Synopsis: Abang and Adik are undocumented orphans in Malaysia. While the older brother, a deaf mute, has resigned himself to a life of poverty, his younger sibling burns with indignation. A brutal accident upsets their relationship`s fragile balance.

Reviewed by: Darryl Goh

On paper, Abang Adik was set to be a beloved critical darling on a modest budget. A record-breaking box office success for a Malaysian film in Taiwan, plus several international film awards later, the film has started political conversations and thrust first-time director Jin Ong into the mainstream spotlight.

The Singapore Film Society spoke to Golden Horse Award nominee Ong on his inspiration for the film, bizarre censorship requests and that egg cracking ritual seen on posters.

Jin Ong is not afraid to tackle touchy socio-political issues of his home country Malaysia in his films. The 48-year old has produced films centering on poverty and transgenderism throughout his decade-long career. In his directorial debut, Abang Adik (Malay for older brother, younger brother) follows two stateless orphans in Malaysia who navigate financial hardship and an unjust society as the law cracks down on illegal residents.  

Highlighting the Plight of Stateless Persons 

The idea of spotlighting the issue of statelessness in Malaysia came to Ong during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The government gave aid to those with identity cards, but what about those without them? They also live here but they do not have any identity, let alone benefits, so how could they survive?” he said. 

In researching the struggles stateless residents in Malaysia face, Ong reached out to nongovernmental organisations who connected him with those willing to share their experiences. Ong was so moved by the testimonies and by wanting to portray as realistic a situation as possible, he injected the words of the stateless residents verbatim into the characters’ lines.  

Speaking to his feeling of hopelessness, a 20-year-old stateless man told Ong that “it has been so many years and I still do not have any card with my photo on it.” The quote puts identity cards into perspective—how it is something legal residents do not give much thought about but its absence effectively neuters a stateless person’s quality of life.  

Bringing Characters to Life 

Taiwanese actor Wu Kang-ren plays Abang, a deaf-mute and hardworking older brother who wants to build a stable life, while Adi, played by Malaysian actor Jack Tan, sees fast cash from crimes as the only way to escape poverty. The yin-yang dynamic sets the pair up for heated arguments, and an irreversible accident that plunges them into a crisis, but it is clear that their love for each other far rises above any storms they weather.  

Film still from Abang Adik (Photo credit: mm2 Entertainment) 

Critics have praised the chemistry between Abang and Adi, with Wu winning the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor and Tan becoming a Best Supporting Actor nominee. Talent aside, both actors spent considerable time together before filming began. Wu arrived a month before to learn Malaysian sign language and familiarise himself with Pudu Wet Market, where Abang works odd jobs. Ong made sure that the pair bonded organically as they learnt how to slaughter chickens from stall owners. 

“There was no casting group that followed them, so they built the relationship over the month. When we started filming, we could see that they were essentially brothers,” Ong said. The film’s social media accounts posted behind-the-scenes footage of Tan sobbing between takes, having internalised the character going through an emotional climax.  

Filmgoers may be left in tears at the end of the movie, but it does not lack laugh-out-loud moments, thanks to sister Money (Tan Kim Wang). The transgender neighbour is sassy, but more importantly a mother figure to the brothers who watched out for them as they grew up. In slice of life scenes such as having dinner together, they essentially behave like a family, despite all three not being related by blood at all.  

At 57, Kim Wang was the oldest Golden Horse Award nominee for Best New Performer in 2023. Ong said it was easy to convince the veteran stage drama actor to take the role. 

“I’ve known him for a long time and he’s a real neighbourhood auntie. I wasn’t looking for an actor…I adjusted some of his dialogue to fit his background and knew he would do well. He just likes to perform”, he said.  

Subtle and Overt Symbolism 

Ong is quick to acknowledge his team for the film’s success, singling out his cinematographer  

Kartik Vijay for realising his creative vision. 

“As a new director, I had ideas, but I don’t know how to express them. Kartik helped me draw the scenes frame by frame, and advised what the lighting should be”, he said. Splitting the film into three parts, Kartik used three different camera positions from static shots to close-ups per part to convey a progressively darker mood.  

Another subtle way of portraying the snowball effect is the use of repetition in the film. From eating curry to the brothers cracking the shells of hard boiled eggs on each other’s foreheads, each repeated action is set in a different context to pace viewers on the tragic spiral the brothers undergo throughout the film.  

Behind-the scenes with Kartik Vijay (Left) and Jin Ong (second from right) (Photo credit: mm2 Entertainment) 

Ong wanted a symbolic act that could represent the brothers’ closeness, and looked to his childhood for inspiration.  

“In primary school, I had a classmate from a poor family. As his family could not afford to buy good food, his mom would just give him an egg for lunchtime. He would then crack the eggshell on his forehead,” he said. The action has since become a go-to pose by fans at meet-and-greets, sometimes with real eggs.  

Special appreciation screening in Malaysia https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=779908690846811&set=pb.100064830617499.-2207520000&type=3 

Having worked on multiple local films, Ong had a good idea of what films were permitted to be screened in Malaysia. Even so, he was surprised at some censorship requests when he submitted the final cut for review. 

“The kissing scene was supposed to be about 10 seconds. But the report I received said we were only allowed to do three seconds. So I just cut it to three seconds,” Ong said. Eventually, the version released in Malaysia was a mere minute shorter than the international version.  

The Power of Love 

Ultimately, Ong says Abang Adik is a story about unconditional love—a topic he intends to  continue exploring in his future films.  

“In our tough lives, I think love helps us survive. Love can heal, but can also destroy. It is not just an emotion; it is a very strong power”, he said. 

Ong wants filmgoers to feel 温暖 (emotionally warm and comforted) after watching Abang Adik, but the rollercoaster of emotions experienced, culminating in a waterfall of tears when credits rolled did not initially register as a positive feeling, but eventually felt rewarding.  

Are we to feel sorry for the brothers? To give and receive unconditional love is something that even the richest person in the world cannot afford to buy. Perhaps both Abang and Adik are rich beyond measure. 

Abang Adik is playing in cinemas.  

Darryl Goh obsesses over creative details in media, from films to brand campaigns. He writes about the local creative scene and makes art inspired by local news stories. These personal projects can be tiring at times, but they also make him feel truly alive. 

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This review is also published on Singapore Film Society as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme.