Asian Film Festival of Dallas 2010

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“Can I have a second chance?”  “No.”

Get out your handkerchiefs.

While TALENTIME is named after a talent show, the film focuses more on the lives of its contestants, their families, and the many challenges they face getting through life.  The late director Yasmin Ahmad, who made seven films in six years, often said that it took a lot of pain and suffering to attain certain heights in life.

In TALENTIME, race and religion play a big part in those challenges.  Melur (Chong) is a young Malay girl who sings with a melodic voice; she falls for a deaf/mute Indian boy named Mahesh (Kishor), who delivers her invitation to Talentime. Another contestant, Hafiz (Mohd Syafie Naswip) must divide his time between the talent show and his ailing mother.   And just as the first half of the film is light and amusing, the second half is dramatic and heartwrenching.

Director

Yasmin Ahmad

Cast

Mahesh Jug al Kishor, Pamela Chong

Country

Malaysia

Language

English Subtitles, Malay, Tamil

Release Date

2009

Runtime

115 minutes

Exhibition Format

Digibeta