Wu yue xue

Der Kinosaal wird zur Todeszone, die Suche nach den Verschwundenen zur posttraumatischen Lebensaufgabe, den anonymen Gräbern droht Jahrzehnte später die Baggerschaufel. Es wird Blut regnen und im Sommer schneien, der König muss das Waschwasser des Sultans trinken: Geisterwelten als synkretistische Vermittlungsinstanz zwischen muslimischen und taoistisch geprägten Kulturen. Vor dem Hintergrund blutiger Auseinandersetzungen zwischen malaysischen und chinesischen Bevölkerungsteilen, die Kuala Lumpur 1969 erschütterten, entfaltet sich ein erinnerungsgeografisches Panorama urbanen Lebens und eine veritable Liebeserklärung an die chinesische Oper in der Diaspora. (Stephan Settele)

In Anwesenheit von Chong Keat Aun.

Kuala Lumpur, May 13, 1969. In the midst of post-election celebrations, Ah Eng and her mother watch the famous Chinese opera Dou E Yuan, also called Snow in Midsummer, performed by a street theatre. That same night, brutal race riots break out, leading to the killing of hundreds of Chinese and the declaration of martial law. As the violence rages outside, Ah Eng and her mother take refuge with the theater troupe, but lose track of her brother and father. Fortynine years later, Ah Eng is still searching for their graves and visits a mass burial site, where ghosts of the past resurface.
Chong Keat Aun’s sophomore feature WU YUE XUE is a powerful drama about trauma and the need for it to be acknowledged. Never showing violence head-on and using mainly wide shots, the narrative also draws on Malaysian literature and Cantonese opera to reflect on the origins of injustice and brutality, while also lending them a timeless dimension. With intensity and precise direction, the film pays tribute to the victims of this tragic incident by bringing its memory back to the surface, while subtly focusing on the muted pain of survivors in its more contemplative, introspective second half. (Nepheli Gambade)

In the presence of Chong Keat Aun.

Chong Keat Aun: CEMETERY OF COURTESY (2017, SHORT), THE STORY OF SOUTHERN ISLET (2020), THE SINFUL COOK (2022, K)