WHEN THE FULL MOON RISES

FEATURE PRESENTATION | FRI NOV 13 | 10:30 PM | INNIS TOWN HALL
Dir. Mamat Khalid, Malaysia 2008, 108:00, 35mm, Malay with English subtitles, Canadian Premiere, Starring: Rosyam Nor, Umie Aida, Avaa Vanja

Saleh is a down-on-his-luck newspaper reporter. Or, should I say—a former reporter, having been fired for turning in stories too sensational to be believed. Well, things for Saleh are about to get even more sensational. Driving through a remote part of the country, he blows a tire, which is not really strange, but the tire has blown out, not because of wear and tear nor the rough road, but because he drove over a dagger clutched in the hand of a skeleton embedded in the roadside. Sensing a story waiting to be written, Saleh checks into the only hotel in the neighboring town—a hotel that doubles as a brothel—to investigate the matter. What he finds is a town populated with diminutive gangsters, beautiful but dangerous cabaret singers, a mysterious spy and a local population that refuse to shed light on a string of mysterious disappearances. All Saleh can come up with are vague, whispered stories about a local phantom preying on men, warnings for him to leave before it is too late, and amorous attention from a trio of seductive women.

Mamat Khalid’s When the Full Moon Rises is a loving throwback to Malaysia’s rich film history, an everything-including-the-kitchen-sink—maybe even two of those—mash-up of cinematic styles that begins with hard-boiled noir before lobbing in musical numbers, slapstick comedy, an underground Nazi cult before finally veering into classic Roger Corman creature-feature territory. Shot in gorgeous black-and-white, it epitomizes everything that made Khalid fall in love with film in the first place and we’re wagering it’ll do the same for you.

—Todd Brown

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
One of Malaysia’s brightest young writer-directors, Mamat Khalid has embraced broad entertainment at a time when Malaysia is veering more into indie drama territory. His credits include a period martial-arts drama, the country’s first-ever zombie film and a rock-and-roll drama.

PRINT SOURCE:
Gayatri Su-lin Pillai, Tayangan Unggul Sdn. Bhd.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it