''Jarum Halus'' is a 2008

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n drama film. It is a modern-day adaptation of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

''. The film's title (Malay: "Fine Needle") is derived from a Malay idiom meaning web of deceit or

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...

, which is a major theme in the plot of the film. The plot remains faithful to the source material, with the cast all taking their Shakespearian counterparts either in name, character or both.

Production

It is the directorial debut of Mark Tan, who originally envisioned the project as a short film for his final project when studying film at

Warwick University , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. When returning to his native

, the short film was used as a means to attract funding for a feature-length project. When a deal was agreed and a script finalised, the quality attracted Malaysian veteran actor Dato

Rahim Razali Dato' Haji Abdul Rahim bin Mohd Razali (born 3 July 1939), better known by his stage name Rahim Razali, is a Malaysian actor, director, producer and sports commentator. Life and career English school at Anderson Ipoh High School, Anderson ...

, who agreed to a role on a significantly reduced salary.

Reception

The film received a limited release in January 2008 was released to favourable reviews, with several references to its visual boldness and dynamic mixture of eastern values with western storytelling. It combines both the English and Malay languages in a style typical of urban Malaysian speech. Jarum Halus won the "Best Digital Film" category in the 20th

Malaysia Film Festival Malaysia Film Festival (FFM; ms, Festival Filem Malaysia) is an accolade bestowed by the Malaysian ''Entertainment Journalists Association of Malaysia'' for the appreciation and honouring the products of film arts and artists. The formal cere ...

on the same year.

Cast

* Christien New as Daniel Oh (based on

) *Juliana Ibrahim as Mona (based on

Desdemona Desdemona () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a Moorish Venetian ...

) *Razif Hashim as Iskandar (based on

Iago Iago () is a fictional character in Shakespeare's ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Iago is the play's main antagonist, and Othello's standard-bearer. He is the husband of Emilia, who is in turn the attendant of Othello's wife Desdemona. Iago hates ...

) *

as Datuk Kalel (based on Lodovico) *Justin Chan as Michael (based on Cassio) *Farah Putri as Emilia (based on

Emilia Emilia may refer to: People * Emilia (given name), list of people with this name Places * Emilia (region), a historical region of Italy. Reggio, Emilia * Emilia-Romagna, an administrative region in Italy, including the historical regions of Emi ...

) *Megat Sharizal as Rahim (based on

Roderigo Roderigo is a fictional character in Shakespeare's ''Othello'' (c.1601-1604), where he serves as the secondary antagonist of the play. He is a dissolute Venetian lusting after Othello's wife Desdemona. Roderigo has opened his purse to Iago in ...

) *Stephanie Chai as Bianca (based on Bianca) The film features cameo appearances by

Douglas Lim Douglas Lim (born 11 October 1977) is a Malaysian actor, comedian, television presenter and emcee. He is well known for his involvement in local television, theater and film and comedy show. Early life Lim was born on 11 October 1977 in Kuala ...

Colin Kirton Colin Kirton is a Malaysian stage and television actor. He is also known for his work as a director, trainer, musician, singer, choir director, host/emcee and voice actor. He was nominated for Best Vocal Performance (Solo) at the 2007 BOH Camero ...

and

Yasmin Yusoff Yang Hormat Dato’ Yasmin Yusuff (born 1955), better known by her stage name Yasmin Yusuff, is a former beauty queen, veteran actress and singer in Malaysia. Yasmin is one of the few well-known Malay pageant contestants who won the Miss Univer ...

References

External links

Official Website

Interview with director Mark Tan
{{Authority control 2008 films 2008 directorial debut films Films based on Othello Malay-language films English-language Malaysian films 2000s English-language films

Production

Reception

Cast

References

Further reading

External links