Written by Shazwan Zulkiffli
8.5/10
It probably isn’t the best feeling in the world to be running around in a maze with an angry Sharifah Amani and a helpless Rosyam Nor trodding behind spewing doubts over Sharifah Amani’s investigative skills, but award-winning director Nadiah Hamzah’s debut film ‘MOTIF’ offers 86 minutes of exactly that, together with seat-grabbing twists, an unpredictable plot, and quips of Redza Minhat here and there.
‘MOTIF’ starts with the main character, Inspector Dewi (Sharifah Amani), being sent to investigate a missing teenager’s case, Anna (Khayrani Kemal), in a small town called Tanah Merah. However, the inspector was greeted negatively by the folks in town including her assigned partner Inspector Rizal (Taqim Zaki) and Anna’s father Hussein (Rosyam Nor), who is a prominent figure in Tanah Merah. From there, the story picked up its pace, and introduced a range of new possible suspects including Anna’s ex-boyfriend Azlan (Fadhli Masoot) and Hussein’s loan shark buddy Kamal (Azhan Rani).
Unlike a lot of movies of late, ‘MOTIF’ takes its sweet time in delivering its plot. It felt like Nadiah Hamzah and Zainudin Mohamad was taking the viewers to a trip across the country, with stunning views of Fraser Hill, Sungai Penchala and other parts of Malaysia were featured that honestly felt like a slow drive to the climax point. Some of the edits were a bit choppy, but none of it truly disrupted the flow that the director has set for the film.
Written by Nadiah Hamzah herself together with producer Honey Ahmad, MOTIF features seasoned stars from the old world of Malaysian cinema, and the bravehearts of the current gen. In a Twitter thread, Sharifah Amani revealed that Nadiah Hamzah ‘challenged’ her actors to take on roles that they’re not familiar with, which was one that paid off on her end. The chemistry between Sharifah Amani’s Dewi and Rosyam Nor’s Hussein is enthralling to say the least, as the pair exhibits their art in two different ways that worked very well with each other — a performance that can be considered as a rarity on the big screen.
Nadiah nie jenis suka kasi kita watak yang kita tak pernah bawak. Nelayan lah Inspector polis lah. Mencabar betul nak bawak watak watak tu. Pelakon harus di cabar. Kalau takde orang cabar macam mana kita nak push diri dan tingkatkan prestasi kita sebagai seorang pelakon, ye dak? pic.twitter.com/CWD3yIOJFi
— Sharifah Amani (@sharifahamani) September 24, 2019
Interestingly, MOTIF isn’t just your typical mild-noir crime thriller you’d watch to kill the time because Netflix is down, as it does delve deeper into its reflection of society’s stereotypes and values. As the film progresses, the writers managed to slot in a topic leading towards the taboo: polygamy. According to the director, polygamy isn’t just an ‘issue that binds everything together’, but rather the manner of how the story unravels with it, opening up room for a discussion on the very issue alone. The writers rationalised the first wife and the ‘other’ woman sides without giving the story a moral conclusion, which also reflects the current consensus on the matter. It’s a stark reminder and reflection, of current societal times and the impact that cinema can have to spark a conversation this controversial.
MOTIF has all the ingredients of a good murder mystery film: brilliant actors, cinematically-beautiful scenes and a jawdropping twist at the end, and though it has a few choppy scenes in betwee, it doesn’t do enough to marr the entire production. Technically, that’s all you need for a classic good time with friends, families and uh, lovers? (too soon?), making this a must watch for anyone looking for a thrill.
