Writer: Dzamira Dzafri

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Watch this if you liked: "KIL", "500 Days of Summer" and "Love Actually".

If you're into something fun, vibrant and entertaining to watch at the cinema without it being completely soulless, "Kolumpo" will brighten up your day. A lot of movies, even big budget Hollywood ones will no doubt entertain you but their story lacks depth and you will end up leaving the theatre feeling unsatisfied, or even confused.

While "Kolumpo" isn't as pretty to look at as "KIL", the film doesn't have a melancholic feel at all to match its artsy persona. "Kolumpo" might have seemed like an artistic video collaboration between friends in college, the quality of the stories, the direction and the quick witted writing will make you think otherwise.

The film is collaboration between three directors, who are Shiekh Munasar, Bront Palarae and Rozi Izma. Each of them directed a short story of their own based on their take on what the city of Kuala Lumpur is.

The first story, directed by Bront Palarae, tells the story of an Indian man (played by Azad Jazmin) who travels to Malaysia to find work and live the Kuala Lumpur city life. The second is about a Chinese woman who is stuck with trying to send an old Malay lady she doesn't know back to her home and is directed by Rozi Izma. The third is directed by Sheikh Munasar starring Sharifah Amani and Amirul Ariff about a boy who meets a girl and how he learns to find himself in the big bad city.

What's great about this film is that it will give you three entirely different stories so you won't get bored and it won't drag, but the stories all merge together. It isn't just because it is around the same timeline but the art, cinematography and feel are all sort of the same but with a few outstanding qualities in each of them.

Palarae's way of directing is blunt, candid and he also has a subtle but cheeky sense of humour while he tells the story. Actor Azad Jazmin also portrays his character really well and his style matches Palarae's. A lot of credit should also be given to the actor because he noticeably can play many different types of roles well in other films and he pretty much stole the show as the timid but brave man from India. Other actors like Mano Maniam and Randhi Khalid should also be given credit.

The legendary actress Ruminah Sidek stars in the second story directed by Rozi Izma. Alongside actress Nell Ng, who shone bright on her own as the old woman who seemed to not have a home, but Ng stood out especially when she was telling her own story with using just her facial expressions!

The third and last film, directed by Munasar is a short version of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl movie like "500 Days of Summer" or "Annie Hall" but is set in our own city of Kuala Lumpur. It was fun, light, short and the characters mixed in with a few darker secrets of KL were a great recipe for a short film about a guy finding one's self.

Sharifah Amani played her character Hayy with delight and it looked like she did take a few hints from iconic Manic Pixie Dream Girls, but the downside to the short film and her character is that she seemed to be written just to help the lead man find his true potential and she was used just as a prop, and that storyline has been used so much it could have been vaguely boring. But Munasar's part did have a lot of colour in his characters, and even if it did have its flaws it was still pretty great to watch.

"Kolumpo" is a mixture of the best and worst qualities of KL, with three relatable yet charming storylines and a whole lot of heart, sweat and tears. It is the perfect feel good film for the end of the year, especially for people with short attention spans.


Cinema Online, 27 November 2013