The third feature film by Nik Amir Mustapha, who produced, directed and co-wrote “Imaginur”, is a truly weird film that deals with the concept of memory in the most unusual way.
Imaginur is screening on New York Asian Film Festival
As Zuhal gets his father, who suffers from Alzheimer's, to a hospital for a check-up, he realizes that something strange is happening in his life, which seems to be repeated while past and present are mixed, and a dream about the presence of a woman in a field seems to be the key. Trying to figure things out, he ends up visiting a hypnotist, Ramil, who puts him in a machine that ends up confusing things even more. Suddenly, he finds himself in a groundhog day setting, where he loses his father in a supermarket where his ex's current fiance embarrasses him, before he is hit by a car, ending up in the same hospital his father was with a bandaged head. Eventually, he meets a girl, Nur, who is about to leave for Japan, with him falling in love with her almost immediately, and asking her to stay. Then things start to get even more confusing, with various events between the two taking place, but not in a way that is easily understood if it is the past, the present, or a dream.
Nik Amir creates an atmosphere of intense disorientation, confusion, and, inevitably, frustration, while mixing in elements of sci-fi and the concepts of dreams and hypnotism. The repetition of certain events, while other parts of Zuhal's life seem to progress, add even more to these sentiments, which are excellently portrayed by Beto Kusyairy, who mirrors the sense the viewer also gets from what is happening to perfection. At the same time, the overall atmosphere also implies that something really bad is happening, an additional sense that adds even more to the movie's aesthetics, and to the impression that something is really wrong here.
The hypnotist, the romance with Nur, and his interactions with his sister provide an anchor of sorts for the story, but again, these are brief moments, and the aforementioned sense essentially remains throughout. Gradually, though, it becomes evident that something is wrong with Zuhal, with Nik Amir exploring the experience of a failing mind, and particularly the lack of certainty about the past, which derives from memory issues.
Furthermore, Nik Amir has created a series of questions that the viewer feels the need to get replies for, in an element that keeps the title interesting for the majority of the duration of the movie. The subtle moments of humor also add to this aspect, as much as the entertainment the movie offers.
On the other hand, there are also some issues here. The romance with Nur emerges as cheesy and TV-like on occasion, despite Diana Danielle's rather pleasant presence in the role. That both women the protagonist is associated with look gorgeous is also a bit unrealistic, while the overall TV-like sense is also evident in the “too” bright lighting and coloring, that add to this sense. Perhaps Nik Amir wanted to create visuals that look like a dream, but the result is not exactly successful, an issue that weighs heavily on the quality of the movie.
Despite these problems, the overall atmosphere of “Imaginur” actually compensates, with the movie remaining entertaining throughout, while providing food for thought through the unusual approach to the comments about memory and how it shapes people.
