Selubung

Synopsis

Mastura and E.J known each other since they are kids. Both of them further their studies at Perth , Australia. However , E.J choose to quit her last year of studies and give up her scholarship. This is because she wants to marry with a religious extremist - Brother Musa as his second wife after Hani. Although School and Mastura strongly oppose her decision but she insisted on her decision.

After Mastura back in Malaysia , she decided to join RESCAID Malaysia as a voluntary. Most of her University friends had joined voluntary work. Even though She have a full time job but she also do voluntary work at RESCAID whenever she have free time. Two of her best friend Halim and Wn Eng had been to Palestine to help the refugees.

Mastura meet with her working company - TCT managing director- Kamal and they started a relationship. E.J come back to Malaysia after the incident of her and Brother Musa child been killed by Hani accidentally. She wish to see Mastura once she backed. However, Mastura refuse to see her even though E.J's mother and friends had advised her to do so. At last , Mastura visit E.J in accompanied with Kamal. Both of them become reconciled.

Halim and Wn Eng died when they are helping in Palestine. Mastura was very sad about it. Kamal helped her to overcome it by accompany beside her. However , Mastura had found out Kamal have a wife. She felt cheated and decided to break up with him. Kamal make up his mind to propose to Mastura and he successes.

RESCAID London was bombed. People who bombed REDCAID London sent a threaten letter to RESCAID Malaysia and warn them to make an announcement about stop their campaign in London or else they will suffer the same with RESCAID London. Dr. Sardar and RESCAID team ignore the threaten letter. People who sent the threaten letter bombed RESCAID Malaysia and hurt Mastura.

RESCAID Malaysia held a concert to collect donation and it held successfully. Mastura regain consciousness after all her friends pray for her and butterflies come to her room. Regarding to Mastura's grandfather , butterflies significant to good luck which means butterflies bring good luck to her to make her awake. Mastura recovered and rejoin RESCAID Malaysia.

Film Journal

I like the storyline of the film that emphasize on female empowerment. Women always been portray as weaker party, not educated, and follow man's choices, decisions and instructions in old films. However, in this film women had been portray as a strong party that can lead a community, highly educated, independent and make their own choices.

E.J had been focused in the beginning of the film. She is a sincere Islamic woman who believed and dependent towards religious extremist - Brother Musa. She even quit her studies as well as give up her scholarship just to marry with Brother Musa and become his second wife. However, she choose to leave Brother Musa after the incident of her child killed by Hani. She choose to start her new life with joining RESCAID Malaysia team to help those who need helps. Besides, she also become independent and more happy with her new life.

Mastura is a independent and highly educated woman since she was in University. She knows clearly what she really wants and implement it. She had been portray as talented and ability woman in this film. We can see it where she is able to balance in between her actual job and voluntary work in RESCAID. She is success in both side. Although she have Kamal as her boyfriend but she did not give up her job and fully dependent on Kamal. Moreover, she tend to break up with Kamal when she find out Kamal already have wife.

In addtion, we can also see woman empowerment from Doctor Sardar. She is the leader of RESCAID Malaysia. She is the decisions maker of the whole organization.

I dislike the flashback parallel editing used in this film. Parallel editing is use to tell a story or narrative. It is to show what is happening at the same time or flashback of something. For example , flashback scene of E.J back to Malaysia and wanted to meet with Mastura . Audiences haven't really get the meaning or understand the scene, it already cut to another new scene. The changes of scene quite often and obvious in that part. It shows the current situations of E.J waiting for Mastura's visit and Mastura rejected. Furthermore, the flashback scene of what had happened among E.J and Mastura that caused the conflict in between also one of the parallel scene. It takes longer time for the audiences to digest the message of the scenes due to it is very confuse and they need to think and link everything together by themselves.

Other than that, this film uses silhouette lighting in few scenes such as soldiers holding gun shooting scene, a soldier and a kid behind a white cloth scene and etc. Few of this scenes obviously are using silhouette lighting. Silhouette lighting is use to make the outline of the object or people to become more outstanding. Besides, "Selubung" have few voice over in few scenes. For instance, the scene where person in charge of university trying to persuade E.J not to stop her studies and marry with Brother Musa as well as letter from Halim to Mastura to inform her about his life and feeling in Palestine. Furthermore, parallel editing used frequently in this film no matter flashback scene or different situations at same time. Example of flashback scene is when E.J and Mastura think of the died of E.J's child.

The scene of Palestine war such as bombing , gun shooting by soldiers outside while Halim and Wn Ng trying hard to rescue people who injured. In addition, the scene of Mastura lying in hospital with accompanied of Kamal and at the same time RESCAID is having a welcome concert for kids from Palestine. Both of this scene can be consider as parallel editing for different situation at the same time.

Two main female actress in "Selubung" have different behavior. Mastura is a modern , self-driven and independent woman. She wear progressive and modern costumes. She practices western culture a lot where we can see it obviously in her costumes and movement. Although she is very modernist , but she also practicing her own religious - Islam. Where we can see it through she wear baju kurung and tudung when she meet with her grandfather. She also practices monogamy where she cannot accept Kamal when she found out he have a wife.

Whereas, E.J is a traditional woman that is extreme to her religious. She believe everything said by the religious extremist - Brother Musa. She is a simple and conservative woman where we can find out from her clothing. She wear baju kurung and tudung all the time. However, she can accept a husband with more than one wife. It shows in she willing to marry with Brother Musa although she knows he already have a wife- Hani.

In conclusion, as time goes by female is no longer weaker party in society nowadays. "Selubung" have portray that female also can become independent without male. The story line is very outstanding compare to old films that always portray about man's power. Female can be combination of traditional and modernization . It can be consider as a good film at that time it produced due to the technologies and technique are not advance compare to now.

Fong Mei Ling 0902004