Asian Movie Pulse - Film Review: MA- Cry of Silence (2024) by The Maw Naing

Panos Kotzathanasis

 

 

The concept of experimentation in movies recently has become quite formulaic, with most films of the category featuring a combination of vignettes and narration, usually unrelated to each other. Thankfully, The Maw Naing‘s experimentation in “MA – Cry of Silence” is of a completely different style and actually works quite well.

 

MA- Cry of Silence is screening at Busan International Film Festival

 

The story revolves around Mi-Then, an 18-year-old woman who, like many of her coworkers, has come to the city from the rural areas of Myanmar, in order to work in the textile factory and avoid the military’s destruction of rural villages under the pretext of eliminating resistance forces. However, her life there is not exactly easy. The hours are long, their supervisor is harsh and occasionally handsy with the girls, while, as the movie begins, they have not been paid for two months. Furthermore, they all live in a dorm, 3-4 in each small room, where they have to pay for rent and food, with the danger of eviction being quite palpable considering their situation. Lastly, frequent blackouts and the constant sound of gunfire, conclude a life that borders on being a torture.

 

Within this setting, the rest of her colleagues decide to go on strike, but Mi-Thet hesitates to join them as something else is also taking place in her life.

 

The script of the film by Oh Young-Jeong, who also co-produced along the director, is based on their observation and research of a real women’s strike in a garment factory, and the impact of this in the realism of the film is quite evident. This, even when an atmosphere of disorientation which occasionally borders on the lyrical, additionally heightened by the almost ritualistic style of editing, is still quite prevalent in the movie. As such, it is easy to say that this combination is actually the one that carries the movie from beginning to end.

 

Furthermore, The Maw Naing connects the individual stories with the sociopolitical and historical context of Myanmar, adding even more depth to an already rich context. That this connection occasionally is achieved through sound for the most part (the gunshots in the background for example) is where the main source of experimentation of the film lies, although not exclusively. The way the characters act, occasionally in silence, the fact that the supervisor’s face is never presented, the unusual but also impressive framing of DP Tin Win Naing and the fact that violence is highlighted through its consequences but is not actually shown, cement an experimentation that, thankfully, is not in the movie for its own sake. Instead, the combination of context and audiovisual approach result in a film that, although unusual, tells its story clearly, in another of its traits.

 

Furthermore, the romantic element that is included in the story, cements the contextual richness here, adding a layer of entertainment. If one were to find a negative in the film, it would probably be that some of the dialogues could have been better, as they appear somewhat artificial and on-the-nose. This, however, is but a minor issue, and in no way does it harm the quality of the whole thing.

 

Not much more to say, “MA-Cry of Silence” is a film that is as unusual and original as it should be, and definitely one of the best films of the year.

 

https://asianmoviepulse.com/2024/10/film-review-ma-cry-of-silence-2024-by-maw-naing/

Film Review: MA- Cry of Silence (2024) by The Maw Naing