A doctor escapes the city for paradise—only to find the islanders are at war with themselves.
Tsu Feh, a Chinese female doctor, converted to Islam and changed her name to Sofiah. After opening her clinic, she took a vacation to an island, far from busy life. But she was very disappointed to know that the island once thought to be harmonious when its villagers often quarreled among themselves.
Acting
Eman Manan's Alwi carries the island's weight in every weary glance.
Direction
Rahim Razali frames paradise rotting from within with painful patience.
Cinematography
Island beauty that slowly curdles into claustrophobic unease.
Director
Rahim Razali
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
1980s Malaysian cinema rarely centered female converts; this quietly radical choice by Razali opened doors for later Islamic feminist narratives in Southeast Asian film.
Rahim Razali cast himself as Cikgu Nik Osman after the original actor dropped out three days before shooting—he rewrote the role overnight to match his own physicality.
MY
