''Sepet'' ( English: ''Slit Eyes'') is a 2005 Malaysian Malay-language

teen Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age o ...

romantic

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film set in

Ipoh Ipoh (, ) is the capital city of the Malaysian States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Perak. Located on the Kinta River, it is nearly north of Kuala Lumpur and southeast of George Town, Penang, George Town in neighbouring Penang ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. Directed by

Yasmin Ahmad Yasmin binti Ahmad (7 January 1958 – 25 July 2009) was a Malaysian film director, writer and scriptwriter. She was the executive creative director at Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur. Her television commercials and films are well known in Malaysia fo ...

, it tells of a love that blooms between a Chinese boy and a Malay girl. ''Sepet'' is a Malay word which, in this context, refers to the 'slit eyes' of the Chinese.

Plot

19-year-old Ah Loong (who also called himself "Jason") is in charge of a

market stall A market stall or a booth is a structure used by merchants to display and house their merchandise in a street market, fairs and convention (meeting), conventions. Some commercial marketplaces, including market squares or flea markets, may permit m ...

selling

pirated Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, ...

VCD Video CD (abbreviated as VCD, and also known as Compact Disc Digital Video), (not to be confused with CD Video which is a type of LaserDisc, Laserdisc) is a home video format and the first format for distributing films on standard optical di ...

s, but is an incurable romantic with an unlikely hobby: he loves to read and write

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

. One day, his life takes a sudden turn one day when a Malay schoolgirl, Orked, comes to his stall looking for

films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...

starring her favourite

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Takeshi Kaneshiro is a Japanese actor and singer based in Taiwan. Beginning his career as a pop idol, he has since moved his focus from music to film. Kaneshiro has worked with renowned directors throughout East Asia, including Wong Kar-wai ('' Chungking Expres ...

. Jason and Orked start a romantic relationship, although social and racial pressures stand in their way. Jason is involved in a

road accident A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. Tr ...

while Orked is going to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

to pursue her studies. In a post credits scene, Orked is shown sleeping beside Jason, both wearing a

wedding ring A wedding ring or wedding band is a finger ring that indicates that its wearer is married. It is usually forged from metal, traditionally gold or another precious metal. Rings were used in ancient Rome during marriage. In western culture, a ...

Cast

* Choo Seong Ng as Jason aka Ah Loong * Sharifah Amani as Orked * Linus Chung as Keong * Mei Ling Tan as Mah, Ah Loong's mother * Ida Nerina as Mak, Orked's mother *

Harith Iskander Harith Iskander bin Musa (born 7 August 1966) is a Malaysian actor and comedian. He is considered to be "the Godfather of Stand-Up Comedy" in Malaysia (self claimed), having also won the Asia's Best Stand-Up Comedian Award 2014 by Top 10 of Asi ...

as Abah, Orked's father * Adibah Noor as Kak Yam * Kar Hoong Thor as Pah, Ah Loong's father * Zehan Marissa as Lin

Awards

Sequels

The sequel to ''Sepet'', called '' Gubra'', was filmed in Ipoh, Malaysia and released in 2006. The third movie in Yasmin Ahmad's ''Orked'' trilogy is a prequel to both ''Sepet'' and '' Gubra'', titled '' Mukhsin''.

Adaptations

Theatre company Liver & Lung debuted a musical adaptation of Sepet in September 2019. Shafeeq Shajahan directed the adaptation, with music and lyrics by Shajahan and Badrish. The adaptation was a critical success, winning Best Direction at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in 2020. Joshua Anthony Gui and Badrika Baluch played the roles of Jason and Orked in the adaptation, receiving positive reviews. Theatre critic website Critic Republic wrote that the musical had an "unexpected quality, where audiences all cried, laughed and smiled together." Songs from the musical were released on Spotify in July 2021, to celebrate Yasmin Ahmad's 12 year death anniversary.

References

External links

Official site
* {{Yasmin Ahmad 2004 films Cantonese-language Malaysian films 2000s romantic comedy-drama films 2000s English-language films Films directed by Yasmin Ahmad Hokkien-language films Malay-language films 2000s Mandarin-language films Malaysian romantic comedy-drama films Films about interracial romance Films set in Malaysia Chinese-language Malaysian films Films with screenplays by Yasmin Ahmad 2004 comedy-drama films 2004 multilingual films Malaysian multilingual films English-language romantic comedy-drama films