PENDATANG (2023) full movie

[Please choose CC Subtitles: English, Malay, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Tamil, Indonesian, Japanese. or Spanish]

CONTENT WARNINGS: Some violence, profanity and racism.

Set in a dystopian Malaysia in which different races are forbidden to mix. A Chinese family moves into their new house to find a scared Malay girl still hiding in it. Should they get rid of her or try to smuggle her back to safety?

A Kuman Pictures Production in association with Sunstrong Entertainment & Tapir Films.

Director: Ken Kin
Screenwriter: Lim Boon Siang

Cast: Fred Chan, Mayjune Tan, Shareen Yeo, Kyzer Tou, Qaidah Marha, Nick Davis, Kent Tan, Grace Ng, Julie Chew, Dave Tan, Devakar Rajah, Jasmin Lyn, Jonathan Cheong , Afry Wijoyo, Chuan Boon Loh, David Cheah & Loh Shu Jin & Azman Hassan

Director of Photography: Tan Teck Zee (MYSC)
Music: Teo Wey Yinn
Editor: Chloe Yap Mun Ee
Production Designer: Tam Khalid
Costume Design: Jessie Yeow

Executive Producer: Jment Lim
Associate Producers: Catalina Rembuyan, Gary Chong Khin Jin, Koo Lick Hou & Ruban Satkuna Nathan
Producers: Amir Muhammad & Elise Shick
Co-Producers: James Chong & Gabrielle Lee Hooi Min
Assistant Producer: Ang Wei Xin

[alfredaldrin]

We need more movies like this to show to the people in Malaysia, just how fragile and vital it is for us all to live in harmony with one another. We must not allow politics and extremism be it using religion, race, social class nor economy to break us apart and create the animosity that seems to grow and fester each passing day.

[abu]

Satu filem yang sangat bermakna untuk Kita Rakyat Malaysia membuka mata dan hati . yang merosakkan semua keindahan itu adalah sifat tamak, rasis, kebencian, pembunuhan kejam oleh orang2 yang gelap hatinya. yang tak bersalah menjadi mangsa akibat perbuatan jahat org2 yg gelap hati ini.

Masa saya accident motor kena langgar dengan kereta sampai terseret tepi jalan raya, yang tolong saya waktu itu adalah uncle india, uncle cina dan kakak melayu. Saya sangat bersyukur jadi rakyat Malaysia sebab inilah perpaduan kita tanpa mengira warna kulit dan latarbelakang kehidupan kita. Hentikan racism sebab ianya hanya akan merugikan negara Malaysia tercinta sahaja.

Arwah mak saya menyaksikan sendiri semasa peristiwa berdarah 13 Mei 1969 yang berlaku di Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur. Yang menimbulkan kekacauan dan pembunuhan kejam beramai2 itu adalah dari orang2 politik yang gila kuasa tanpa memikirkan kesannya terhadap rakyat Malaya pada waktu itu. Arwah mak saya juga ada cerita yang anak cina di selamatkan dan di lindungi oleh orang melayu, anak melayu pun di selamatkan serta dilindungi oleh orang cina. ini bukti yang perpaduan telah lama wujud dibumi Malaysia cuma org2 politik yang hati kotor dan serakah sahaja yang suka memainkan isu perkauman dan api kebencian.

jadi janganlah terpedaya dengan kata2 ahli politik yang suka mainkan isu perkauman ini. sebab kita adalah RAKYAT MALAYSIA yang sangat unik dan negara luar memandang tinggi dengan perpaduan yang kita ada sekarang!

[woosiewmei]

This movie deserves an international award of some kind. Despite a limited budget movie, the production, the acting, the storyline, the tempo and excitement of the plot is right up there. Kudos to all the talented people behind this film.

[stevenkkh]

The first Malaysian film produced through crowdfunding, "PENDATANG, " bypassed the scrutiny and cuts of the Malaysian Film Censorship Board, preserving the core content and values the film aims to convey.

After watching, the impact lingered, and tears welled up multiple times. The outstanding performances of the actors made me feel like I was part of the story. The focus is not on who is an Pendatang (outsider), but on who protected whom in the face of danger—making the next generation firmly believe that skin color and ethnicity should not be reasons for division and mutual slander. Instead, they should be reasons for greater unity.

Since May 13, 1969, to the present, 54 years have passed, yet the three numbers, 513, are still exploited by extremists promoting racialism. The unity of the three major ethnic groups has deteriorated to the absurd situation where anything that is not deemed halal, disrespectful to the feelings of Muslims, or involves wearing shorts is criticized.

For Malays—Apa khabar
For Chinese—你好嗎
For Indians—Namastē
For Iban people—Nama brita nuan
For Kadazandusun people—Nunu abal nu
Like a key, it unlocks the knots in our hearts.

May this film, serve to reunite the diverse Malaysian nation once again.

[kumarannadaraja]

Seriously am touched watching this movie. Greatly narrated story, superb cinematography, perfect acting, truly inspiring and giving us the Malaysian a wake up call if we care less about unity and racism issue. This is what gonna happen if we tend to ignore the racism issue in Malaysia. It must be stopped no matter what, and bravo to the Kuman Team for taking the effort by picturising the future of Malaysia IF racism takes place. Highly salute to all who have associated with the production of this feature film.

[julianaherman]

Sebagai orang Indonesia yang lahir di Malaysia, jujur saja awalnya saya cukup bingung dengan premis dari film ini. Banyak pertanyaan seperti mengapa Seng dan keluarga pindah, mengapa ada hukum segregasi, dll. Namun setelah mencoba menonton film sampai akhir dan membaca dari beberapa komentar saya mulai memahami maksud dan tujuan film ini, yang awalnya saya pikir berdasarkan dari peristiwa nyata. Film ini membuat saya merenung, apakah saya sudah adil dalam berpikir? bagaimana saya memandang ras lainnya? apa ajaran dari Nabi kami Rasulullah Muhammad saw. tentang tidak ada ras manusia yang lebih unggul dibandingkan dengan ras lainnya, dan mengapa Tuhan menciptakan kita berbeda-beda namun tinggal di bumi yang sama. Saya rasa isu rasial ini merupakan permasalahan umum dan kita bertanggung jawab untuk mengedukasi diri sendiri dan juga anak-anak kita untuk menghargai perbedaan dan menganggap bahwa hal tersebut merupakan fitrah dan keindahan seperti halnya yang difirmankan Allah SWT.
Good job for the producer, director, actor and all the crew for this good movie! It's such a bless that we can watch it free on Youtube.

[boonkeechew]

I think the best parts about the movie is not the storyline itself, but the background and world settings shown the movie, which reflects many aspects in the Malaysia society and also some accurate assumption made.

Referendum: 79% of the votes cast being in favor of the the Segregation Act. The results reflect two things: The race relations is extremely bad, the society is full of hatred towards each other and they believe that the segregation will bring justice to them. Interestingly enough, the outcome is not something expected by the voters who voted AGREE to pass the Segregation Act, and they are the one who complains everything. The father who voted AGREE was shocked when they are moved to their new house, and from the dialogue, it seems like they used to live in urban area. The mother reminded him that he and all other 79% voters are the causer of their new lives. Similarly, the Indian man is also the one who claims that everything is unfair meanwhile his partner adapts to everything.
P.S. The Malay House is not that bad, many Malays live in Malay House for generations. Ironically, Steven asked is Seng never seen a Malay House before, which also implies that the ignorance of each others' culture is one of the reasons causing the bad racial relations in the movie.

Politicians and Businessmen: Eddie and Hamid are friends since primary school. Eddie has no hatred towards other races, but like he said, he was just saying anything that the people likes to hear. When the hatred exists in the society, the politicians like to grow and further spread the hatred to gain political benefits, which is very common in Malaysia since 1957. It is also the same to Hamid, he might also gain benefits by spreading the hatred in Malay Society. It reminds me of the referendum of Brexit, the politicians use the hatred of British people towards the immigrants to make them AGREE to Brexit. It is very dangerous when you starts to think that everything unfair and bad happened in your life are all caused by other races. You are very easy to be manipulated. In the end, Hamid and Eddie are the businessmen who exploits their own races, and gain benefits from it. I believe that there is an Indian version of Hamid and Eddie in that movie. The Chinese sells furniture to Malays, the Malays sell to Indians, but in the end, all the three businessmen gain wealth and power, while the people get nothing.

Sabah, Sarawak and Ringgits: Sabah and Sarawak quit Malaysia in the movie. I guess there are also referendum held by them? To stay or to quit Malaysia that impose segregation, and the people chose to leave. Sabah and Sarawak has provided various natural resources which plays important role in the development of Malaysia. But, in my OWN OPINION, Sabah and Sarawak should get more political representations and infrastructure upgrade. The politicians in peninsular always spread the hatred among races and religions, but is they any politicians in peninsular stand out and speak for the rights and fairness of Sabah and Sarawak? They are the ones who provides so much economy effects and getting so less.
It is also very sad when I see Ringgits become worthless in the movie and people using USD to trade. If the religions and races are still the main tone in Malaysia's politics and become the main thing we concern when we vote, then NO ONE will come to invest in Malaysia. We should always learn from Sabah and Sarawak, their mindsets and values towards races and religions.

Law and Violence: Steven and his uncle get killed easily by the militia. It shows that the militia and the violence prevails the law and everything in the movie. This is what that happens when the democratic system has been demolished by none other than the voters who have the rights to vote and decide the future in the country under the democratic system. The democracy protects the law, and the law becomes the foundation of the system. Democracy is hard to gain, but can be easily slip away, and when it happens, MILITIA or anyone with guns and comrades become the LAW.
P.S. Is the MILITIA a portrayal of the Malayan Communists?

Self-Reflection: Didn't you see what they write on the Internet? Oh, so you didn't write? It is different! I am justice. These few dialogues perfectly summed up the mindsets of chauvinisms. Another term that Seng mentioned is "motherland". There are many reasons causing this kind of self-identity. The self-identity is built based on many aspects in life. The self-identity has many aspects as well, the nationality, race, religion and so on, but when these self-identity turns into chauvinisms, it turns the nation and democratic system into an endless helix of identity politics, which is still prevails above everything nowadays. This type of chauvinism exists in more than one races in Malaysia. Like the name of the movie, PENDATANG. You think that others are PENDATANG, and they also think of themselves as PENDATANG. If you think they are supposed to be called as PENDATANG, then do not complain when they are not patriotic enough, because you are the one who chase them away. Similarly, when you identified yourself as PENDATANG, which is even more pathetic, then the only thing you can do and should do is become a PENGHIJRAH.

DISCLAIMERS: I might mention some details in the movie wrongly, my bad. I am not spreading any hatred, just expressing some opinions and feelings towards the movie. Please do not arrest me ya. UWU. If my comment hurts anyone's feelings or makes anyone uncomfortable, just reply below, I will delete my comment ASAP.

[wonderfulfable]

This is good quality film making that is not hindered by many obstacles. Given that it was crowd funded & the film premiered on Youtube, it will be a different story if the film producers were to seek funding using traditional pathways.

That is because the film's subject matter will be "frowned upon" by the authorities. Even if the film were to be approved and screened, I can imagine Lembaga Penapisan Filem ( Film Censorship Board ) having a field day snipping here and there. This is the kind of nanny state the government has become; "censored, blocked, prohibited etc, so as not to provoke racial tensions or to keep the harmony between races, etc".

Good film making with introspective qualities such as “Pendatang” needs to be made, so that, in a post-mortem, society as a whole can reflect on it's current state. It's been a long while since local films have made an attempt to tell a story about the Malaysian societal fabric. Remember all the Yasmin Ahmad films back in the day?

Many of the story elements within the film has relevance to Malaysian history; 513 ( May 13th ) and the racially segregated areas that harks back to the New Villages established during the Communist Insurgency; kinda like the Hunger Games setting with the segregated Districts. The film also posits a future where the Federation of Malaysia is no more; with Sabah & Sarawak leaving.

Within the film's world, it will be the rich, greedy & corrupt individuals that will take advantage of the situation to profit, to secure their personal interests. While those who were already on the extreme end ( like the Defense Force soldiers ), will exploit the situation just to harm & kill people not aligned with the law. The ones in the middle will suffer because they just want to live in peace with one another.

The entire movie leaves me with the feeling that the future looks bleak for a Malaysia literally segregated according to race. The reality is, we have it very good; due to what our forefathers have built Pre-Merdeka and Post-Merdeka. We just take it for granted, assuming everything is all fine.

But there will always be bad extremist actors in society who claim "they are the victim" or "its us against them" in order to say "we are better than them"; and as a result, the supporters who agree will rally around these extremists and their voices will just grow louder.

To stop that, Malaysians need to go out and get to know one another. Leave the comfort zone of the insular community bubble and mix with the other races. Only as Malaysians, together, will our society progress to greater heights.

[afizahazar]

Suka dgn cerita Malaysia yg berkualiti sebegini. Mak penuh dgn sifat keibuan, baik hati, penyanyang dan ingin melindungi anak2nya. Ayah sorang yg tegas, selalu pentingkan keselamatan keluarga. Anak pulak di didik dgn kasih syg, hormat satu sama lain. Tp ending macam tergantung sikit. Kalau ending mereka teruskan kehidupan sampai dewasa. Pasti mantap. Bangsa dan agama apa pun kita, Kita tetap satu Malaysia. Kita saling memerlukan. ❤

[yinkuen]

Racism never wins. Humanity will prevail in most dire circumstances. Bravo to the production team and brilliant acting by everyone!!! Best movie I have watched in 2023

[EAlyahya]

Moral of the story, don’t rely too much on the news or certain social media that incite racial or religious hatred. Remember your neighbour, friends, colleagues, your teachers, your doctors of different races in the real life. Each of us wouldn’t have a heart to inflict any pain towards each other.

[adr_y]

Wah we finally get a dystopian Malaysian movie and I am loving it. The story, production, cinematography is really good. Also, a very good reminder to never let racism win.

[jojonsu]

It's actually a patriotic film and should be seen with an open mind. This film will surely be and should be on the next Oscar's nomination list. I like the part where Sabah and Sarawak left Malaysia. Every Malaysian always talk about the country's potential and what it should and could have been.
This movie is a testament to the talent of the Malaysian people. Congratulations and well done!

[rosterman]

gila fim ini sedih banget mengajar kita apa artinya rasa kemanusiaan yg adil dan beradab respect film pendatang 🙏🙏🙏😢😢

[cahayamata]

This film should NEVER be banned. Its message is important to all Malaysians. We are one nation with a diverse population. It's our multicultural quality that makes us stand out in the world. DON'T play into the hands of politicians from all races who are only out to enrich themselves while playing one race up against another.

[vdharma]

Great to see a Malaysian movie where the producers and the audience don't have to bow down to the censors!

[lim-limdunn]

I applaud the film makers for taking the route of "crowd funding", by-passing Malaysian Censorship Board in order to stay true to the storyline they wish to portray. Also, appreciate its decision to allow re-use under Creative Common Attribution license, so that it could be shared quickly & widely. I hope this film & Kuman Pictures team continue to garner momentum & receive international acclaim. The script, nuances, attention to detail to portray Malaysian idiosyncrasies are commendable.
In my humble opinion, this film should be made mandatory viewing for all Malaysian school children (eg. as part of Civics curriculum). Regardless of race, religion or ethnicity, there is a decent human spirit within all of us, and we need to be reminded of the importance of "Muhibah" & kindness.
I look forward to more amazing films from Kuman Pictures & you have deservingly earned my YouTube subscription. Terima Kasih!!!
P/S: Love new phrase learned from film "Take Kena, Tak Cinta".

[aisyahamirfz]

SPOILER ALERT!
not even halfway through this movie and its a 10/10 for me. some close minded are bursting their nerves and jumping into conclusions without making an effort to understand what this beautiful film is about. but then again simple minds can’t understand art. the scene where yan was looking through pictures of her and her friends almost made me tear up.

[seramkelam]

Best Malaysian film of 2023. An eye and mind opening experience. I love the father's character arc and his ending was gutwrenching. And truck driver auntie too. I cried when she asked Raifa's name.

The message is simple, segregation makes it simple for the rulers to control us. It's not about malay vs chinese, or propaganda who's more racist. It's the rulers who desperately trying to keep us apart. I don't get how the racist and naysayers thinks this film is an anti-constitution and anti-malay propaganda.

btw, i would LOVE to see part 2 from the POVs of the Malays and Indians, and they too suffered under their oppressive rulers.

Congratulations, KUMAN pictures.

[susisusilawati]

Masya Allah, saya baru nonton film sebagus ini, saya tidak tahu sebelumnya seperti apa kelam sejarah sosial negara Malaysia, saya pikir hanya kami yang punya cerita kelam tentang perubahan, salam satu rasa kemanusiaan, terimakasih