Subtext in Films: a Case Study of the Film Banglasia 2.0 (2019) by Namewee

Chow, Easter Pui Yeng (2021) Subtext in Films: a Case Study of the Film Banglasia 2.0 (2019) by Namewee. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.

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Abstract

Since 2007, Namewee, a Malaysian contemporary filmmaker, has grown in popularity by criticising the government and making racist comments on social media. In 2013, Namewee directed a controversial film: Banglasia 2.0, was set to be released in January 2014 but was banned by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia, which claimed "issues" in 31 scenes.The work is filled with a highly politicised backdrop which caused the feature film was delayed for six years due to its critiques of the previous administration. The film was finally released in the year 2019 after the ruling Pakatan Harapan government approved it — although with cuts, voice-censored and is rated R18. This research intends to analyse the subtext that has been applied in the film, Banglasia 2.0 (2019) directed by Namewee on the political critics which satirizes the 2013 general election and any other contemporary issues in Malaysia. The main argument presented here is that the subtext of Banglasia 2.0 provides a strong bond between the characters and the Malaysian audience. Therefore, content analysis as methodology is used to conduct this research based on the plot of the film. It is significant to interpret the implicit meaning of the film in different perspectives to find out the reason why the director, Namewee was facing challenges in getting approval from the government despite it attracted locals and gained greater popularity among Malaysians. As to conclude this research, it is proved that this film has given much valuable knowledge that the Malaysian should know and understand.