One of my biggest problems with Sepet is the "hero" being a peddlar of pirated videos. That is not real and that is not right. What kind of message is the writer/director sending? That fact alone caused me to not like Sepet, even though i try to look for more redeeming features in the movie. A nice boy with some education does not need a job peddling pirated movies. And such a person should never be elevated to the status of a "hero" in any movie. 'Nuff said.
There's a difference between heroes and protagonists. Enough said.
sharewelcome to the real world. not everythng will fall into either "black" or "white". not everyone wears a cape or a mask and can leap over tall buildings. isnt a vcd peddler entitled to love?
shareThe character is never meant to be a "hero" and neither has audiences all over elevate him into the godly status.
Things like that is possible in Malaysia. That's why Kak Yam covered the whole conversation with Orked's mother with the one liner: "Jason's got 7/9 As."
All these politkus debate over the bumiputra issue... Malaysia is heading back into it's Malay Malaysia again. Wait, it never left that era.
dude,
this is a movie, and movies should not be used to be a moral yardstick. if you think this is abhorrent, then i wonder what u think of movies such as the godfather (mafias), traffic (drugs), transamerica (transexuality), etc.
movies teach us compassion, because through movies we are able to discover that there are different people than us, people who have different set of dilemmas, who live different lives..
sepet does not inspire me to get involved in the pirated dvd business. rather, it opens my eyes to the fact that such people exist: poor, struggling people. it teaches me that not every kid who's just graduated sekolah menengah wants to go to college and be a doctor, u know? these people exist. and also, it opens my eyes not to write off people as easily, because we might dismiss people like jason as rough and uneducated, but we got to see that he's sensitive, quiet and loves poem.
I don't get you?
"...peddlar of pirated videos. That is not real and that is not right"
First, the not real part. What are you trying to say? It is not real because there are no Malaysians selling pirated videos? That's just so ridiculous.
Second, the not right part. That's part of the story, where Ah Loong had NO CHOICE but to sell pirated videos because he was DENIED a chance to further his education.
Also, your idea of hero elevation is so shallow. I enjoy Borat, but he's certainly not my hero.
They say “to each his own”.
But your reasons are shallow, unreasonable and purely subjective.
Nuff said.
I totally agree with the post above me. A protagonist is NOT a hero. And is that the ONLY FACT that made you not like Sepet? My condolences, then. You must have hated Goodfellas, The Godfather, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull.. etc. Grow up, and then come back and talk about movies ok?
shareFirstly, to those who responded to my original post, please note that i placed the word hero between inverted commas. I never considered the protagonist character a hero, but many in the audience would have thought him as one.
Secondly, only stupid people sell pirated VCDs. And this boy with the impressive exam results is certainly not stupid. And that's the crime. If you have to break the law and commit a crime, at least don't let it be something so stupid. It just doesn't make sense AT ALL.
Where in the world do you live? Go to Asia, to Southamerica, and you will find so many educated, intelligent people, who have no other way to make a living than pirating VCD and DIVX. I have seen it myself. Wake up. This is not a moral question. This is real life.
shareobviously mr vinson isnt a Malaysian, or even an Asian for that matter ...;P
share"Only stupid people sell pirated DVDs..."
In the northeast US, and probably elsewhere, there are students who attend MIT, one of the best universities in the world, who work part time as taxi drivers. There are students who work in ill-reputed occupations just so that they'll have a little more money on the side. Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, Jason can't afford to go abroad to further his education?
And that's not even the best part. Part of the allure of Sepet lies in the fact that is a realistic representation of Malaysia. There are DVD vendors everywhere. Did you ever see that one BBC documentary that cites Malaysia as one of the BIGGEST black market industries in Asia? No, you probably haven't. Too bad, maybe then you wouldn't have written such a ridiculous post.