The fourteenth edition of Asian Film Festival Barcelona kicks off today. That means folks in attendance tomorrow will get to enjoy a special screening of Abang: Mencari Jalan Pulang, the latest Malaysian martial arts thriller from director Areel Abu Bakar, and starring none other than genre favorite Beto Kusyairy of Gayong and Mat Kilau fame.
Bakar directs the film from a script he wrote with Hafiz Derani, and produced out of his Layar Pictures label. The film is billed as a prequel to Bakar’s 2020 flick, Geran, which played for the 19th New York Asian Film Festival and won its director the Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence In Action Cinema, before releasing in the U.S. as Silat Warriors: Deed Of Death from Well Go USA.
A teaser for Abang: Mencari Jalan Pulang briefly made its way online before being pulled which is why it no longer appears in my coverage from last Fall. To this, and with a festival premiere in toe, it’s likely that we’ll get a trailer, and we might even get some acquisition news since Bakar’s profile is growing a little bit, particularly with Megat Sharizal’s 2023 action starrer, Walid, which got some theatrical time in the States as well.
Orphaned at a young age, Uwais and his younger sister, Hasnah, are in by their uncle Usop, a loan shark who raises them within an illegal moneylending syndicate. While Uwais struggles to hold on to his remaining moral compass, Hasnah spirals deeper into gambling and self-destruction. Under the influence of the powerful Haji Daud, they become trapped in a dangerous criminal network, forcing Uwais to confront rival gangs, buried loyalties and the system that shaped his life. Amid violence and betrayal, he must decide who he truly is and what he is willing to sacrifice to reclaim his identity and redefine the meaning of family.
Kusyairy stars along with Nadia Aqilah, Nam Ron, Niezam Zaidi, martial artist and actor Jebat Zulfar, and Faizal Hussein. Check out the official teaser poster below, and stay tuned for a trailer.
