Writer: Sharon Chu

Writer Ratings:
Overall:
Cast:
Plot:
Effects:
Cinematography:

Watch this if you liked: "Sepet"

Compared to "Sepet", "Gubra" is much more emotional. It's certainly darker, more intense, raw, and basically, a grown-up version of "Sepet". It's still charming, funny and sentimental, but this time, things are not as flowery as it was when compared to the last movie. I can guarantee that you will like "Gubra", maybe even a little more than you liked "Sepet".

The complex tale of "Gubra" has two seemingly different sets of stories told together in a single film. The beginning of "Gubra" starts off with a dishevelled looking Orked (played by petite actress Sharifah Amani Yahya) heading towards the hospital with her husband (played by Adlin Aman Ramlie), as her father has had a sudden heart attack. This family emergency leads to Orked's fateful meeting with Jason's younger brother, Alan Lee Seow Meng (played by Alan Yun).

At a different side of town, a faithful Muslim cleric and his cheerful wife lead an ordinary and stable life, but disturbance comes in the form of a problematic couple living next door to them. Although the man and his wife are non-judgemental of their neighbours, they soon find themselves involved in the dangers that come with their neighbours' way of life, which is filled with prostitution and drug abuse.

One can go through life expecting no miracles to happen at all, or one can lead life as if everything is a miracle, according to director Yasmin Ahmad (who quoted Albert Einstein). And Yasmin is certainly right, there is absolutely no way we can make sense of the world sometimes, though through it all we can gain something from it, like the love of family and friends. We can also gain laughter and most important of all, life lessons. Here is a film that tells us that life is not easy, yet we should remain unchanged, instead of becoming something we are not.

It's evident that the entire cast of "Gubra" works very well as a team, as lead actors - Sharifah Amani Yahya, Alan Yun, Nam Ron and Rozie Rashid - give engaging performances. Heartfelt performances can be seen from the actors' interaction with each other, as well as with the audience. In addition, the strong supporting cast, including Harith Iskandar, Ida Nerina, Adibah Noor and Adlin Aman Ramlie, provide light and dark moments to the audience as their comedic touches and intensity create more interesting twists for "Gubra".

Unpretentious, hilarious, and conflictual, "Gubra" makes me laugh and cry at the same time. It doesn't matter that Yasmin tells her story in a slow and sentimental way, much like reading a poem that one likes very much. What matters is that this is a film that speaks the heart of everybody who's ever been touched and hurt at the same time, by love. It's a complicated matter to be in love sometimes, but as "Gubra" tells it, it is both joyful and sad.

Cinema Online, 23 September 2008