CONSTRUCTING ‘CINEMA-WITH-ATTITUDE’: THE PROBLEMATICS OF SINO-MALAY POWER RELATIONS IN MUKHSIN

This paper looks at the prospective development of an emergent ‘cinema-with-attitude’ in the Malaysian film industry given the now prevalent ‘cinematic attitude’ in exploring sociocultural and political discourses. ‘Cinematic attitude’ is perhaps one of the key problematics in Malay cinema which is inherently and systemically connected to and shaped by sociocultural, historical and political discourses of the nation. Deploying Fairclough’s critical media discourse analysis as the framework, this paper examines the selected mise-en-scenes in Mukhsin as a signifying and promising set of aesthetics of ‘cinematic attitude’ critically framing the complex Sino-Malay power relations in the film. This examination moves beyond the film’s Mandarin vignettes towards situating the critical extension of such power relation within the discursive practices and dynamics of vernacular education policy innovations and resistance in the nation.