Bohsia - Jangan Pilih Jalan Hitam
My rating:




Well, at least that’s over with.

I have to admit, I came in to this movie at least 5 minutes late. I say this so as to admit the possibility that my first impression – that these are the most shrill, annoying, and dislikeable bunch of characters of any movie I’ve seen - may be unfair. I seriously doubt it though.

We are introduced to Amy and Tasha, and their respective boyfriends Acai and Mus. And yes, they are bohsias and mat rempits. There is also Azam, a former boyfriend of Amy and a pimp, and Aisyah, a girl whom Mus gets to know while chatting online and who’s way out of his league, and Amy’s father, a drunkard and gambler and letch. The plot, such as it is, revolves around all of these characters getting tangled up in each other.

As the title indicates, the movie is primary a sermon - a screed directed at young Malay men who ride bikes and the women who hang around them. Perhaps this is the reason behind making almost every single character a total moron - which unfortunately, does not make for an enjoyable movie at all. Mus is violently possessive of Tasha, yet he shows no real affection for her. Amy and Tasha despise each other, despite having similar family troubles. Acai couldn’t care less about Amy’s feelings. And Acai and Mus don’t much like each other either.

Throughout the movie, I waited - vainly, it turned out - for someone, anyone, to do a single decent thing. The closest thing to a likeable character is Aisyah, who is the Madonna in this movie’s glaring Madonna-Whore complex. She is pure as the driven snow, and delivers a tearful speech in an embarrassingly heavy-handed scene. (One of many, by the way.) And she’s easy on the eyes, which is the only other good thing I can say about her.

Ultimately, the fact that this is as much a lecture as a movie, means the ending is a pretty foregone conclusion. And seriously, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, intentionally so. It’s like the filmmakers are delivering a big “padan muka!” to your face. And while the male characters meet bad ends, it’s what happens to one of the female characters that really tests the gag reflex. Yes, you can add misogyny to this film’s sterling qualities.

The best I can say about the acting is that all the players quite enthusiastically throw themselves into their roles. But their performances are all as one-note as their characters. I seriously doubt the words “makna tersirat” were ever uttered during the production - everyone is so shamelessly over-the-top.

It occurred to me, halfway through the movie, that much of what befalls the characters could’ve been prevented if the two couples had just had sex. Normal, healthy lovemaking, with all the comfort and affection it entails - not the sordid and ugly sex that occurs here. Comfort and affection are clearly what these people are starved for - but the film mean-spiritedly starves them to make its point. This film barely avoids getting my first 1-star rating… but only barely.

NEXT REVIEW: Star Trek
Anticipation level: woohoo!