“Jangan tengok saya macam ada buat salah boleh tak?
Over 24 hours, she learned what the world thought of her.
Starring Sofea Jane as Maryam, this film by Badrul Hisham Ismail presents a critique and deliberation on the suffocating restrictions on women’s lives in a society held in the chokehold of sexism and xenophobia.
Maryam Pagi ke Malam follows the trials of Maryam in exercising her right to choose her partner.
In this collaboration with Cheapreme, Gunung Cherita, the film’s producers, are raising funds to organize a roadshow of private screenings and discussions, along with local NGOs. Through these private events, we hope to raise awareness about the systemic injustices faced by women, as well as the avenues for help that they can seek.
Every purchase through this campaign will also include membership in the film’s supporters group and will be given exclusive invitations to screenings and other events.
Reviews
Sofia Jane is sublime as a woman who fights a difficult war against the state bureaucracy and prejudice - Asian Movie Pulse
Maryam zigzags an urban jungle where she meets Kafkaesque obstacles at every turn, as she tries to obtain the consent of her aristocratic father (Omar Abdullah), the judgmental girlfriends she meets for brunch, and a government official willing to bend his misogyny in exchange for a bribe. - Slant Magazine
La métaphore du fruit durian (dont le craquement obsédant se fait entendre dès les premiers instants du film) a de nombreux usages ici. Non seulement sert-elle à décrire la protagoniste titulaire, qui derrière une façade rigide, âpre, inaccessible, cache une grande tendresse, mais elle s’applique aussi à la performance de Sofia Jane elle-même, qui oscille entre l’aplomb le plus détaché et la fragilité la plus déchirante…Du vrai bonbon ! - Panorama Cinema
In this carefully paced drama, where cats and durian fruits become recurring metaphors, Badrul Hisham Ismail gives us an extremely harsh portrait of Malaysian society. - IFFR
“Merekah? Macam durian?”
About the Film
Maryam is a 50-year-old woman of Muslim origin, with aristocratic ties, and the director of an art gallery. Through work, she meets a young African man from Sierra Leone, whom Maryam ardently wishes to marry. Unfortunately, the patriarchal local law doesn’t allow the wedding unless her father consents – and he is far from willing to do so.
The film stars Sofia Jane as the lead actor, alongside an awesome cast that includes Susan Lankester, Vanida Imran, Pekin Ibrahim, Bella Rahim, Omar Abdullah, Roslan Madun, and others.
Maryam Pagi ke Malam is directed by Badrul Hisham Ismail, with a screenplay by Faisal Tehrani. The film is produced by Gunung Cherita, in collaboration with Anomalous Film and Kerja Summer.
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