OLA BOLA

The incentive to go to the cinema to watch a movie has diminished greatly over the years. This is largely due to the big screen HD television set up in the comfort of your home and the hundreds of satellite channels available at your finger tips. If that is not enough there is online video streaming.

However, exceptions are sometimes made for the rare foray to the cinema if a highly rated and top grossing movie is playing. A movie with outstanding acting, awesome cinematography and engrossing plot. Ola Bola definitely does not fall into such category. The low budget film with unknown cast centered around a boring and raggedy past football team would not warrant a trip to the cinema. However piqued by the hype and rave reviews plus the long CNY festive break, decided to incorporate the movie as part of a family outing.

RM20 for a movie ticket was shocking crazy. During my childhood days a third class ticket cost only 50sen. The price has gone up 4000%!!!. Back then we also did not eat Angmo popcorn in the cinema but melon seeds.  3 packets of Quachee were sold for 10sen. Now a bucket of unhealthy popcorn oozing with sugar , caramel and blood clotting saturated fat cost RM12.

So was the movie worth watching on the big screen at RM20 a pop? I must say it is a local film made only for Malaysian audience. Compared to commercial international films it would paled into oblivion. Outside Malaysia even if it is screened for free nobody would come to watch. It has all the tell tale markings of a low budget film. Grainy pictures, no big names, mediocre acting and amateurish football scenes. Even though touted as a docudrama the plot is so cliché and predictable. Sabahans were also upset that historical details were distorted in the final football match between South Korea and Malaysia.

Why then the fuss and it becoming one of the highest local box office collection. There are a number of things going for it.

Firstly, football is popular in Malaysia even though there are a lot more fans than players. 1970s were the glory days of Malaysian football and it has been downhill since. It is currently languishing at 171 in the latest FIFA world ranking. The patriotic Malaysian fans are desperately looking for new football heroes but there is still no light at the end of the murky tunnel.

Secondly besides the younger crowd the film was also able to draw in the baby boomers. It offered  this middle aged generation  a nostalgic trip down memory lane of the good old days. The familiar sights and sound from the Seventies came flooding back. Youth with the long hair,  psychedelic  prints,  the town funfair and Joget scenes.

Thirdly, to appeal to the general audience the film had to spice up its simple plot. Hence, a concoction of tear jerking scenes that pull at your heart strings and some funny antics and comedic relief were thrown into the mix.

Ultimately however, the most salient message that emerged from the film, maybe inadvertently, was the absence of  racial undertone in our society back then. For a group of young people  with a common goal and patriotic dream the bond of friendship was color blind  . It also showed how a poorly funded football team could succeed  through sheer determination and hard work. Fast forward 35 years to 2016. Instead of progressing to a harmonious multicultural nation our country had regressed. Today the very social fabric of our country are being torn asunder by the onslaught of discriminatory policies and blatant racist polemics.

So was it worth the effort to make the trip to the cinema and spend the RM20? I suggest waiting  for it to be screened on the idiot box and it should be real soon too.

Simon   February 2016