DADI Cinema at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur was teeming with VIPs, dignitaries, celebrities and members of the media on Monday night for the premiere screening of Anwar: The Untold Story.
Chants of ‘Reformasi’ broke out loud and true as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail made their entrance at 8.15pm.
Anwar: The Untold Story is directed by Indonesian director Viva Westi and stars popular local actor Farid Kamil Zahari in the titular role, with Indonesian actress Acha Septriasa in the role of Dr Wan Azizah, Hasnul Rahmat as Dr Mahathir Mohamad, with Piet Pagau and Dewi Irawan as Anwar’s parents.
Political cartoonist and activist, Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, more popularly known as Zunar, is one of the producers behind this film.
The film, set in the period between 1993 and 1998, follows the story of Anwar’s fight against corruption during his tenure as deputy prime minister and finance minister, which led to his eventual imprisonment and the birth of the Reformasi movement.
The title suggests that what will be depicted in the next 90 minutes is a story we do not already know or have heard or read about.
What we see is the dramatisation of Anwar’s and his family’s struggle in the lead-up and at the height of his incarceration at the Bukit Aman lock-up.
The dramatic opening sequence sees Anwar being led into his dank cell and subsequently beaten. Hard. For days, he refuses to eat or change his blood-stained clothing, as it is a testament to the brutality he endures at the hands of his tormentors.
The prison guards are depicted as sympathetic yet hapless wardens, only carrying out orders from ‘higher up’. We’ve all imagined this scenario in our heads at the time of his incarceration and Westi captures the feel of that dark imagining very poignantly.
He suffers greatly. One can feel the cold dampness seeping into our own bones from the stark cement platform he languishes on.
His journey in and out of consciousness takes us through the high and low points of his civil service career, student activist days and warm family life.
His alter ego also makes a jaunty appearance in his cell – to give him a swift kick up the backside when he falters in what feels like a lost cause.
On the outside, Wan Azizah is a pillar of stoic and determined strength. I felt a significant lump in my throat at the scene where she steely advises a hysterical Nurul Izzah to not let the world see her trauma – advice I believe the pair of them take to this day.
Another significant moment sees Anwar as a little boy being fiercely admonished by his mother for stealing fruit from his Chinese neighbour’s tree. Young Anwar is scared and ashamed when he returns the stolen fruit.
The acting in this scene is stunning. This child actor (I looked him up but couldn’t find a name) will go far in his acting career should he pursue it.
This scene depicts a character-building point in young Anwar’s life that is the basis of his stance against corruption.
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These are just some of the untold stories behind the very public story of Anwar Ibrahim.
If you can glaze over the occasional Indonesian accent seeping into the dialogue and some choppy scene changes – or suspend your own beliefs about what you think you know as truth – you may find this film an emotional revelation.
It will take you back to those early years of Reformasi and the darkly intriguing political times of Mahathir versus his deputy. – The Vibes, May 9, 2023
The film Anwar: The Untold Story produced by Biangalala Entertainment and its official distributor, Yusrych Global Sdn Bhd and DMY Creation will be shown in cinemas nationwide from May 18
