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Yasmine Movie Review

Yasmine is a 2014 Bruneian teen drama martial arts film directed by Siti Kamaluddin and starring Liyana Yus. It is a predictable, but solid and endearing flick.

A young woman who lives with her strict father works to become a a champion at Silat, Southeast Asia’s version of kung fu. This is one of those movies where the protagonist must overcome obstacles in order to achieve his or her dream. It’s a typical sports movie in a way, but the feminist angle gave it some edge, though not a lot as there have been sports movies with female protagonists before too.

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Whatever this movie clearly lacks in originality, it more than compensates with its leading lady and character. This is one of those great examples where the actress elevates the material at hand. Apparently, they did an extensive search for a girl whom they eventually trained a lot to be believable in the role, and all of that work paid off as Yus carries the entire movie on her capable shoulders. She is phenomenal and the character is also excellent as she’s far from bland, but stubborn and flawed, which was refreshing to witness in a movie like this.

But others failed to compare to her. Individually, her friends are forgettable, but as a team, I found them lovely. The teenage friendship angle was wonderful here and quite charming. But the adult characters come and leave the film quickly, most not leaving any kind of impression.

Yasmine was only the third movie ever to be made in Brunei, a small island country located on Borneo. As such, the movie should be praised as it looks and sounds quite professional. The cinematography and direction are competent, if far from truly great, and the movie’s acting is strong across the board.

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I have one gripe about it and that is the soundtrack. Utilizing Indonesian boy band songs, they are catchy and fun, but not suitable for this material whatsoever. What I did like was the action as it was very well executed. Just getting acquainted with this interesting, different form of martial arts was fascinating. I just wish the dialogue and plot were less clichéd.

Whatever Yasmine lacks in plot and dialogue, it more than compensates with a strong female character at its center and a great performance from the leading lady. The movie is clearly predictable and clichéd, but very well executed in its martial arts action scenes, and overall it’s a pleasant, charming watch throughout.

My Rating – 3.5