Movie
Bejalai
1989 · 99 min
A quiet, contemplative journey into tradition and self-discovery, told with experimental patience and a documentary-like eye.
- Directed by
- Stephen Teo
- Starring
- Dickie Issac, Saloma Kumpeing, James Maluda
- Overview
- The first Malaysian film to be selected for the Berlin Film Festival (in 1989) is an experimental feature about the custom among the native Iban community of Sarawak for young men to "bejalai" (go on a journey) before attaining maturity.
- How it feels
- Earnest, melancholic, warm and tense. Slow-burning and demanding.
- About
- Coming-of-age, identity, family, trauma
- Content
- Mild violence, sexual content and language. No gore.
- Note
- Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown
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- Directed by
- Stephen Teo
- Starring
- Dickie Issac, Saloma Kumpeing, James Maluda