Something Good

The gap in quality between the Malay dramas produced in Malaysia and those produced in Singapore, under the aegis of the Suria channel seems to me to be growing ever more pronounced. I presume there's more money involved in the stuff from Malaysia, in production terms, as it usually aspires to a sense of glamour and the high life, and can look expensively glossy. But in general the scripting is of a very low level, occasionally approaching the incompetent if not risible, and a good deal of the acting is of the stereotypical wooden variety. In contrast, I'm guessing that many of the series that feature on Suria are made relatively cheaply, being shot in ordinary, everyday locations, with little or no sense of glamour. Yet so often the shows are well-written and many of the performers shine in terms of genuine talent, as opposed to superficial telegenic looks.

Case in point: tonight saw the final episode of the series Cuci (meaning 'cleaning', broadly speaking) and in this household we've been glued to the set throughout its run. The idea of building a drama around the fortunes of a cleaning company specialising in 'post-trauma' work might not seem immediately appealing, but it's worked brilliantly. The work in question involves dealing with the mess of death, especially when bodies are already in a state of decay, and the series has conveyed in considerable realistic detail the reality of such work and the necessity for it - despite the potential stigma involved in the Malay community. One line of dialogue resonated particularly powerfully with me, partly I think because it sounds slightly awkward yet oddly poetic in the English translation given in the helpful subtitles: There is goodness in this work. I didn't quite catch the actual Malay used, which may have been more everyday than this, but the essential idea struck me as hugely insightful and important. The mildly quaint notion of something genuinely noble in the work was made real and powerful, partly through the sense of ordinary decency and kindness manifest in the central character, the much put-upon owner of the struggling firm.

And the young actress playing his daughter was perfect in her role. Not sure of her name, but she illuminated the screen in every scene involving her, especially those with her father. Both knew how to underplay emotionally intense material, resulting in a strong sense of everyday realism. You believed in them.

I suppose a cynic might argue that the strong moral sense underlying the action resulted in something too good to be true. But the best popular drama in any context does this. A happy reminder of the truth in goodness.