Love in a war that ate everything, even the lovers' names.
Set during the confrontation between the Japanese Army and the Communist Party of Malaya in the year 1944. Four friends - Ahmad, Osman , Puteh and Harun choose to serve the Japanese Police Force in order to survive. Amidst a sea of uncertainties, Ahmad falls in love with Siew Lan and Puteh falls in love with Fatimah - both girls from different worlds , different cultures, even opposing sides. And Osman - a friend of theirs and a spy for the Japanese Police - chooses to serve his own vendetta.
Acting
Namron's Ahmad — survival etched in every hesitation.
Production
Recreated 1940s Malaya with painful, lived-in detail.
Writing
Osman's vendetta: the script's ticking bomb you forget is armed.
Director
Adman Salleh
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Paloh mines the rarely-filmed Malayan Emergency's prehistory, when Japanese occupation forced impossible choices on Malay, Chinese, and Indian communities alike.
The title refers to a real Johor village where Communist guerrillas operated; Adman Salleh shot on location, casting locals who remembered the occupation.
US
