Spilt Gravy on Rice (2015) Movie Script

45, 46, 47, 48, 49...

50...

I'm coming!

Found you!

Darwis, go to play inside the house.

Faster! Faster!

So obvious, Zai!

Zai.

Meet Hortense, Aunty Doreen's daughter.

Say hello.

She's tall for her age.

- Found you!

- She'll be a model when she grows up.

Found you!

There you are!

Hello!

There you are!

Darwis, why are you playing

near the kitchen?

Go play outside!

Oh, this boy.

Zak! Don't Zak!

Darwis!

Please don't come in here now, darling.

Go.

- Okay.

- Thank you.

Anyone hiding here?

No.

Check mate!

Found you!

Oh, my.

Found you!

How did you find me?

It's your favorite hiding place.

Bapak!

Allahu akbar.

To all the listeners who have just

tuned in to radio Kuala Lumpur,

Good morning and good tidings.

The weather forecast for today is...

(speaking in Tamil)

It's looks so hazy this morning.

Will the sun come out? Will the rain come?

It's unpredictable.

It might come, but it might not.

(speaking in Cantonese)

...but the weather is unpredictable,

you never know what's

going to happen next,

so remember to carry an umbrella with you.

Whether it's blue skies and

everything nice, or shit happens.

Live everyday like it's

the last day of your life.

Smoke, drink and eat as much as you like.

You're going to die anyway.

And now here's some music.

Hey, Mr Zakaria, just coming home?

Hey! Hey!

The breakup of this seemingly happy couple

continues to send shock waves

across Hollywood.

The Oscar-winning husband was spotted

having an intimate lunch with

a new mysterious...

Mummy, mummy, wake up, mummy!

Can you take me to school, mummy?

Mummy, please.

Sam! Can you take her, please.

Mummy.

Mummy cannot.

Come with me, Lily.

Daddy will send you to school.

Hello, Lily! Why aren't you at school yet?

Mummy, mummy, you'll take me

to ballet later, right?

Later then, dear. Bye.

Bye, mummy!

Bye, Lily.

Thank you.

- Morning uncle.

- [In Tamil] So, how's it going?

Good morning, Sir.

Good morning, Concepcion.

[Speaking in Tamil]

Why dear? Any problems?

[Speaking in Tamil] Nothing, uncle.

Oi!

After serving time for her last

DUI conviction,

the once child actress is now back

in the spotlight, yet again.

- Morning.

- No substitute for Pak Dollah's talent.

- Morning.

- Good, you've got the paper.

- Nasi lemak?

- Thank you.

- Where?

- I don't know.

Hi.

There is a message for you.

And slowly sit back,

the eyes fixed to one point

and stay there for five breaths.

Eh, eh, sorry.

Bye.

Bye!

Three.

Hi.

Your brother, reminding you about the

dinner at your father's house tomorrow.

Have you read this nonsense?

Oh shit, where did I put my keys?

Bapak, you're up early.

They built that on Teck Hua's land.

Yes, Bapak, but after

his children sold the house.

It seemed like just yesterday that

Teck Hua built his house there.

Bapak, did you catch a flu?

Darwis.

Did you tell your brothers and sisters

about the dinner here, tomorrow night?

Yes, Bapak, I reminded them.

Ah, Bapak, can you please tell Conception

that I am coming back for lunch.

Okay, bye.

Lily, mummy cannot.

Mummy cannot, Lily.

Mummy cannot take you

to ballet, mummy cannot.

Darling, that's why we have driver

you know?

Now hand the phone back to Rose

and return to class okay?

Bye.

[speaking in Cantonese]

You dirty bastard! What's the matter?

I just spoke to your contractor,

he said they're renovating

your beautiful and young mistress's house.

How come I don't know about this?

Aren't 'I' your beautiful

and young mistress?

Huh? What, just friends?

Do you think I am a fool?

If you want tighter and tighter holes,

you can bend over and fuck yourself.

Fucking bastard!

You're upset, who's that?

That bastard.

I keep my end of the deal.

Work hard, look good, you keep your end.

All he has to do is take care of me.

Is it that hard to do?

Angels are passing through.

Ah, what's that?

We believe when every time

there is an awkward silence,

when people don't know what to say next,

it means 'malaikat',

angels are walking through.

Oh, is it? So cute.

Are you okay?

Never mind, book closed.

It's time to find a new book.

Oh.

Actually, you're considered

very lucky you know.

Can simply escape.

Me, I got to think of Lily, of Sam,

of my father.

Don't know why he wants to have

dinner with all of us tomorrow night.

Maybe he has gone senile.

What shall I wear?

Hey, your father is still

quite young isn't he?

How old is he?

How old? He is always like

the same age to me.

Young at heart, like me.

That's why I'm his favorite.

How many brother and sister

you said you have?

Three brothers and one sister.

Everybody knows my sister.

I don't know your sister.

That's ridiculous.

Can you imagine?

- Hello, Kalsom.

- Hi.

Are your brothers all married?

Well, Zakaria is the eldest.

He's not married.

But then he's very difficult.

When he was younger, he got

kicked out of the air force

and then he got kicked out of this,

and then kicked out of that, and then now.

Nobody knows what he's doing.

- Hi Michelle.

- Oh dear, brother Zak!

Zakaria's like the black sheep

of the family.

Why, is he very dark?

No, he is actually quite fair.

His mother was Eurasian.

Oh.

And then there's Darwis. He's divorced.

- Really?

- Yes, he teaches... somewhere.

- Oh, school teacher only is it?

- No, he lectures at a college.

Same thing, older students.

Good morning class.

Please take your seats.

Good morning all.

- Good morning, teacher.

- Good morning.

Please be seated.

You got one more brother, isn't it?

Yes, Husni. Husni is an architect.

He's the most successful and

the best looking one.

Married or not?

No, not married.

Sounds like he needs the perfect wife.

Young, sexy, outgoing.

- You mean... you, Hortense?

- Yes.

Hi.

- Hello.

- Hi.

But you wouldn't convert right?

Anything for salvation, isn't it?

Some more, he must be married one day.

Look around, I'm the best choice.

Hmm... Yes, I suppose better you right?

Than some gold-digging sister-in-law

competing for the inheritance.

Better I marry your brother

than marry your father, isn't it?

I need to change.

Okay what, what you are wearing.

Some pants would be nice.

I just hope it's not too late.

It's only 8,30 dear, you are

the boss right?

You can walk in the office any time,

who dare to question.

That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm worried.

About what?

My father.

Why? He's unwell?

I don't know. He's old.

Azri, when I first started

winning awards in school,

he told my mother,

"Salamiah, in this family, this boy,

he will be the antidote!"

Antidote.

For me you are not the antidote.

You're the venom.

Stop it, Azri!

Bapak let me be who I needed to be.

What I've become.

Thank you, uncle.

And I can't even make

the effort to make him happy.

If you're worried, call him.

No, we're having dinner tomorrow night.

But you're worried now, right?

So just call him.

I'm worried that he's going to go soon.

And go with unhappiness about me.

Hey, there's a lot to be proud of.

You are successful, classy,

so good looking.

I don't want to be gay anymore.

Whatever.

Different story last night.

We must be clear about the agenda,

the form and the intent

of what we hope to express.

We need to respond to this kerfuffle

about my Golda Meir poem.

Can you believe their outrage?

Shocking.

You see how these people make

me out to be a cause célèbre?!

And as groups, we must

hold a mirror up to ourselves first.

But it only became a big deal when

Bisa-Bisa drew attention to it.

But don't worry about it.

Let's just have a show of hands,

how many of us here believe that critical

review is important for industry.

- Thank you. Good to see so many hands.

- That stupid reviewer. He's out to get me.

Calling me a ZIONIST!

Grandson?

You can't give your father

a grandson like giving him...

like giving him

a new rice cooker you know,

you have to be a father.

Yes, I'm ready.

It's not easy to be a gay father,

you know?

You don't get it, do you?

I'm not going to be gay anymore.

Sure. Like I've never heard that before.

Just watch.

Yes right, in front of me

you just turn straight.

You work in the private sector.

Your own company.

Nobody wants to hurt you.

If nobody wants to hurt you,

what are you afraid about being gay?

But I'm hurting other people.

You say you want

to make your father happy.

But actually you are addicted.

Addicted to the pride in

your father's eyes.

You need a better reason dear.

I think you better pack

your stuff and leave.

Teacher, Mr Darwis!

Yes, Faizal.

Hi teacher, I have a question to ask.

Why do you give me a 'F'

for my English subject?

Faizal, I didn't give you an 'F'.

You failed to get a passing grade.

But can't you help me?

You know that this is a compulsory subject

and we need to get a passing grade.

Yes, that's the requirement

of a compulsory subject. Okay?

Please teacher, can you give me a 'chan'?

'Chan'?

Oh, you mean a chance to re-sit the paper?

Yes, yes. That's unusual but

I think we can do that.

Teacher, teacher.

No, not that, not a re-sit.

A chance. Please do not fail me.

Faizal. You know I can't give you a

passing grade just like that, right?

Teacher, please help me.

Why don't you want to help me?

For one thing, you have not managed

to say even one word of English

during this whole conversation

except 'chan'.

That means already don't have chance,

okay?

Teacher,

do you know this is not fair?

Why, why do we have to pass

the English subject?

We are not westerners you know?

You're a one lost Malay!

Hey, Faizal.

Malay? But Sir I am not Malay.

What do I know about Malay food?

I know. Your Filipina beauty

never fails to captivate me.

What about chicken adobo?

Don't you like my chicken adobo?

Yes, I love your chicken adobo

but these are my children

and I haven't seen them for some time.

Why don't you, just this once,

be a darling

and use your delightful culinary skills to

whip up some mouthwatering Malay dishes?

Can you?

Sir, I am not one of your wives.

Your charm does not work with me.

Chicken adobo. Yes or no?

How many funders have confirmed coming?

Some have canceled because of

the article. So, only ten.

Please write the usual letter

to Bisa-Bisa's editor.

Where you say?

That the circumstances from

which outstanding women rise

transcends schoolboy factionalizing...

That's stupid, right?

Say, it's not Meyer's race

or creed that I celebrate

but her spirit.

And get over it! We're Malaysians!

Stop pretending we're Arabs,

sharing their blood grudges completely

out of our own historical context.

Okay.

What? You think I shouldn't say

we're pretending to be Arabs?

Angels passing through.

Let's walk!

Zak! What are you doing here?

Eh, what happened to your head?

It seems these days everyone

wants to be a filmmaker.

When KL's rumor mill buzzed

that a certain purported writer,

oooh... italics,

is attempting to venture into cinema,

an uncomfortable feeling started

in the pit of this

humble reviewer's stomach.

What do you think of me dedicating

Nanyang Nancy to my father?

Well, you always dedicate

your work to your father.

Why not dedicate this movie...

film to your mother?

My mother was indistinctive.

One of many wives.

She lived in a mental harem

and Bapak was our 'sultan'.

You are such a text book case,

it's not even funny.

Why does Bapak want

to have dinner with all of us?

I have no idea.

Maybe he wants to remind himself

that we're his children.

He has our pictures, right?

Anyway, don't you praise enough

for all of us?

That's not fair! I spend time with him.

You're still fucking living with him.

Well, I don't have to. I have a choice.

Anyway, the dinner is tomorrow.

Thursday. At the house.

The house?

Why don't you like the house, ah?

Did I ever tell you that Thursday

is my least favorite day?

You know Zak,

you didn't come all the way here

just to tell me you are not coming right?

Yes... and well...

I need to borrow some money.

- Ah...

- Hey, do you have any cash?

Yeah, not much, but...

About three, four hundred.

That's not enough.

Eh, your laptop.

It should fetch a couple of grand, right?

Excuse me.

I'll loan you.

I'll loan you... two hundred.

Two hundred is not a loan.

Two hundred is a...

It's a gift. Yeah.

So, are the rest coming?

We all are coming, even Som.

How's she? What's her latest piece of art?

Hmm, this.

She's like you. Looking for funding.

And you know, she got into

a bit of trouble.

She wrote something that was totally

inappropriate for the home market.

She's an attention junkie.

And she's getting it.

You know, whenever I hear

one of these articulate feminists

is going on and on. I think to myself.

How easy to shut her up.

Just punch her!

What?

Yeah, of course no one

would behave that badly?

Reason says 'don't punch'.

But the possibility

of the punch is still there.

At the bottom of all reason.

So?

So, people should know

that whenever they push the boundaries.

Push the limits.

Someone,

somewhere,

is withholding that punch.

Zak, what are you doing?

Reminding you who I am.

Ow, Bapak.

Zak punched me.

Bapak is not here.

He went to get your birthday cake.

Oh, yeah the cake!

I wonder what your cake is?

Darwis. Hurry up! It's your turn.

Start counting and no cheating!

Okay!

One, two, three, four,

five, six, seven, eight...

Zai got a fairytale castle cake.

On my birthday, I had a jet fighter cake.

You only asked for a jet cake

because I got one!

Som got a Wonder Woman cake right?

Actually, I asked Bapak

for cash but he refused.

Light the candles, the cake is here!

Darwis! Hurry up.

Hey, your cake. It's just round.

Ha, there is no name on it.

Happy birthday to you,

happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to Darwis...

How shameful

to isolate a memory like that.

Why? I just remember it, Bapak.

That's all.

Oh, now don't retreat.

You were summing up

our relationship in that

bloody cake!

Or something reductive like that.

One disappointing birthday cake,

I'm the father who destroyed your life.

Your cold Bapak, how long has it been?

Err, about two weeks. It's the dust.

Concepcion's getting sloppy.

Sir, this is a big house with eight rooms

and only one Concepcion.

Enjoy your lunch!

Chicken adobo again. Lovely.

Thank you, Conception.

It's obvious I don't handle

the servants well.

IPGM used to do all that.

I just looked after the gardeners

and the drivers.

Ya, that's right.

By the way, Bapak,

what ever happened to Nordin?

- Nordin?

- Ya, Bapak, Nordin.

Remember? He used to take us everywhere.

To school, to sports practice,

to friends and tuition.

Nordin, Nordin. Overtake that car.

- Overtake, overtake.

- No, Zak.

Cannot, boss will scold me.

We won't tell.

- Really?

- Really!

Nordin.

- Promise?

- Promise!

We'll overtake.

- Don't Zak!

- Okay, okay, okay.

- Yes!

- Don't do it, Zai!

Get down.

Headmistress, Mrs. Gopal!

DARWIS!

- Mrs. Gopal?

- You are in a lot of trouble, young man.

Ya, Nordin. He was

always polishing the cars.

Polishing and polishing and polishing.

I was afraid he was going

to strip the paintwork.

Nordin used to drive the mothers

everywhere, right, Bapak?

He drove IPGM to the market.

And then drove... Actually,

why did we call her IPGM?

Nobody knew. I think,

even Som didn't know.

Nordin! I'm going to the market. Hurry up.

- Som!

- Yes, mom.

- Want to follow me?

- No.

This kid. Always reading.

Just like his dad.

Husni's mother. Nordin would take

to beauty salon.

She went almost everyday right, Bapak?

I mean, we didn't even know

what more she could do to that hair.

Mummy, mummy!

Is that for me? Thank you, darling!

Tonight, your father is taking me

to the dinner and dance.

Go, darling. Go get Nordin for me.

- Yes mother.

- Thank you, darling!

Cha, cha, cha!

Of course, Zai's mother

would go to the tailor.

Somewhere in Imbi street.

Zai do you want a new dress?

- Yes.

- We go to Lovely Tailoring okay?

You can play with Aunty Doreen's daughter.

Yes, let's go.

Bapak, do you want to come along?

And then was my mummy,

Nordin would take her to the golf club.

Remember, Bapak, mummy

was the Lady Captain.

Darwis, mummy's going to the club.

Do you want to go swimming?

I think you should.

You stay with daddy then.

But not Zak's mother. She was dead.

Wasn't she, Bapak?

He polished and polished the cars,

'til they gleamed.

Bapak, are you alright?

Which one is it?

Guess, who?

I don't know.

They're both kind of upright.

That's because we're early.

Ha, ha, I know.

So, why did you insist we rush here?

Cause, I've always wanted to see

what a human house looks like.

You know, a home.

They're always asking

'The Boss' to bless it.

The angels are passing through.

You can see them too?

See who, Bapak? Are you okay?

That's him.

Can he see us?

Well, he's not supposed to.

Why are you here?

Bapak, you know I don't like

to eat at the canteen.

Hey, he sees us!

But we're not supposed to speak to them.

But he spoke to us.

It would be rude not to respond.

Don't be afraid.

Why not?

Because the food is terrible and

everybody there is a wanker.

Can you turn down the drama.

It's confusing for them.

We're supposed to ease them into it.

You've come for me?

- Well, yes.

- Yeah...

Sometimes we come suddenly!

Sometimes with great fear.

Sometimes with blinding pain.

A field with cries!

Field with cries?

Fill the rice?

Yeah, okay, Bapak.

Concepcion, sir wants more rice!

Look, you know every living thing,

every human, has its time to go.

It's your time, that's all.

- Now?

- Coming, sir.

It's coming, Bapak.

Actually, we're a little bit early.

So, you have a bit of time.

How much time? Minutes? Hours?

Just a minute, Bapak. Give her a chance.

We're not supposed to tell you.

Tomorrow?

Today?

Tonight?

Before dinner time?

After dinner time?

What is it, Bapak? Are you alright?

Sir, you are very hungry today.

Darwis, I want to change

the dinner to tonight.

Bapak, I've told everybody

to come tomorrow night.

Tell them it's urgent.

It's urgent!

It's not going be so easy, Bapak.

They all have their lives.

I have my life too, you know.

So do I.

Tell them it's a matter of life and death.

Actually, just death.

Tell them...

Tell them their father insists

they come for dinner tonight.

Concepcion, all my children

are coming for dinner tonight.

Tonight? But sir, I haven't

even gone to market yet.

Well, you can go now. I'm going to cook.

Darwis, tell your siblings

it's about this house.

I want to talk to them

about this house. This is home.

Dinner is tonight and that is that.

Now, what do I need? Concepcion, come.

I want to cook curry with cili padi.

That's Zak's favorite.

Kalsom's favorite

is stink beans with sambal.

I can never remember what Darwis likes.

If the boss finds out about this.

I'm blaming you!

Soy sauce beef for Husni and

chicken in spicy tomato sauce for Zaitun.

URGENT! DINNER CHANGED TO 2NITE!

COME ASAP! BAPAK'S GONE SENILE!

Hi, It's me. Can you cancel

my appointments today?

I'm not coming in. Thanks.

Hello.

Hi, Zai. Busy huh?

Busy? Yes, I was in a meeting.

Just finished, in fact.

What is it?

Hey, are you going for Som's

presentation today?

Oh no, it'll be boring.

But don't tell her that.

So, how about lunch then?

My place say around, like 1:30?

Sure, hang on. I have an incoming.

It's only Darwis. Reminding us again

about dinner tomorrow night.

I'll see you later at your house, bye.

Wait, Zai?

I'll take this one.

It's for my girlfriend.

Of course.

Before we begin, I would like you

to please silence all your hand phones

so as to avoid any more

unwanted distractions.

Thank you.

Originally this was to going to be...

I'm so sorry.

As I was saying,

originally this was to going to be

a straight forward film,

'The Adventures of Nanyang Nancy'.

Based on my critically acclaimed play,

of the same name.

Thank you.

Then we realized it had the potential

to be a musical-drama.

Which is like a musical, but more drama.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you please,

'The Adventures of Nanyang Nancy'.

We, first meet Nancy as a young girl,

thigh high in silt, panning for tin

under the white hot sun.

A massive pump and hose

shoots jets of hard driving water

to break the sandy earth.

One day, under these

constant violent ejaculations,

a small cliff collapses and

Nancy is trapped in the landslide.

She's rescued by a young man.

They fall in love.

They marry.

The Japanese invade Malaya.

Nancy's life is turned upside down.

Her husband is killed in a Sook Ching.

Her grief is the crucible from which

a harder Nancy emerges.

She joins the

Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army.

But, as they kidnap and

assassinate Chinese leaders,

who appear to be guilty of collaboration,

Nancy becomes disillusioned

with the MPAJA.

She surrenders to the Japanese,

and is installed as a Comfort Woman

for their officers.

Sir Darwis,

where I can find the whole coconut

in the whole of KLCC super market?

Bapak,

do you know you can get

coconut milk in packed?

Not the same, Darwis.

We must scrape it ourselves.

Like IPGM used to do.

Okay, I go now.

The war is finally over.

But, Nancy faces a new crisis.

Women who were mistresses of the Japanese

are put into pig's cages,

carried around town and

butchered before the crowds.

Terrified, Nancy runs to the city

and meets the British High Commissioner,

Sir Henry Gurney.

In the midst of the chaos,

Nancy and Henry plunge into

a passionate and torrid affair.

As they drive up for

a dirty weekend in Fraser's Hill,

a burst of machine gun fire.

Their car is ambushed.

Zak!

- Oh, hi Kalsom.

- Henry dies in her arms.

Bloody hell.

Bapak, why are you doing this?

Preparing dinner for my children? Why not?

It feels good to feed one's children.

Oh, my God. Your father is bald.

Sorry, Sir.

Mothers used to cook though.

Bapak, didn't they?

I mean, at least they organized the meals.

At least you appreciate that, Darwis.

Now, I'm going to cook

a real meal for my children.

If they're always this productive

when they know their time is up.

Why don't we tell them earlier, huh?

Because they're not supposed to know.

Achoo.

Bless you.

It's the dust.

Found it.

Yes, yes, yes.

I love it.

Thank you, Husni.

And there's another little one

in here for Lily.

Please Husni?

How is Lily anyway?

She's okay. Too attached.

Wants to go everywhere I go.

Must be nice being a parent.

Nice, you know, when they make

Mother's Day cards and all that.

Why do you ask suddenly?

Exploring the possibility.

Oh, you have a mother in mind?

No, not really.

But, perhaps that's where

you could help your brother?

Husni! I've got the perfect

candidate for you.

A wife that looks like a mistress.

Elle, New Peninsular.

How long have you been a Zionist?

I'm not a... Define Zionist?

Hillary Tomlinson, Reuters.

Because of your pro-Israeli stance,

some MP's want to ban your work.

They're thinking of

taking this to Parliament. Any comments?

Parliament? I consider that as an honor.

Ms Kalsom, I'm Zaitun Hussein

from Malay News.

Why is your first film not a Malay story?

My film is not a Malay story.

It is a story of Malaysia.

Okay, thank you all.

Let's have some refreshments first, there

will be more time for questions later.

Kalsom, that was ingenious satire.

You should have told us it was a comedy.

We would love to support your film.

Really?

Yeah, congratulations.

Highly, highly entertaining.

- Very interesting.

- Thank you.

Excuse me.

Kalsom, can I talk to you?

You know, I think your foundation

is not going to fund this

- because of the Anti-Japanese sentiment.

- No.

I want to talk to you about...

last night.

It was very nice.

Every night is very nice.

But...

- Where are we going?

- Can we talk about this later?

- Tonight?

- No, not tonight!

Then when?

Just check my schedule with Sujatha, okay?

- I'm not very good with a improvising.

- Thank you, thank you.

Zak! What do you think you're doing?

Barging into my show

and molesting my dancer?

Why? Wasn't it artistic enough for you?

Oh, Som.

I just felt it was time Nancy met

the Malay element in Malayan society.

That happens after Independence.

Oh, wait! Let me guess.

It gets even more tragic, Kan?

Well... In fact, yes!

- Man, you're full of shit.

- Excuse me?

I'm full of shit? I'm full of shit?

Yeah, and repetitious.

Som, do you have

a couple of grand you could lend me?

There it is and you say I'm repetitious?

Yes, Som.

Long-winded stories of the past,

which come on,

anyone can twist to prove their point.

Some morons trumpet myths

of achievement and grandeur.

You? You point out at our mistakes.

"Look at our stupid mistakes".

Well, for some of us we didn't

have Bapak to bail us out each time.

Yes, the past is over and

it's the best source of wisdom.

Yeah?

Who says the past is over?

Okay.

We live the consequences but

we're not personally implicated.

Not personally implicated, is it?

Som, do you remember Nordin?

What?

Nordin. Bapak's adopted son.

No he wasn't. He was the driver

and Bapak felt responsible for him.

You always feel responsible when people

from the village are in your household.

Whatever!

Som, do you remember May 13th?

May 13th, 1969?

We were just kids.

I remember tension at home.

Remember that evening

when Nordin came home late?

- Nordin.

- Boss.

He said he and his 'uniformed friends' had

setup roadblocks on the Federal Highway.

- Stopping cars all day.

- Take her back to bed.

What are you doing?

Remember how he couldn't stop laughing?

How he didn't even notice

his shirt was drenched in blood!

Who? Who did you kill?

Remember how his eyes were wild.

Put him in your movie.

- Is everything alright?

- We're fine.

Not personally implicated, is it?

Put it in!

I think you better leave!

Zak!

Put it in.

How soon afterwards,

was he back to driving you

to school again every day!

Here Sir, your coconut.

Thank you.

You told your siblings

I moved the dinner to tonight?

Not tomorrow. Tonight?

Yes, Bapak. I've sent the sms's.

Did they get it?

I'm sure they have.

Bapak, what do you want

done with this house?

You snatched back the conversation.

Good, good. Now run with it.

Okay, this house is in

the area that's re-zoning.

That's means it's changing its nature.

You're saying that the land is worth many,

many times more than the house?

Yes, I'm also saying

that as a single residence,

it's difficult for any of us

to maintain it.

Except Husni.

Husni wouldn't want a big old bungalow.

It'll just cramp his lifestyle.

Zaitun's husband could possibly afford it.

Yes, but he's not blood.

And if it is Kalsom, she would

probably turn the house into a theater.

It's always been.

Bapak, Som is so self-absorbed.

I doubt she thinks about the house.

And if giving it to Zak,

God help us all. His entire life

has been a reaction against...

against whatever.

I bet the first thing he would do

with the house is,

he would open a night club

probably transvestite.

Ow, what was that for?

That's to remind you

that I'm not dead yet.

Bring the fish.

No, don't.

Hi, Som.

What is wrong with Zak?

Constantly disrupting and doing

whatever he wants!

Calm down, Som. I can't understand a word.

Hang on a second.

- What is it?

- All these years! He hasn't changed.

Why? What did he do?

Embarrassing me,

- embarrassing the people I work with.

- No way.

- Who are you?

- Azri, who are you?

Zaitun.

Husni's sister, hi.

You have a key?

Take a deep breath and calm down.

- Liar!

- Wait, was that you?

- How could it be?

- What?

Husni.

Tell me it's not true.

Cannot be.

What are you doing here?

Just dropping by.

Zai, calm down.

This can't be true. You, two?

What did you tell her?

I thought she knew.

Suck and play?!

As if you've never done it before.

Do you want me to slap her?

Come here, come here.

Zai, Zai?

Husni!

Som, I gotta call you back.

Great, two screaming women to deal with.

And that's just a day

of you being straight, right?

What?

Some more, Concepcion.

- Sir, I don't know how to do.

- Little bit more, little bit more.

What do you think sorrow feels like?

Humans? Feelings? Loss? Grief?

How the hell...

Sorry.

How should I know?

But you've been around them longer.

Well, I just go by protocol.

I come down, take them and leave.

Sort of a hit and run.

No, we have one of those later.

We're not supposed to socialize with them.

Besides, we're not supposed

to socialize with each other.

Yes, Hortense, all this while Darwis

suspected, but we never really believed.

Ha, the most good looking brother though.

That's why, they are so good looking and

they fall in love with each other even.

The two of you would have been

perfect, you know.

Sorry, Hortense.

It's okay. I'm only joking

about converting.

Some more I don't want to change my diet.

Yes, you have got such nice skin.

You also.

Great hair.

Look at yours.

You're so tall. Thin.

So glossy, your hair.

Boss.

Hello.

What does your friend want to order?

One fried fish and one rasam.

Only fried fish?

I can't believe he can't speak Tamil.

This is a Southern Indian restaurant.

It's not like we're ordering tandoori.

That's Northern Indian, Punjab.

I'm sorry, of course you know that.

Anyway, so?

What am I choosing for again?

Cover of the Sunday 'Life and Times'.

I don't know. Which one do you like?

You're wearing black here,

but looks too serious.

This one Som? You look sweet in this.

Yes, this is sweet.

The black one!

Gosh, I look like my mother.

What's wrong? Your mother is pretty what.

Pretty unremarkable.

I don't think she has ever said

anything interesting to me at all.

Som, surely there was something

about your mother?

Well, if you think that being in

the kitchen is remarkable, or

standing by while your husband

takes on three more wives.

Time was different back then.

Really?

Ha, Zai. You stopped screaming?

Yes, Som, it was traumatic.

After all these years, hearing that

your own brother is that 'thing'.

Zai, I don't think our brother

has turned into that thing.

Som, you know what I mean and poor Bapak.

Zai, can we talk about this later?

I'm preparing for auditions.

What auditions?

You know, the lead role

in my film version of 'Nanyang Nancy'

Really? I've got the perfect candidate.

- Who is it?

- This is her.

Remember our mother's old tailor,

Aunty Doreen? Her daughter, Hortense.

She just...

She just resigned from her last job.

So, why don't you let her audition

for your next movie?

Has she acted before?

Have you acted before?

All the time.

I'm very busy here, Zai.

Som, please do a favor

for your favorite sister.

Do you have space for one more?

One more.

Fine, bring her over, now!

But, the herbal wrap takes two hours, Som!

Herbal wrap? Zai, come now!

Thanks.

Cooking is a series of infinite,

intimate correspondences.

It's an act of love.

Yes Sir, but it is still love

even if you use the blender.

Bapak, I might quit my job.

Do you have another job in mind?

Well, I was thinking

of taking some time off.

You know, going through your articles and

your scrapbooks and writing a book!

Oh.

On?

On you!

On me?

Yeah!

Why?

What do you mean why?

Do you miss Aini?

Aini?

Bapak, we've been divorced

for more than three years.

Yes, I miss Aini.

You have all those degrees and

yet you can't see what you need to do.

Use your energy wisely.

Find another Aini.

There are so many lovely women out there.

Encik.

Yes, Bapak. We know

about you and your women.

What do you want to eat tonight?

Spicy, or the sour stuff?

Or the sweet ones?

Or something bitter?

Well, when they gave me arousal,

they received my appreciation.

I'll massage you after cooking.

But, it was when they give me comfort

that I found them truly irresistible.

All you need is to get comfortable, Zak.

I know you.

Yes, except my name is Darwis.

Jesus, Mary...

- Kalsom, Kalsom is rude.

- Kalsom, Kalsom! Go back to Israel.

Kalsom, Kalsom. Zionist.

That's her, get her.

Who are these people, Bapak?

Back then, there were only about

two hundred Malay families worth knowing.

The early ruling elite.

Yeah, everybody was

related by marriage, huh?

Good for breeding resentment and reform.

But, of course,

all reformers get reformed.

The pigs walk on two legs.

Pigs?

Animal Farm.

And so, a new ruling elite creates itself,

with the same grand gesture

and the same 'hand kissing' disdain

for the grumbling morons

who carried them in the first place.

Are you tired?

Do you want to take a nap, Bapak?

Poor fellows. So, you see,

it is up to us, in the middle.

We are the ones, the examples.

Do you want to watch TV?

We know enough to ask the rude questions.

And because of that,

the top calls us ungrateful

and the bottom calls us disrespectful.

Now, remember that Darwis!

Yes, Bapak. Rude questions.

Darwis, why aren't you listening?

Bapak.

Please calm down. Please monitor

your high blood pressure.

You were not part of the original design

because you didn't exist then.

Some of us were not ready.

Even back then. It was too much.

Too alien. KL wasn't our city, not yet.

All the sign boards were foreign.

Mocking him.

Bapak,

'him'... him who, Bapak?

Nordin.

Everyday I looked at Nordin

and I felt that there

but for the grace of God go I.

That was okay, that was good,

because it made me feel grateful.

But my mistake was I made him,

in my mind, into my younger self.

I trusted him to be the man of the house.

While I was away,

while I was busy somewhere else.

Are you alright, Bapak?

Of course I'm alright!

Why aren't you listening?

I thought he and I were the same,

only at different points in our lives.

In time, I believed he could

become me. Us.

I left my house,

my family, to him!

But you were there

when it mattered, Bapak.

I caught him molesting my child!

What?

Who, Bapak?

I stopped him or he stopped

because I was there.

But, it had been going on for some time.

And I just left it at that.

At first, I was furious.

I could have killed him.

But then I was deeply saddened,

and sickened.

But, I didn't know how to react.

What could you do?

Then days passed

and I just left it like that.

What did you do with the songket

that I gave you?

I had it framed, Bapak. It looks great.

Last time, if we inherited

a songket we'd wear it.

Every preceding generation

is instant history.

Good for display only.

Daddy, don't forget

it's Darwis' birthday this Sunday.

You are so forgetful nowadays.

Bapak...

Bapak, was it Zai?

It was your mother's

wedding songket you know.

Here, look after this.

Bapak, this is your life insurance.

Just keep it for me.

Bapak, are you alright?

Shhh... humans passing through.

- You've never been to a drag show?

- What's the big deal?

And you call yourself

a respectable gay man?

Shut up.

Come on, lighten up.

Here, take one of these.

What's that?

We haven't decided what to call it yet.

I'm going to retail.

My friend and I, came up with this.

Is it what I think it is?

It'll make you forget your troubles.

Look Zak, I'm driving.

It will take effect in about half an hour.

You're crazy.

Come on. My friend's a real biochemist.

It's totally safe.

Look.

Don't be such a girl.

Happy?

You will be.

Thank you so much

for offering me this role.

I feel it's perfect for me.

I feel it was like written for me.

Thank you so much for coming.

It's just that...

we're looking for someone more Chinese.

More Chinese? I can be more Chinese.

How Chinese you want me to be, huh?

I can be very Chinese,

I can be very versatile.

No, but actually, actually, Kalsom,

what I really want to know is,

why should Nanyang Nancy be Chinese?

I mean, why can't she be Indian?

I'm so sorry, Jo.

Sujatha, could you please

show her the way out?

I can be British, I can be British.

Um, I can be Henry Gurney.

- It's alright, Innit? Innit?

- So awesome!

Oh, this is so exciting!

All the stage is the world.

Som, oh, Som.

Som, Som.

This is Hortense Chia.

What, you think I should change my name?

Excuse me?

Change my name.

Hortense Chia.

Don't know where my mother saw it.

My whole life is 'whore tense'

or 'whore relax'.

So, funny.

How about pronouncing it, Aw-tonz?

Aw-tonz? Oh yeah, thanks.

Sujatha, can you give her a script

and prep her please.

Sure, come here.

Break your legs!

Som, som.

Yes, Zai.

What are we going to do about Husni?

What?

How are we going to tell Bapak

about Husni? That he's gay.

Zai, I don't think Bapak

needs to be told anything right now.

This isn't just about anything, Som.

Bapak always talked about

the future, the family's future.

He should know about Husni.

Since Lily's probably

the only grandchild he'll ever have.

Unless you suddenly...

What? You don't think I'm gay too, do you?

Of course not.

Are you?

Zai.

No.

I meant it's not very likely

that you will...

I mean, I mean you're not

very maternal, right?

What are you talking about?

I'm great with Lily.

Som, you gave her a pepper spray

for her birthday. She's seven.

So, it's never too early

to be self-reliant.

Zai, why don't you just be quiet

and sit down, okay?

Fine. Bite my head off.

It's not me who called you a Zionist.

Please, eat.

No, thanks. No carbs after seven.

Excuse me. Please pay for it.

- Thank you.

- Thanks.

So, how are you feeling?

You tell me. You're the one

that gave me the strange pill.

Relax.

You'll be feeling really good, real soon.

Look.

I think some of your 'gang'

are on their way?

Zak!

My 'gang'? It's more like your 'gang'.

Hi, Zak.

Hi Michelle.

This is my younger brother, Husni.

Hello Michelle, how are you?

I'm fine. Thank you. Husni is a gentleman.

These are my friends. Rihanna, JLo and KP.

It's not short for Kak Pah, okay?

Katy Perry.

I have to go, we have a show.

Don't forget to come!

I'll sign your drinks.

But, Michelle.

The Malays don't drink, right?

Of course not,

but we're just fictional characters.

You'll be playing the role of Nancy,

who after the assassination

of Sir Henry Gurney.

- Sir Henry? King Arthur story, are this?

- No, no, no.

Sir Henry Gurney is the British

High Commissioner of Malaya at that time,

and in this story Nancy is his lover.

- She is Chinese?

- Yeah.

- So clever, huh?

- Yes.

- And after he dies.

- Oh, no, he die and how about her?

She meets the next British

High Commissioner, Sir Gerald Templer.

And they also become lovers.

Wow, she is very powerful?

Yes.

And my assistant will be reading Templer,

who like me, has had a hard day.

And you've made a sumptuous dinner.

Eastern or Western?

Eastern.

Local.

Chinese.

Can.

Okay?

Som, can I put in some

AV in the auditions?

Just make it a little

bit more interesting?

Whatever. Take it from the top.

Mambo,

Let's sing together

Don't think about our suffering

and loneliness

We only live once

Let's be happy

Let's get together now

Don't think about our suffering

We need to rejoice

Let's not be upset

To those who are dreamy

You will feel confused

If you're often dizzy, you'll be lost

Mambo!

Ah, good.

I'm just a little distracted today.

Then, let me help you get

out of the mind and into the body.

You see, recently our friend,

Cheng Lock went to see Maxwell.

You know, Sir George?

Yes, 'hill' of a guy.

And Sir George was quick to urge

Cheng Lock,

to have a chin wag with Dato' Onn.

On?

On politics, of course.

Cheng Lock was to convince the good

Dato' to forget the United Malay camp

and organize a non-racial

All-Malayan Association.

But Gerald, pressure is coming

not just from the Malay political leaders,

but London as well.

Excuse me.

Why is she talking like this?

Sorry?

This one is intimate conversation, right?

Why is she talking about

pressure from London?

She should be pressuring him

to take her to London. Right?

Som, maybe it's better

if she tries improvising?

- Impro, huh?

- Just whack the words!

Okay, I'll try.

How are you?

My brother.

Mambo!

Darwis, what time are they coming?

I'm not sure, Bapak.

They haven't answered my calls.

Darwis, I asked you to call them.

Bapak, I've tried calling them.

Abang, is our phone broken?

I've been calling and calling

Darwis, please message them

again, or call them,

or drive over to their houses.

Just make sure they come here tonight.

This is the last time.

I need more time.

I've a business proposition for you.

- Oh man.

- No, no, listen.

Each pill costs about 70 cents

to produce, right?

So, the idea is to market it as a

prestige recreational substance.

Where profits can be as high as...

- Stop that!

- Ow!

Hey, hey... Relax, relax.

Zak, are you okay?

My younger brother.

Please stay calm.

Don't be tensed.

This is due to thirst, right?

Hang on.

Sorry, okay, just don't

fucking laugh at me.

Hey, I'm at some drag show,

I've popped, I don't know what, and

my brother casually proposes drug dealing.

Come on, Zak.

Husni, the chemical formulation

is not illegal.

It's just bunch of stuff

pressed into soluble tablets.

Oh, completely wholesome, your honor.

Husni, where do you think

I've been all this while?

While you all have been living

your perfect glossy little lives?

I've been right here.

But, in an alternate universe.

Learning the ropes

of the fully diversified

joint venture between Law and Crime,

is the perfect role model of cooperation.

It's so symbiotic, it's organic,

it's a living machine, Husni.

No morality and no perversions either.

And it runs KL.

The perfect stage

for your perfect little lives.

Wow, you sound like Bapak

when you talk like that.

Come on, Zak, business venture?

Wow! You guys converse in English

until you're foaming.

Here you go. Something foamy.

Gerald, you're a man.

When we're alone together,

we don't talk about work.

You understand me or not, darling?

Ah... Oh, I'm thinking about appointing...

You'll kill yourself thinking

and battling. Where does that leave me?

Well, ah, because the committee...

You promised to look after me.

That was our deal.

I let you use my body.

In exchange I was to be looked after.

Well, yeah, the committee looks

at the questions of...

Maintaining me is not looking after me.

It's just maintaining me. Why?

Why do I have to listen

to all of your nonsense?

Well, because...

Well, because as the

script clearly implies,

you as the, 'distrusted immigrant'

you forfeit, full ownership of the land.

Doesn't she?

'Distrusted immigrant'?

This Nancy, you are talking about

my grandmother is it?

This land saved her you know or not?

Back in China last time,

she didn't even have a chance.

You know why?

Too many sisters already.

So they sold her.

They sold her to freedom, she said.

You know ownership of land or not? Do you?

Ownership is Father

passing down property to Son.

99% of the time it's about father and son.

You think the only way to be

a part of this land is to be born on it,

or even to own it?

This land gave my grandmother a chance.

So that my mother could be.

So that I could be.

Do you think there is

anything else I could ask for?

Well, now that this land

has become this country,

I suppose she could ask

for more representation?

Have her voice heard?

Voice is it? You all really like

to talk a lot isn't it?

My deal is easy.

I sweat for this country, in exchange

it gives peace and prosperity.

I love this country.

But, if they all don't listen to me,

also never mind.

If I was smart and work hard, I can

afford to live anywhere in the world.

It's like an escape clause.

You don't have to die

for what you don't own, isn't it?

Don't get offended, Som.

I think her acting is better

than your writing.

Why don't you come right into my bed

Let's do things you and I

Can't speak about

Husni!

Let's be free

Come on, Husni.

Okay, thank you.

Someone is getting out of the closet.

Thank you, lovers.

Don't forget to stay

for the Sexy Diva show okay?

Sheelah says good night.

Zak. I don't think

I want to be gay anymore.

Could've fooled me.

Seriously, Zak.

I just feel that being gay

might not be right anymore.

What's not right? Being gay?

Or having sex with guys?

All behavior is human behavior.

'It's just what you choose to call it.'

I've heard that before.

That wasn't what I was going to say.

But if you have to call sex anything,

good, bad,

wonderful, sinful, dirty,

then that's your curse.

I'm just terrified of upsetting Bapak.

Michelle, how is your relationship

with your father?

When I first got back to my village,

with this new identity,

there was a drama with my father.

"I don't know this 'Michelle',

my child's name is Hasbul".

Huh?

Hasbul. That was my name before this.

"My child is dead".

Is it because you...

No, not because I do drag.

It was because I changed my name.

He was furious.

"If you want to be a 'woman', go ahead".

"I might not understand it,

but maybe God will understand".

"But you've lost your morals!"

My dad spoke in English,

you know, 'Moral'.

"What's this Michelle, Michelle nonsense?

Are you no longer Malay?"

Wow, that's one hell of a question.

Are you no longer Malay?

If you need to call anything by a name,

that's your curse.

They're not answering their phones,

Bapak.

But I'm sure they got my messages.

They'll arrive soon enough.

Sir, I go check on the rice.

Darwis.

What do you remember about your mothers?

The mothers? Why all of a sudden, Bapak?

Please Darwis. Help me recall.

Okay. Let's see.

Zaitun's mother was the youngest, Hawa.

She had an East Malaysian accent,

which the mothers often teased,

but affectionately.

Hawa.

I met her at a bank. She was a teller.

Hawa was like the very climate around us.

She always walked with a skip,

and reached for a hand

whenever she crossed a road.

Once, I caught her climbing a tree

to save some child's

stranded kite.

Husni's mother, Salamiah.

She had this... gentle snobbishness,

this smiling chill, which I adored.

Salamiah.

She was extremely fair,

and rather proud of her

yellow 'langsat' complexion.

She had dark black hair, which

she enhanced by pinning fresh orchids

or tying bright silk scarf.

Salamiah listened to the

kroncong music and cried.

When I asked her why, she said...

Because I know,

I will never get my heart broken

like in this kroncong music.

Your mummy, Roslinda, who I called Rosie.

As a schoolgirl she was a high jumper.

She had a strong, supple back

and the imagination to use it.

Come on, Bapak.

She said,

"Call me mummy. God knows

what other mothers are on the way.

But remember,

only I am your mummy".

And, of course, there was IPGM.

IPGM.

Every day she ran the kitchen

so that nobody even knew

it even needed running.

That looks interesting. What is it?

'Brain-brain'.

I'd love a second helping.

It's delicious!

No need helping. I wash myself.

Oh, okay.

At first, she called me 'Encik'.

Please have some.

I called her IPGM.

My beloved. The sassy one.

My beloved. The sassy one. Finally, IPGM.

Then, there was Jackie.

Well, none of us knew much about her,

except for she died at childbirth.

Ah, well the other mothers said

that she was a Eurasian prostitute.

But, you know, I have no memory of her,

except for this one tiny photograph.

Last and first.

Always.

My Jackie.

My friends and I walked into

the Lido and there she was.

Standing by the jukebox.

Wearing her turquoise dress.

Boldly throwing peanuts into her mouth.

Not at all ladylike in those days.

I was in Singapore for three nights,

waiting for the ship to sail.

On the way to Britain, to university.

You only get three or four years

when your life seems to be just beginning.

When you're young and you know it.

Invincible, armed with good intentions.

The future developing in your balls.

I bought her a drink. She sent it back.

So I went over and asked

if I could join her.

She didn't say no.

I told her I was going on a journey

to somewhere far away.

She laughed and asked if

I was going away to find my dreams.

We talked and talked.

I asked her...

What would you do, if you were

just about to leave home?

Dance.

But I don't know how.

I'll teach you.

Bapak, Bapak...

Som, can we talk about Bapak?

What's there to talk about?

Darwis says,

he's getting more fragile. Going senile.

He's old.

Oh, Som. Why?

Why what?

Why does he have to go?

Zai, he's old.

I wish he could stay around forever.

We're adults. You have a family.

But I'm so unclear, Som.

Like I am pretending all the time.

Nowadays I am not sure what it is I like,

what it is I don't like.

What I'm like.

When I was just Bapak's daughter

everything was much clearer.

Now,

Lily, myself, we're just Sam's things,

like his golf clubs and

his stupid cigar collection.

Is it that bad?

Maybe you're tired?

To the bone.

It's Bapak. What a surprise.

Hello.

Showtime.

Som, Som.

He was asking all evening where you were.

Stop it Darwis!

Bapak.

Why didn't he wait?

Husni, Zak.

Please sit, we have to...

Of course you were with him

when he died, right?

- How do you know?

- That's just normal you.

I've called the mosque and they're

going to send their specialists.

How humiliating.

Three grown sons

and to be bathed by strangers.

Zai, are you okay?

Yes. Yes. It's the dust.

Concepcion's getting sloppy.

Bapak was asking all day and

complaining about the dust in the house.

What else did he say?

You know, if you had

responded to my messages.

It's been a long day.

Yeah, yeah, drinking by Bapak's death bed.

Don't be ridiculous Darwis,

he was drinking at a drag show, right?

Where is he?

Come on, let's make sure he's dead.

Thank you, Husni.

Do you need something for that, Zai?

Oh, no, it's alright.

Must have been the cili padi

from the gulai lemak today.

What gulai?

The one I was cooking.

You cooked?

Of course it was imperative

that we used the old scraper,

even though Darwis here was insistent that

santan could be instant.

Bapak?

Ah...

you figured it out?

Oh, god!

What's wrong with you Darwis?

Som, Som.

That is not Zai.

I think that's Bapak.

Darwis, if you're having a nervous

breakdown, hang on I'm with you.

Don't, don't. I'm fine!

But, Zai's possessed by Bapak.

Darwis, you're insane!

There, there.

Before Bapak died,

he was sneezing like a fiend.

His sinuses were acting up.

But surely they clear up after you die?

Why are you here?

What's going on?

Darwis thinks that Zai

has turned into Bapak.

I guess in one way

or another we all will.

What would you like to do

with this house, Kalsom?

I...

You've never thought about this house?

Yes. But only as the place

we had our childhoods.

Hang on, why is Zai speaking

in complete sentences?

Because she is Bapak.

Are you leaving it to me?

Hang on, not so fast.

There are five of us.

What you guys on?

Zak, sit. Let's talk.

- This isn't funny, Zai.

- Surely it's a little funny?

It's not a joke, Zak.

Have you ever known Zai to be funny?

On purpose?

Zak.

Sit.

That day when you didn't

go for sports practice.

What?

You were supposed to be at

sports practice.

But instead, you were in the back,

with Nordin.

I pushed open the door...

Shut up!

Zak!

My God, you are a brute!

You just knocked out your sister,

and your father.

Bapak?

Zai.

Bapak, Bapak?

Is he still alive?

No, but he's still here.

You were just possessed by him.

What did he say?

He said...

Zak?

What was he, she talking about?

It was you?

Nordin molested you?

You were raped, by Nordin?

No! It wasn't.

I don't want to talk about it...

Why not?

Because I'm not a victim,

and I don't blame anyone

for being the way I am.

Not even me?

Great, so you're Bapak now?

Or am I still tripping?

I've gotta get out of this mad house.

Zak, Zak. Wait.

Zak!

I had hoped to speak to all of you.

But, you were late.

If only all of you returned my calls.

Fuck you, Darwis.

You don't have to please him anymore.

The old man is dead.

Zak, why have you become this way?

What way?

Is that what damaged you?

Damaged? Fuck you, Som!

Zak, stop!

I don't like swearing in my house and

I don't think that you are

the least bit damaged.

Any of you.

Really, Bapak?

Hey, Bapak, when you hang out

with your old boys at the club,

and some Tan Sri starts talking

about his overachieving children,

and you think about us,

don't you feel ashamed, Bapak?

Hey, excuse me! I have achievements.

What are they?

Huh, and what do you do?

You're just a trophy wife and mother.

Yes. You try it.

What? Mummy cannot.

You stupid, Zionist old maid!

We all know Husni was the most successful.

I wasn't going to say anything.

Zai!

I was afraid of upsetting you.

But since you're dead,

I feel I have to tell you.

You're gay.

I mean...

Husni's gay.

Well?

Well, it is true,

the idea bothers me a little.

I am old-fashioned enough

that it seems unnatural.

Perhaps even a little disgusting.

I think it's disgusting that you

brought it up when Husni isn't here.

Yes, but who's to say what is

and what isn't disgusting?

Isn't it a fact that

all biology is squeamish.

Except for,

biologists?

Bapak, I can understand rambling

amongst the old.

But, I didn't realize one can be dead

and senile too.

Well Zak, when you become

less set in your ways,

then you can be all things to all people,

and look at all of you.

I especially love that you're all

so different.

Different?

Yes, Bapak.

Just look at each one of us,

a different,

unpleasant,

caricature.

Right, Bapak?

Before you judge an unpleasant caricature,

imagine that he or she,

is your own child.

Where does the gravy spill,

if not onto the rice.

I've had to be more forgiving

than I thought I could ever be.

You are the children

that made me a better man.

Bapak.

The house.

Give us your instructions

or Zak will decide who gets it.

And why shouldn't I decide?

Because you will just screw it up

like you screwed up your whole life.

Say that again, you useless fuck.

No, you are the useless fuck!

Zak!

It's alright.

He won't hurt anyone for a while.

Besides, I don't think he means to.

How can you say that, Bapak?

You all saw he was going to hit me.

All Zak ever does is hurt people, Bapak.

Zak, what was in that pill?

That's not Zak.

You were possessed by Bapak.

What?

That's Bapak.

What?

You know Som, you and Zak

are very nearly the same.

You're both strong-willed. Intelligent.

Stubborn.

And you both live in repudiation of me.

The difference is, Zak couldn't give

a damn if we paid any attention.

Whereas you my dear, you need people

to know of your opposition to me.

But, Bapak, you were always

encouraging me to find my voice.

By being a big mouth?

And by testing Bapak,

to see how strict he is?

Which, wasn't very.

I felt it wrong to stop her

from using her voice,

because you never know one day, she

might actually have something to say.

Oh, thank you very much.

My views are personal and genuine.

Just some stupid journalist

calls me a Zionist. Ha!

Well, you do know that Darwis has been

freelancing as a critique for a while?

Right Darwis?

What you mean? You're Bisa-Bisa?

Well...

You're the fucking coward

whose been trashing me for years?

Som, not that voice.

Sorry, Bapak.

You try to get me banned!

No, I was only joking.

You accused me of being

a traitor to my faith,

like my faith has anything to do

with middle-east politics!

And who says it doesn't?

What a lot of attention

you got for your sister.

They're going to

discuss me in parliament.

Says a lot about parliament.

And about you.

You can't keep placating people

with your vague statements, Bapak.

All things to all people, it seems.

Why did you tell me he was Bisa-Bisa?

Granted, I find pseudonyms rather craven,

but he writes well.

Thank you, Bapak.

And I write the feeling of the Malays.

So, where did he go?

Um, well, I'm me.

No, I'm me.

I think I'm me.

Sir is right.

This is really a dusty house.

Anyway, if anybody is hungry

the food is on the table.

Thank you, Concepcion.

Aren't you all hungry? I cooked!

Bapak, why are you doing this?

Yes, Bapak. What do you want?

You want to see us grieve?

Well, I would have liked

a sense of loss from you,

but growth would have been better.

In passing on,

is there anything I've passed on?

Of course, Bapak!

My values, my principles.

My sense of humor.

Way to make a dead man feel worse.

Hey, at least everybody knows

I'm straight.

That doesn't matter, like I told Zaitun

when she brought it up.

Oh, of course.

You brought it up.

I just mentioned it in passing.

Darwis has been hinting for years.

Just when you decide to go straight,

everyone finds out that you're gay.

Which one's the closet?

You know, I prefer you possessed.

You want to be straight?

Yay, you can marry Hortense Chia!

Yay.

Who's Hortense Chia?

She's the daughter of Auntie Doreen,

our mother's tailor.

How old is she?

We're the same age.

She's Libra, I'm Cancer.

I'm afraid Husni can't marry her.

Because he's gay, right?

No.

Because Hortense is Chinese?

No,

because she's his sister.

What?

- What?

- What!

Sister?

Please be seated.

I had an affair with Doreen Chia.

Nimble woman.

Talcum and calluses.

You think I was meant to compensate

for his rampant heterosexuality?

You dirty dog!

Hortense is my sister?

Before we discover any more siblings,

the house, Bapak, what about the house?

Bapak's already decided, right?

What do you mean?

Obviously, the house is not in the will,

which is why your knickers are in a twist.

Which means, technically,

yes, we all get a share.

But as first-born,

I get to decide what happens to the house.

Right, Bapak?

Technically, yes, but

why do you think he's still here?

Well, technically Zak,

you came with Jackie.

What are you saying, Bapak?

You were part of a package.

All my years in Britain,

I never forget her. My Jackie.

When I returned, when I found her,

you were part of her.

It makes perfect sense!

Zak is not my brother?

This is why Bapak has not gone.

He wants to clear this!

He's not the eldest son. You don't count.

Darwis, please.

What?

Bapak is trying to finalize things.

Right, Bapak?

One son is not yours.

The other is unnatural.

And no matter how many daughters

you may have had, they don't count.

What?

Okay. Who is best qualified

to continue Bapak's legacy?

It's obvious to me.

All I can say is that I... I...

I'm me, I'm me.

Zai, I think we know where Bapak is.

Had to shut him up.

His is the voice I hear the most.

Bapak, I call.

We all try to keep in touch,

don't we, Zai?

I'm not accusing anyone of neglect, Husni.

All I'm saying is that Darwis

still needs his Bapak.

Perhaps, for the rest of you

I left some time ago, Hm?

What did I miss?

Zak.

I understand you

and your sister had a fight?

She's not my sister, is she?

How can you say that?

It's a long story, Som.

Zak, you're such an ass.

He came to my reading

and disrupted my work.

How?

He said I shouldn't write

about our history.

No, I said everyone manipulates history.

Just don't forget real people lived then.

Things happened and they dealt with it

the best way they knew how.

The best way?

The best way for them, Som.

I mean come on, Som, the past informs

the present, the present informs the past.

Yeah, so? It's only self-examination, Som.

You've lost me.

What's that, 'Self-examination?'

I think it's like

squatting over an angled mirror.

Self-examination is for

the western adolescent.

I just hoped you were beyond that, Som.

This from a criminal Peter Pan.

I've missed your rattling squabbles.

Every time we meet though.

Why can't you see that when you can

quarrel properly, it shows there is trust.

Quarrel away. Why are you so fond

of 'calm' and 'quiet'?

What's this? Are you all in retirement?

Can I ask you a question?

Answer me honestly, please.

There is very little time.

As your father,

who do you think is my favorite

child out of all of you?

Even you, Zak.

Me, me, I'm your little princess, right?

Oh, Zai.

Lily is your little princess.

Mummy, right?

Can I say something?

You know, I was twelve

when I finally showed Bapak all the

military toys that I never played with,

still in their boxes.

And you said to me,

tell me what you want,

not what Zak wants or

what you think I want.

You made me realize, I could go out

there and play the game my way.

You said bravery

was better than good manners.

And I said that only to you.

Zak?

Can you remember anything?

I remember everything, Bapak.

Ever since that, I was so angry.

You just left it.

Back then, I thought

you were operating on guilt.

No matter what I did, how much I pushed,

nothing could make you turn away,

because you fucked...

Screwed up, all those years ago.

I didn't know how to respond.

And I pushed and pushed didn't I?

Hm, and once a pusher...

But it's not even guilt, is it?

I mean, I'm not even your son!

So what's it about then? My mother?

Damn, you kept providing

the soft landings, didn't you?

What could I do? You are my son.

I was your favorite, wasn't I?

You are my favorite.

Bapak.

Really?

You are my favorite if you think you are.

That's what a father does.

But this one, Darwis,

he never felt that.

I failed him.

I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out

what his birthday cake should be like.

And he wouldn't say,

just kept on talking about yours.

So do you understand?

You see it has to be him?

I want to to leave the house to him.

Darwis.

There are no real objections are there?

Thank you.

Now, please, think of your mothers.

Recite the Al-Fatihah for them.

Now come.

Come and say goodbye.

What happened?

I Pity you, Darwis.

You missed everything.

Bapak left the house

to all of us, except you.

- Joking right, joking right?

- Zak...

Darwis, you got the house.

Really? Me, I got the house?

Surprised, right? We are too.

So, what are you going

to do with the house?

Let's eat. I'm hungry.

Hungry? How can you be hungry

at a time like this?

Actually, I'm hungry too.

Me too.

Let's eat!

Bapak cooked all our favorite food.

If you guys had read my SMS's.

Shut up, Darwis.

Delicious.

- Where's the rice?

- Out the back.

- Concepcion, rice please.

- You know...

You did a good thing,

letting him say what he needed to say,

breaking protocol and all that.

Well, just don't tell the boss.

Hey, wait for me.

Sorry.

You know that will be ironic,

if we waited all day for you

and then forgot about you.

I didn't know you guys understood irony.

Look who we work for.

What is it like, up there?

Well, what makes you think

you're going, up there?

Yeah, we've just got a few

question to ask you.

You know that, I had a cake

with my name on it and everything.

Spilt Gravy on Rice (2015) - full transcript