In what has proven to be an international success, Malaysia’s Abang Adik has been selected to represent the nation at the upcoming Academy Awards.
Each year, the Academy Awards invites countries to send their finest cinematic creations to compete for Best International Feature Film. With only one slot per nation and one chance per year, the stakes are high, compelling countries to put forth the best of their cinematic artistry.
This year’s Academy Awards are set to take place on March 3. Abang Adik, Malaysia’s submission, was first released in 2023.
As of 2024, ASEAN nations have only scored two nominations and no wins in Best International Feature. With the global rise in popularity of Asian cinema, hopes are up for that to change this year.
Abang Adik: despair and hope in inner city Malaysia
Abang Adik was filmed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and adopts a mix of languages from Cantonese, Mandarin, Malay, sign languages and English.
The film follows two undocumented laborers in Malaysia who are simultaneously on the verge of achieving official identification and deportation. Their shared bond and struggle push the brothers forward, even if the means of making a better life are not always agreeable to one another.
At least, that is how the film starts. Through a shocking and unyielding plot, Abang Adik elevates itself from a drama with strong social commentary into an unexpected thriller.
It’s hard to believe Abang Adik is Jin Ong’s directorial debut. While there are minor signs of inexperience, the film demonstrates remarkable maturity in its craft, offering valuable lessons for aspiring directors.
One standout part of the film is the performance of Wu Kang Ren as the deaf-mute older brother, named Abang. Wu lost 10 kilograms, as reported by Straits Times early last year, and immersed himself in local life around Kuala Lumpur before filming started.
Wu’s naturalist performance has led to viral clips of his sign language outbursts circulating on social media. In Wu’s native Taiwan, Abang Adik was recognized as a box-office sleeper hit. The New Straits Times, an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia, reported the film netted NTD40 million, or around USD1.2 million, within just 10 days of its release.
Furthermore, Wu’s win at the prestigious 60th Golden Horse Awards celebrating the best in Chinese Language Film, has helped catapult Abang Adik towards international fame.
In November 2024, the film also won the top prize at the prestigious Asian World Film Festival in Los Angeles, defeating 15 other entrants.
Concern for undocumented migrants
In April 2024, Malaysia was home to 188,200 asylum seekers, mainly composed of ethnic Rohingyas fleeing persecution, according to an article published by Singapore-based multinational news channel CNA in June last year. This has caused international concern as migrants would be forced into dangerous, low-paying jobs.
In a late 2023 study by the International Organization for Migration under the United Nations, 85% of the 40 undocumented migrants surveyed reported experiencing practices classified as “forced labor”, including the withholding of passports.
Other exploitative practices found in the study include unrealistic productive targets, dangerous workplaces and excessive salary deductions. Some paid exorbitantly high recruitment fees of up to USD5,000.
The study also found that the primary motivation behind migration to Malaysia was economic opportunity, with participants citing asylum or claiming refugee status being sparse. The report recommended better pre-departure and post-arrival orientation for migrants to ensure they understand their rights as laborers.
“Clearly, Malaysians are not doing the dirty, difficult, dangerous jobs. Therefore, [migrants] are doing a service to us. We should not look at them as an enemy of society,” ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights Chair Charles Santiago said last year.
Abang Adik is not just a well-made film, it is a film with something important to say, and from the discourse surrounding its characters, Jin Ong can be satisfied in knowing he has made a culturally resonant piece of art.
