A 'Journey' into culture

It doesn't boast a single superstar – indeed very few of the cast have even acted before – yet “The Journey” broke box office records in Malaysia when it was released earlier this year, earning a massive RM17.2 million (Bt172 million) and knocking the former record holder, 2011’s “KL Gangster”, firmly off its perch. 

“The Journey” was shown in conjunction with “End Credits”, a documentary that tells the stories of the film’s amateur – and elderly – cast.

But what is it about this Chinese-language movie that makes it so special in a market ruled by Malay- language films?

We put the question to “The Journey” director Chiu Keng Guan last week as he took part in the 12th World Film Festival of Bangkok.

“It’s true that our backers were worried about box office takings. It was a gamble but it paid off big time,” Chiu says with a grin. “But I think part of its appeal is that the film uses not only just Mandarin but also the Chinese dialects of Cantonese and Hokkien as well as English and Malay. The dialects change according to part of the country being shown in the film. Chinese dialects are different in Malaysia. While in the North and the South, the Hakka dialect dominates, in the Central region we use Cantonese. However we use all Chinese dialects as well as Malay and English in daily life,” he says.

“The Journey” is the last chapter in Chiu’s Chinese New Year family film trilogy, which included “Woohoo” and “Great Day”.

The story starts with the return of Bee (Joanna Yew Hong Im) to Malaysia after more than a decade studying in the UK. However, she has not come alone. With her is her very British fiance Benji (Ben Andrew Pfeiffer). Bee introduces her suitor to her conservative father Chuan (Frankie Lee), who refuses to give his permission for the couple of marry. Circumstances conspire to make him change his mind but only on the condition that they adhere to Chinese traditions, one of which is that Benji must accompany his future father-in-law on a trip across the country to deliver invitations to Chuan’s old friends. Despite language barriers and hesitation from both parties, the two men come to realise that their priorities are essentially one and the same.

Chiu adds that while he is delighted to have broken existing box office records for Chinese language films too, he doesn’t think of “The Journey” as being, well, particularly Chinese. 

“Non-Chinese audiences have very much contributed to its success. I went round some universities and many young non-Chinese told me that they don’t think it’s a Chinese movie but more of a Malaysian film. Uncle Chuan reminds them of their neighbour. They all have an Uncle Chuan in their lives,” he says.

Chiu, who enrolled at the Beijing Film Academy after realising his dreams of becoming a filmmaker, says he chose to go there rather than to the West both out of financial considerations and because the school counts such famous directors as Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige among its alumni.

“The Journey” counts Penang, Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Kedah, Ipoh and Perak among its locations, though the bulk of the footage was filmed in the Cameron Highlands.

And the only professional is Pfeiffer, a stage actor in his home country of Australia.

“It’s an interesting challenge to bring in people with no experience but who might have a hankering to be part of a film. The story lent itself to using amateurs and they certainly add a strong sense of realism to the plot,” he says.

Chiu travelled across the country and organised casting events to find his perfect characters. That trip give birth to Bak Chee Hong’s documentary “End Credits”.

If “The Journey” is the fictional tale of Chinese life in Malaysia, “End Credits” is a portrait of how things really are. The camera highlights the ordinary people who eventually joined the project as the cast. Among them are 73-year-old Lee, who portrayed the father Chuan. Most are retired and spending their golden years with their offspring. But they take great delight in the new experience of working as actors.

Bak and Chiu have been working together since “Great Day”. “We’ve always had vague ideas about doing something different from the usual ‘making of’’ but until ‘The Journey’ came along, we didn’t really have the opportunity,” Bak says.

“After we’d finishing interviewing the leading characters, a friend said to us, ‘if you don’t do it now, when will you do it?’ So we followed our dreams and asked everyone to follow their dreams too.”

 The success of “The Journey” has given them hope that they can produce more cross-language movies in their homeland.

Chiu though, after three films about family matters, says his next project focuses on football. 

“I want to talk about Malaysian football back in the ’70s and ’80s. That was a great period for the game,” he says.