), the dutiful son who teaches English, Kalsom (Bernice Chauly), the outspoken feminist who is out of touch with mainstream culture, and Zaitun (Juliana Ibrahim), the superficial ‘princess’ who has little to no interest in being a mother to her children.
So everyone is messed up in their own peculiar ways, as they either deal with or ignore their problems. Bapak, for his part, is coming to terms with his own legacy and the relationships he had with the mothers of his children. Oh yeah, each child is from a different mother.
The scenes of Bapak looking back on his life take on a dream quality as he remembers each wife in a flashback. In many ways, there is an elegiac quality in these scenes as we see a historic Kuala Lumpur and Malaysian culture that doesn’t really exist anymore. The presence of Jit and Harith as angels looking over him adds to the sense of magical realism.
However, it is odd that despite the film being sold as a discourse between a parent and his erstwhile children, they don’t really meet until the final act. The children have long and seemingly discursive conversations on a wide-range of issues, as they traverse through Kuala Lumpur.
As befitting its origins as a stage production, Spilt Gravy is very dialogue heavy as it deals with a whole host of topics in addition to the aforementioned controversial topics that surely raised the ire of the LPF.
Colonialism, feminism, May 13, drag queens, sexuality, child molestation, language, modernity, and race, are among just some of the ideas discussed. If anything it could be argued that the subjects are too sprawling, with not a lot of time spent on each, but is a testament to the ideas overflowing from Jit’s mind.
"Watching this story again today, it gave me a bittersweet feeling. I hope he's here. If he is still alive, he will definitely be proud,” said Sean.
In many ways, it can be easily discerned that this is a film from a first time director, but there is a dexterity with which the film juggles its many characters and themes. The fact that it touches on sensitive – or even taboo – ideas is both bracing and exciting to see in a Malaysian film.
During the press conference that followed Spilt Gravy’s screening last Tuesday (May 24), Zahim expounded on the challenges of navigating the censorship process, as well as where he ultimately stands on where the film is today.
“So this film, this version, is not the original version, but it is very close to the original version, there are some things which are muted, but most of the story is there, the characters are there.
“It is a process of negotiation, and compromise, and I think that’s what we are as Malaysians, we are doing that all the time. That’s the nature of being Malaysian, we have to give and take, we have to negotiate, and we have to compromise. So this is the film, which I think is right for Malaysians.” – The Vibes, May 29, 2022
* This article is part of a series of content produced for Lens KL, The Vibes Culture & Lifestyle’s fortnightly series that sheds light on the past, present and future aspirations of Kuala Lumpur.
