Whether you are flying solo at the moment or have a squeeze in hand, it can’t be denied that romance is in the air.
What better way to take it all in by bingeing on sappy romance films to pull at your heartstrings? And as it turns out, Malaysians are a sappy bunch!
Here are just a handful of locally-made romance films to melt your heart into a puddle. Get the tissues and chocolates ready!
1. Puteri Gunung Ledang (2004)
What better way to start off this list than with a film based on an ancient legend? One featuring the famous Hang Tuah at that?
“Puteri Gunung Ledang” is the cinematic retelling of the tale of the legendary princess who Hang Tuah falls in-love with.
M Nasir and Tiara Jacquelina take the lead as the forbidden lovebirds, and both put in truly convincing performances that will have you rooting for them.
Unfortunately, anyone who knows how the tale goes will know that it doesn’t end well. Still, it’s the journey that matters more than the destination, doesn’t it?
2. The Garden of Evening Mists (2019)
A romantic tragedy which makes some dips into the war and history genre, this cinematic adaptation of Tan Twan Eng’s novel of the same name is one to watch.
The film follows Teoh Yun Ling (Sylvia Chang), a survivor of the Second World War whose traumatic experiences continue to dog her in the present day.
While conducting research on the war, she meets Nakamura Arimoto (Hiroshi Abe), a quiet, enigmatic man with a complicated history.
One thing leads to another and Teoh falls in love with Nakamura. And despite their newfound happiness, the trauma of the war hangs over both ominously.
3. Talentime (2009)
Is it really possible to compile this list without including at least one Yasmin Ahmad film? Bless her soul, for the late filmmaker knew how to hit people where it truly hurts with her movies.
Before her untimely death in 2009, Yasmin described “Talentime” as “a story full of joy and pain, hope and despair, a host of beautifully-written songs, and rich characters”.
The film is centred around a talent show, which Melur, a Malay lass with a beautiful singing voice, and Mahesh, an Indian lad with impaired hearing, both participate in.
Time spent together leads to them developing feelings for one another, though it is not without opposition. And of course, everything comes to a head on the big night of the talent show.
4. Ice Kacang Puppy Love (2010)
“There’s no love like the first love.” What can beat romance in its purest, most innocent form? First loves are the ones you never forget, after all.
This genuinely saccharine film is set in 1980s Perak, where a shy boy named Botak lives a quiet existence working in his father’s coffeeshop.
That quiet is quickly shattered when he comes across Fighting Fish, a girl who lives up to her name with how fiery she is.
Opposites attract, however, and the two form a friendship. Of course, that friendship starts to go places neither would ever have imagined.
5. Penarek Becha (1955)
Sure, this film is from the black-and-white era, but P Ramlee films are timeless; so there should be no reason not to watch this tearjerker.
The great thespian himself plays Amran, a lowly trishawman who draws the gaze of Azizah (Saadiah), the daughter of a wealthy family.
Of course, the two fall in love, much to the disapproval of her family and her suitor, Ghazali (Salleh Kamil).
Cue the unscrupulous efforts to split the two apart, with Ghazali having ulterior motives in keeping Azizah for himself.