Writer: Cammy Zulkifli

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Watch this if you liked: A good, wholesome, down-to-earth love story.

"Kayangan" revolves around Maseira (Nur Fazura), a simple and down-to-earth lass who lives in a village in Kuala Pilah where she works as an assistant in her father's workshop. A university graduate in Sociology, Maseira is a bright young girl who has trouble securing a good job. At the same time, she is however undaunted by the pressure from her family who are pestering her to work in the big city, where she claims "is the heart of capitalism".

Actress Nur Fazura is no stranger to the silver screen. Her experience is reflected in "Kayangan" as the intelligent and non-conforming Maseira. Maseira's modest upbringing is an important factor to portray and Fazura adds a natural 'quick wit' personality to her character that's easy to digest.

However, Maseira's life is about to change when she chances upon Tengku Amir (Teuku Zacky), a royal prince who accidentally crashes into some cows while passing through her village but thankfully, no humour in this film is written in bad taste. This film, unlike many local films that oozes horrible humour (yes, I'm looking at you, "Zombi Kampung Pisang"), is not short of giggle-worthy moments. Even Maseira's old folks have such genuine 'village elder'-like qualities, like a warm sense of humour, and don't look like they're trying too hard. It reminds me a lot of my own clever parents.

To show his appreciation for nursing him after the accident, the dashing prince offers Maseira a job at his father's company. Maseira is reluctant at first, laying out an intellectual debate on why she wouldn't accept his offer, but Tengku Amir convinces her. The underlying message during the 'debate' scene is that Tengku Amir is not your typical rich spoilt brat and actor Teuku Zacky's calm and collected exterior puts that message forth. It is also here where the audience need to read between the lines to know that Maseira is beginning to develop feelings for Tengku Amir.

Sadly, actor Teuku Zacky has a lot going against him. "Kayangan" is only his second feature film to date, next to his repertoire of TV dramas. Not only has he got to act alongside industry hotshots like Nur Fazura and Dynaz Mokhtar, he is also the only Indonesian actor in the film. To add salt to injury, his strong Indonesian accent is shamefully 'covered up' using another actor's voice. On the other hand, Zacky has hard-earned his spotlight in the film and is never drowned amidst the more popular names of the cast. Even his dubbed voice is not apparent after a while and closely resembles his own.

I absolutely love the fact that they put very little make-up (if not none) on Fazura for her role. On Maseira's first day at work, her make-up is purposely off (dark burgundy lipstick!) but not to such extents that will make Maseira look like a complete fool. As simple as she is, Maseira is a highly-educated character and making her look like a clown would be a cheap shot at a funny moment. The colours she wears may be a little off but she does manage to make herself look presentable. Down the road, she blossoms into a corporate swan, now with better make-up (which she probably learned along the way) and a brand new wardrobe given to her by Tengku Amir's younger sister (played by Julia Ziegler).

The film focuses very closely on the progress of the two main characters (Maseira and Tengku Amir) that all supporting cast members including Opie Zami (who plays Tengku Amir's adopted brother), Eja (an engineer at Tengku Amir's company) and Julia Ziegler (Tengku Amir's sister) seem redundant. However, only Dynaz Mokhtar's role as Tengku Amir's bimbotic girlfriend Erina makes an impact to the story and she successfully carried her role as the girl you just love to hate.

The best aspect about "Kayangan" is that it is a love story that hits very close to home. It is never over-dramatised, with no ridiculous sentiments and certainly none of the "you jump, I jump" brand of theatrics. I am very happy that there's little crying in the film (as Malay love stories are inclined to have) and the music pulls every string of your emotions in the right place and at the right time. As an underdog, this film proves that you don't need great CG or an epic storyline to produce a great movie. Sweet, humble and absolutely realistic, "Kayangan" is possibly the best Malay movie to come out this year.

Cinema Online, 23 September 2008