This Movie Starring Adibah Noor Was Banned in M’sia & After 5 Years, It’s Finally Available Online

By Karissa Lund • 13 Aug 2021 in Movies & TV

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Back in 2016, the Singaporean film Fundamentally Happy which highlights the issue of paedophilia amongst seemingly pious men, was banned by Malaysia’s Film Censorship Board (Lembaga Penapis Filem, LPF) because of its “sensitive content”.

Dubbed as a controversial yet educational film, it can now be viewed by Malaysians, all thanks to MUBI!

A few days ago, the online streaming platform tweeted out a clip from the film and since then, it has gained the attention of numerous movie buffs in Malaysia. While it is considered a dark movie, netizens shared their excitement for the film and thanked the streaming platform for making it available.

MUBI’s tweet racked over 400,000 views and was been rt-ed more than 500 times. Take a look:

FUNDAMENTALLY HAPPY diharamkan di Malaysia pada 2016 kerana mengangkat kisah pedofilia yang berlaku di antara seorang lelaki Islam dan kanak-kanak Cina. @adibahnoor pic.twitter.com/0bRyPpF6p9

— MUBI Malaysia (@mubimalaysia) August 10, 2021

In addition, singer-actress Adibah Noor who stars in the film also shared her excitement by posting an Instagram post saying, “Finally you can watch this film which we made in Singapore in 2015 on Mubi. Yaay!”

The film was based on a 2006 play by The Necessary Stage’s Haresh Sharma and Alvin Tan, and it focuses on a friendly reunion between a man named Eric (Joshua Lim) and Habiba (Adibah Noor), that takes a turn after a secret surfaces.

The secret? The man was sexually assaulted when he was a little boy by the woman’s husband who is also an Ustaz (Muslim teacher/preacher).

Watch the trailer below:

Its filmmakers, Tan Bee Thiam and Lei Yuan Bin from 13 Little Pictures have described it as “an unflinching look at the consequences of abuse”. They stated that the movie explores, “without judgment or condemnation, critical issues such as trust, memory, relationships and consent”.

Still unsure? Check out JUICE‘s very own writer and movie-kween, Ameera‘s review on Fundamentally Happy here:

MOVIE RECOMMENDATION: Fundamentally Happy on @mubimalaysia

This movie takes a hard look at the realities of sexual abuse and pedophilia through the lens of @adibahnoor who plays the wife of a preacher and Joshua Lim, who plays the victim. pic.twitter.com/0Uw6sTkxgL

— ameera (@ilsorareema) August 10, 2021