Bersih 2.0: A Film Review

The short story: Deftly balancing action, humour, political drama and social issues, ‘Bersih 2.0’ weaves many separate story elements into one streamlined epic. Najib Abdul Razak has managed to create a film event outside of Hollywood’s current ‘dark and gritty’ reboot sensibilities, while maintaining a distinctly Malaysian identity.


Pictures of the Bersih Rally courtesy of Wong Ee Chong.

The Setup

First-time director Ambiga (centre) is known for collaborating with
prominent politicians both inside and outside of Malaysia.

Only a few months prior, the Bersih 2.0 film project was an indie film under the helm of first-time director Ambiga Sreenevasan. Although a respected veteran producer in the film industry, pundits placed low bets on Bersih 2.0 and the general consensus was that it would bomb at the box office.

As luck would have it, however, the Malaysian government saw the project’s potential and promptly took over the project, financing its special-effects budget, manpower needs, publicity and viral marketing while retaining Ambiga as director and primary screenwriter.

The result is an unforgettable film that emerges from the droll of the typical summer blockbuster period – a modern piece that asks enough serious questions on serious issues yet distinguishes itself from the dark and gritty style that has come to define the post-Batman Begins film scene. Najib Abdul Razak’s first producing credit is a well-deserved one. To examine how this became more than just another film – it was a film event – I will examine the entirety of the project, right down to the marketing preceding its release, its casting process and its popularity upon release.

The Cast

It is impossible to speak of Bersih’s success without acknowledging the stellar ensemble cast the film has managed to gather together. One of the greatest highlights of the cast is comedian Ibrahim Ali, most famous for his role as the far-right conservative and extremist Perkasa leader. Making a cameo in Bersih in his most popular role, Ibrahim steals the show with what little time is allocated him – here the script compliments his abilities by throwing him plenty of outrageous lines and controversial statements to work with.

Ibrahim doing his most famous stand-up comedy routine,
the 'Racist Short Fat Guy'.

Also worthy of praise is Home Minister Hishamuddin’s tongue-in-cheek role in the film as…himself. Hishamuddin drives the bulk of the political drama’s plot twists and machinations – as Home Minister in the film, he undercuts Bersih’s attempts to hold their historic rally every way he can, even overriding PM Najib’s attempts at compromise. More on the plot later.

We died laughing.

Not forgetting producer Najib Abdul Razak in a breakout performance as (also) himself – for a first-time performer, Najib seems almost born to play the reluctant, flip-flopping leader at the middle of the drama. He even manages to cast his character as a slightly sympathetic, tragic anti-hero, a leader of a political party that is railing against him; this is also balanced nicely by the comic relief provided by Rosmah Mansor and her hilarious onscreen antics (involving ridiculously-sized diamond rings, comically ugly and expensive handbags and a disgusting amount of makeup).

It’s also worth noting veteran actor Anwar Ibrahim as Najib’s primary political foil – despite playing the politician on the side of popular dissent, Anwar’s character is cast more as a political chameleon holding firmly to his utilitarian beliefs. One scene in particular, where Anwar dramatically feigns injury, adds both weight and levity to the film; a paradox that has to be seen to be understood.

Bersih wasn't Anwar's first dramatic role.

The Story

It is the retrospective view of the film that grants Bersih 2.0 much of its weight. For every issue the film brings up, it also raises a counterpoint to question those initial notions and ultimately leave the audience to decide. Who really won on the 9^th of July? The people? The politicians? And who is really behind the whole Bersih debacle? (Hint: It’s not necessarily Bersih or the Opposition).

Pictured: The mastermind laughs in glee.

As mentioned earlier, the film is both a clever political drama and a satirical piece not short of humour. There is even a dash of summer blockbuster action, no doubt an exaggerated account of the protestor-police aggression, added to the mix. Half the film depicts the weeks leading up to Bersih, and this is where the bulk of the political drama occurs. From Bersih’s attempts to obtain a police permit, to its designation as an illegal entity, and later the PM’s last-ditch compromise for a stadium (only to be overridden by his Home Ministry) keeps the pace of the film going steadily, with the occasional interjection by Ibrahim Ali, the IGP, a Silat organisation and Khairy Jamaluddin to lighten things up. Overall, writer-director Ambiga strikes just the right balance between serious and funny; this film finds its kin more in Iron Man, than, say, The Dark Knight.

The scenes chronicling the rally itself are of course the main highlight. While we have been treated to an overdose of ‘shaky-cam’-style cinematography with many recent horror flicks, here the format works by providing much of the realistic feel for the rally. (Plus, the camerawork isn’t really that shaky). The chaotic set pieces here – KL as a warzone, overrun with tear gas and blasts of water raining down on the crowds – do much more in terms of action than a Michael Bay-esque series of explosions.

But it is in the post-rally third act where Najib’s producing touch really becomes apparent. Some clever splicing of scenes and flashbacks keeps the pace fresh and the laughs coming – one memorable scene has Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai proclaiming loudly “There was NO tear gas fired into Tung Shin Hospital!” followed by a quick flashback to a gas canister flying over the walls of said hospital. And like many other ‘true story’ films, it ends with an almost sombre collection of facts and figures, complete with heart-tugging imagery.

The Marketing Campaign

He made Bersih an offer they couldn't refuse.
Then he took it away.
It just screams 'Academy Award'.

Like many great films, it was a viral marketing campaign which propelled Bersih 2.0 into the national consciousness. And most of the credit actually goes to the cast themselves for their ‘in-character’ marketing strategy. In fact, the campaign mimicked much of the film’s first act in that it featured characters from both sides of the political divide (and some in between) in a war of words over the campaign. But two brilliant tactics sent anticipation skyrocketing; one was the ingenious use of both the mainstream and non-mainstream media to generate some antagonistic controversy. Millions followed the mock newspaper headlines of the day, usually containing one or two controversial remarks from Ibrahim Ali or Hishamuddin, while the cyberspace campaign focused on milking the hilarity and controversy.

The second tactic was the ability of the campaign to interact with the public. Followers of the campaign were able to hold ‘Town Hall’ sessions with politicians, recite poems with national laureate A. Samad Said and sign petitions, among other things. The level of realism made for a deadpan campaign that coolly ran with its obviously tongue-in-cheek references. The public, predictably, had high expectations of the film.

Reception

Bersih 2.0 opened to a record domestic box-office take, and posted encouraging earnings in its limited international release. While it underperformed in countries such as the US (analysts point to its re-titling as ‘Clean 2.0’) and Thailand (where censors feared that certain lines such as ‘waging war against the King’ might instigate lese-majeste charges), the film met with general public enthusiasm in Russia, China, and Cuba.

'Missio dei'!

Critically, Bersih 2.0 received rave reviews. The Wall Street Journal noted that the film ‘pulled out all the stops’ in delivering an entertaining as well as thought-provoking film. Critics in Vatican City noted with approval the film’s ‘strong pro-faith themes’, commending what they described as the ‘advancement of the Christian agenda subtext’. Similarly, Chinese critics found appreciation for the film’s more subtle thematic issues concerning the ‘communist agenda, which has long been misunderstood and…[manipulated]’, undoubtedly a reference to a scene where Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members were being arrested. Even Kim Jong-il enjoyed the film; he is reported to have screened the film for his circle of advisors to promote ‘its values and principles, which mesh perfectly with the Juche concept our Eternal Leader has left us’.

He likes it better than K-pop.

Most notably, the film may have potentially thawed, to some degree, the relations between Malaysia and Israel. Israeli critics, and even some notable Israeli politicians, have commented how it ‘is surprising, and heartening, that the Malaysian government would permit the screening of a film with such obvious Zionist leanings’. Could actual bilateral relations between Malaysia and Israel materialise?

A common point of agreement between many critics was that Bersih 2.0 was largely successful in its attempt to capture the ‘epic’ nature of such a story, with one noting that ‘the attention to detail in its setting and design comes second only to the Lord of the Rings trilogy’ and that director Ambiga Sreenevasan had ‘created the definitive Malaysian political film of the decade’.

Most importantly, the film is entirely, and undoubtedly, Malaysian; its themes of corruption and people power, the shady political dealings of establishment as well as the opposition,  and the beautifully-shot cinematography show off the good (and bad) of the country. The only thing missing was a plate of nasi lemak (though for just RM 5.99 you could get a Nasi Lemak + Teh Tarik combo at most GSC/TGV outlets to go with your cinematic experience).

And now we leave you with more beautiful screenshots from the film: