Brutal

Directed by

Shanjhey Kumar Perumal

Set in the early 1990s—a critical period in Malaysian Indian history—this story subtly underlines the plight of the Malaysian Indian. Forsaken by the estate owners who employed them for generations and systematically marginalized them, they are forced to move to the cities and survive under harsh circumstances. Left out of the nation's urbanization and development plans, many live in squatters and work minimum wage jobs. The plot centers on a bright but mischievous 12-year-old boy named Appoy and his relationship with his father, Maniam, and his two uncles—Bala, an ex-drug addict, and Dorai, a local gangster.