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Interchange
Directed by Dain Said
Written by Dain Said, Nandita Solomon, Redza Minhat and June Tan
Reviewed by SUREKHA RAGAVAN
As seen in his previous feature and indie hit Bunohan, Dain Said doesn’t make art for easy consumption. His new film, Interchange, has this in common with its predecessor. It’s a complex meshwork of dreamy sequences and grandiose set pieces, an exercise in film noir often subject to the audience’s interpretation.
The film begins with Malaysian talent Shelah crooning in a dimly lit bar, an excellent showcase of the shadowy, sometimes sensual mood that drips through many of the film’s scenes. A grotesque murder scene is discovered, which nicely introduces our lead characters, detective Man (Shaheizy Sam) and former forensics photographer Adam (Iedil Putra).
The murder follows the pattern of a previous killing and Adam is coerced into helping Man investigate the case by identifying glass plates, a photography developing process used before the invention of plastic film. But things get in Adam’s way – namely his fascination with mysterious neighbour Iva (Prisia Nasution), and the relevation of the disappearing Tingang tribe’s past secrets in ancient tomes and photographs.
Tension is heightened when Belian (Nicholas Saputra) comes into the picture, a mesmeric character that blurs the lines between man, bird and spirit.
A definite strength in Interchange is the way it toys with intriguing themes rarely explored in Malaysian cinema: man’s relationship with nature and animals, post-colonialism and its effects on indigenous communities, and the (sometimes lost) values of archiving.
The “evil” effects of technology and how it “traps one’s soul” is also heavily explored, inspired by a real-life image that the director chanced upon of a group of women washing themselves in a stream because they believed they had been “tainted” by the effects of being photographed. The writers draw influence from Southeast Asian folklore, but resist the ways such tales are more commonly appropriated for Western audiences.
While there are compelling, novel ideas explored in Interchange, the film falls short in narrative execution, sometimes leaving the audience puzzled. Especially in the first act, muddled character motivations lead to a convoluted plot. I found myself with many questions that never quite get resolved: Why does Adam go to great lengths to help Iva? Where is Adam from? What exactly is the experience of being “trapped” from the Tingang tribe’s point of view? Is death a refuge for them?
Sometimes, the ideas in Interchange are greater than its storytelling, and this leaves little room for the audience to root for the characters, or even humanise them. As mysterious and pained many of the characters were, I wanted to like them more than I actually did.
Undoubtedly, the best thing about Interchange is the way it looked. Dain Said continues to push the envelope by incorporating saturation into low-light scenes that produce magic, enigma and tension on the big screen, sometimes dipping into dystopia.
In particular, there’s a scene in a flea market where Man comes across Belian’s character for the first time, and it quickly escalates to conflict before wrapping up with glimmers of fantasy. It’s a beautifully shot and edited sequence, and it’s difficult to tear your eyes away.
Director of Photography Jordan Chiam (of Terbaik Dari Langit) also did a great job in using Malaysian forests, sites, buildings, stalls, tunnels, and drains to generate visuals that are rich and sensuous, moody and ominous.
Even if Interchange isn’t a flawless film, it’s a tremendously brave attempt at breaking cinematographic boundaries, as well as including voices not often heard in Malaysian film. Whether you connect to the film or not, it stands as a disruptive art piece to inspire conversation in the landscape of local cinema. And for that reason alone, we are better for it.
What did you think of Interchange? Tell us in the comments below!