Malaysian-born director Kethsvin Chee’s latest film Hello! Tapir was initially released in 2020 but will finally be screened in cinemas here this weekend.
According to the Kuala Selangor-born director, the story is inspired by his own father’s death.
“The story was written six years ago after my father passed away. He contracted dengue, and after three days in the hospital he passed away.
“It happened so suddenly I didn’t have time to digest that my father had left us. As we, the adults, were handling my father’s funeral arrangements, my seven-year-old cousin who was very close to my father prayed with us and cried with us. No one told him anything.
“On the 100th day of our father’s passing, I saw him squatting in a corner alone when we were praying. I walked over to him and asked him what he was doing. He asked me ‘is uncle never coming back?’ As soon as I heard that I burst into tears,” he recounted in an interview with Malaysiakini.
Chee said when we cope with the death of a loved one, we often forget to take care of other people’s feelings as we are so busy handling other things.
“With that in mind, I decided to make a movie that explores how adults and kids handle death,” he said.
He once heard a Chinese legend that centres around a mythical beast that consumes people’s nightmares, allowing them to sleep peacefully until the next morning.
“When my father passed away, it was a nightmare for me. Every day I tried to escape from it, but I knew I’ll never get to see my father again.
“Hello! Tapir is about an eight-year-old kid who wants to find that mythical beast and help him eat the nightmare of his father's death.”
Why a tapir?
Why use a tapir? Chee said that in the legend, the mythical beast actually looks like a tapir.
“The body is shaped like a pig, nose like an elephant, ears like a horse, with four legs that look like it belonged to a rhinoceros. Those who have seen it would say it was ‘neither one thing nor the other’.”
While writing the script and wondering how the creature would look, he came across a tapir conservation centre and was fascinated by them.
“I saw tapirs of different shapes and sizes. A newborn tapir’s body will have spots. After six months, the spots will turn into black and white skin, which means that the little tapir has grown.”
This “evolution” fits the theme of the movie as the little boy in the story grows up after facing the death of his father.
“I really like the connection, it felt natural. The chubby appearance of the tapir gives people a warm and healing feeling.
The movie was shot in Yilan, Taiwan.
“After I finished the first draft of the script, I travelled around Taiwan. I accidentally came across a beautiful fishing village which is surrounded by the forest. It’s exactly like what I wrote in the script.
“Plus, the things that happen in the story often happen in Taiwan’s fishing villages. So, after a discussion with the producer, we decided to shoot in Taiwan.”
Finally showing in M’sia
Chee is a Malaysian citizen but has been living in Taiwan for the past six years.
He has been producing, directing and writing scripts for telemovies, sitcoms and reality shows since 2006. His first telemovie, Superb Match Makers (2010), won the best festive award at the 2012 Golden Awards.
He was nominated for Best New Director and Best Editing at the 25th Festival Film Malaysia for The Cage (2015).
Hello! Tapir was initially released in 2020 and even got nominated for Best Visual effects at the Golden Horse Film Festival.
Chee is deeply touched that his movie is finally being screened in Malaysia.
“It feels like I’m saying goodbye to my father. I miss him a lot, and I used that as my motivation to make this movie. These past six years have been a healing journey for me. He left me with the best gift ever, which is my memories. The movie carried a lot of beautiful memories between me and my father.
“I hope this movie could help anyone in the audience who is currently experiencing the death of a loved one or feeling deep sadness. Maybe this movie can heal and help you.” - Mkini
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