Sensitive and unspoken mood sketch of the inner world of a young woman who falls into the hands of a big-city lover who turns out to be a pimp in Kuala Lumpur.
Ah Peng is a Chinese-Malay girl from Penang. She comes to the capital Kuala Lumpur to work in the simple food stall run by her aunt. At first she doesn’t seem to have time for the joys and dangers of the big city. She doesn’t go looking for them either. She allows her new life to come at her the way it comes. And the way it comes is not always the way you want.
The role of Ah Peng is played by debutante Coral Ong Li Whei. The candour of the young actress matches wonderfully the way in which Ah Peng faces up to the unexpectedly harsh life of the capital. Ah Peng starts a beautiful friendship with her younger cousin Mei. They become like sisters. Mei maintains a secret correspondence with an unknown pen pal. It looks like a playful announcement of what is awaiting Ah Peng: a love that is not what it seems and is not what it should be.
Soon after her arrival in the city, Ah Peng is noticed and followed by John. The fact that she has a boyfriend in Penang does not stop him from pursuing his fairly aggressive advances. Ah Peng doesn’t really resist, nor for very long. Even when John unashamedly explains to her how a pimp works, she seems deaf to any warning. And equally imperturbably, with a minimal use of means, the film follows Ah Peng’s fate. –IFFR
Tan Chui Mui was born 9 October 1978 in Sungai Ular, a small fishing village in Kuantan, Malaysia.
She had been actively involved in the Malaysia independent film scene, working as producer, editor, scriptwriter and occasionally actress. In 2004, she set up Da Huang Pictures with Amir Muhammad, James Lee and Liew Seng Tat.
Tan Chui Mui is known for her successful first feature film Love Conquers All, which won top prizes at numerous film festivals, including New Currents in Pusan and the Tiger award in Rotterdam. Many forgot that she is a very productive short filmmaker, who had won big prizes in two prestigious short film festivals in the world: Principal Prize in Oberhausen Short Film Festival with A Tree in Tanjung Malim (2005), and Grand Prix in Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival with Everyday Everyday (2009).
She published a book in 2009, titled 《横灾梨枣》, written in Chinese.
In 2010, she made her second feature The Year… read more
