Mamat is an eight-year old boy who struggles in school, since he cannot even spell his own name. His mother does not think that there is anything wrong with him, just that he is lazy, with her frustration growing even more because the people in the village mock both her and Mamat. Her frustration frequently ends up in violence, and the boy, not being able to handle both the school and his life in the house, spends much of his time just sitting in the rice paddies, something that aggravates his mother even more. At one point though, a teacher in Mamat's schools informs her that the boy is not lazy at all, but actually suffers from dyslexia, and that he should attend a special school that will care for his needs. The mother is in denial at first, but finally she realizes her mistake and decides to let Mamat attend the special school.
“Mamat” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Affan Rosdi directs a film that focuses on the lack of information about dyslexia in Malaysia, a concept that is actually common in the West also, where the problem frequently goes undiagnosed for years and isn't recognized until adulthood. In that regard, the reaction of the mother and the rest of the villagers, of considering Mamat lazy and, in essence, stupid, forms a rather familiar concept, with the mother struggling at least as much as her child, and not being able to address her frustration.
At the same time however, the amount of domestic violence depicted on film can not be justified by any means, with the mother's behaviour actually bordering on torture, with the scene where she puts him in the bathroom and throws water on him and hits him being quite shocking. The fact that she even hits him when he insists on attending the special school adds even more to this behaviour, along with the fact that she never actually apologizes. Her tears and the pressure she has to face, since no father is present in the story, may justify her frustration and show that she loves him, but by no means do they justify her abusive behaviour. That said, I do not think that Affan Rosdi wanted to condone domestic violence against children, but just went overboard in his effort to make his point.
The second fault of the short lies with the use of music, which is much too sentimental in its effort to draw feeling from the audience, in essence toning down the power of the images which was already significant, due to the competent work done in the cinematography, and particularly the framing of the film.
The acting on the other hand, is impressive, with both protagonists giving very realistic performances in two rather difficult roles, particularly due to the violence involved, with the prowess also extending to their chemistry.
“Mamat” is well-shot, and it becomes obvious that Rosdi had a good cause in his mind when he was shooting the movie, of highlighting the issue of the lack of knowledge regarding dyslexia. However, in terms of presentation, he somewhat lost his sense of measure, ending up with a narrative that moves into a whole other path than the one he intended.
