Over the past couple of years, we’ve gotten films like One Two Jaga, Guang and Fly By Night, wonderful films that have inched Malaysian cinema to the proverbial “next level.” And it looks like we’ll be starting 2020 too with a banger of a local film. The Garden of Evening Mists based on a novel of the same name by local author Tan Twang Eng is set in 1940s Malaya during the Japanese occupation. A woman survives the brutal Japanese war camp and then journeys to Cameron Highlands to raise a garden in memory of her dead sister. Interestingly, she comes across a Japanese gardener who she slowly develops a romantic relationship with.
The film which is co-produced by Astro Shaw, HBO Asia, FINAS and German production company CJ Constantin Film received nine nods at the 56th Golden Horse Awards (a prestigious awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan) including Best Film, Best Director and Best Leading Actress. The film won for Best Makeup and Costume Design. It’s helmed by Taiwanese filmmaker Tom Lin Shu-yin (I do wish that it was directed by a Malaysian as well) and stars Malaysian Lee Sin-Je, Japanese Hiroshi Abe and Taiwanese Sylvia Chang.
Check out the trailer below:
I’ll be catching the film the moment it hits cinemas, so stay tuned for my review.
The Garden of Evening Mists is set to release in Malaysian cinemas on 16 January 2020.
