Writer: Anne Jamaludin

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Watch this if you liked: “Syurga Cinta”

'Virginity' is what our local community see as a taboo subject for it is a disgrace for young unwedded maidens to be deflowered willingly or by force. However, the current modernised world have become slightly opened to such issues especially if one were to take the statistics shared in the earlier part of this movie as more fact than purely fiction.

"Aku Masih Dara" tries to tackle such a delicate issue in an up-close yet subtle approach especially since it involves Malay, (pardon Muslim) girls living the high-life in the heart of the city where raunchy nightclubs and discos have become their haven from constricting families as well as a thirst for freedom. Drugs, one-night stands and alcohol are their escapades, a 'medicine' for their lonely souls. The three girl besties in the movie, Aleesya, Sofea and Hani (played by Norliana Shamsudin, Raja Farah and Diana Amir respectively) entrapped and lost in their darkness, showed how practical friendships are for young girls when their bond is put through a test with the appearance of Aleesya's charming (in a religious kind of a way) cousin, Firdaus (Asyraf Muslim).

Expect few sporadically funny moments involving Aleesya and her 'goody two shoes' of a cousin when the latter becomes adamant in trailing the former for an all-girls outing, causing them to cover-up their misdeeds. There are also some soulful scenes that will make the audience feel coerced to look deep inside their hearts and contemplate when they walk out of the cinema.

Norliana's performance as a spoilt rich man's only child is decent enough, placing her in a comfort zone but it was not enough to stand out through the cliche plot. The actresses left quite a number of vacant spaces for improvements however Raja Farah's acting became somewhat developed during her character's interactions with Firdaus, making audiences believe that the main romantic theme's spotlight focuses more on the supporting casts rather than the female lead. Farid Kamil also joined the cast as Zachery, Hani's ecstasy-dealer boyfriend who will make the audience secretly wish his character will drop dead the instant he appears. Diana Amir's acting as the promiscuous Hani passes more as a slightly irritating floozie than alluring, a setback to the actress' potentials and talents.

Overall, the movie fared better than "Syurga Cinta", proving that it was a smart move for the director to have remained light on the heavier religious themes without threading anymore sensitive lines, especially when it comes to Muslim girls' choice of wardrobe as an example. For example when Hani assured Aleesya to wear a headscarf just for the sake of covering the lovebites on her neck, claiming that most Muslim girls nowadays wears them only to cover their sinful imprints. The reviewer believes the story is too perverse for the audience's delicate yet refined taste.

Besides that, this reviewer is thankful to eye-candy Asyraf Muslim and his million-dollar smile that made it bearable to stay seated throughout the movie.

Cinema Online, 01 December 2010