Silver Screen: Kaki Bakar. (The Arsonist)

U-Wei Haji Saari is a very passionate filmmaker. I am saying this because I believe that whatever you do in your life, if you do it with so much passion, you will surely rise up high sooner or later. U-Wei Haji Saari has certainly risen up high cos he is the first Malaysian filmmaker to be invited to have his movie screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 1995.

U-Wei Haji Saari, who hails from his hometown Pahang in Malaysia, studied filmmaking at the New York School for Social Research in New York City.

In Malaysia, commercial filmmakers have to succumb to the strict and almost absurd regulations of the Film Censorship Board in order to have their films gaining access to the public.

This means that any film that contains the element of negative influences that will threaten 'the national security and racial harmony' will risk being banned by the Film Censorship Board.

U-Wei Haji Saari’s critically acclaimed film called 'Kaki Bakar' (The arsonist) is one such film, which was banned by the Film Censorship Board for 6 years before it was given 'green light' in 2004 to have limited screenings at selected cinemas.

The story of Kaki Bakar is so sincere and honest that it is considered intimidating and insulting by certain parties. The story is an adaptation of a short story called 'Barn Burning' by William Faulkner. The story is about Kakang, an immigrant from Indonesia, who migrated to Malaysia. Before he migrated to Malaysia, he was a warrior back in Java. He had fought the Dutch. The Dutch had left for good but the spirit and pride of a warrior is still trapped inside him. The thing he knows best is to fight against oppression.

The movie starts off with a scenario, where Kakang (Kalid Salleh), is accused of setting fire to a house. In the movie, Kalid Salleh delivers a very convincing portrayal of the character.

His son Kesuma who is the witness refuses to testify against his father by remaining silence when he is questioned by the chef of the village. Eventually, the chef commands them to leave the village for good.

So, Kakang packs his belongings together with his wife, two daughters and son on the back of a truck and be on the journey in quest of a place to settle down again. At night, they halt in the middle of no where to camp out.

Over and over again through out the movie, Kakang tries hard to instill in Kasuma with the Javanese spirit. As a result, Kesuma has to constantly wrestle with his inner conflicting feelings towards his father, who he loves and hates at the same time.

The story climaxes when Kakang and Kesuma go to a bungalow in a village with a job prospect in mind but only to be 'shooed' away by the maid and the mistress of the bungalow.

On their way back, they bump into Tuan Kassim (Jamaluddin Kadir), the owner of the bungalow and the rubber estate, who then gives Kakang the job as rubber taper.

The following day, Tuan Kassim's assistant sends a carpet to Kakang to have it washed by the whole family. Unfortunately, the carpet is ruined due to wrong carpet-washing-method. So, Tuan Kassim demands Kakang to pay RM400 (USD100) for the ruined carpet.

Tuan Kassim knows well enough that Kakang is not in a good financial position to pay him the money. So, Tuan Kassim suggests deducting the money from Kakang's salary. It is so clear that the ruined-carpet-incident has been plotted to exploit Kakang.

At night, Kakang sits outside his house and starts singing a song with lyrics such as:" Human beings should be considerate toward each other", with his eyes brimmed with tears.

He eventually regards the matter to the chef of the village. Somehow, the chef of the village and the juries think that he ought to pay for the ruined carpet.

With raging Javanese spirit, he goes on to torch the rubber storeroom. The movie has a tragic ending cos Kakang is shot dead by Tuan Kassim. Personally, I think the real arsonist is Tuan Kassim, who has torched the spirit, pride and dignity of mankind. Sad but true, there are so many such idiots on earth.

So, here you go, the first Malaysian film that made it to the Cannes Film Festival geared with good adapted script, brilliant casting, and superb cinematography and most importantly, great directing.