Akid has to race against time to save his wife and son. Photos: Handout
After watching Imaginur – the 2022 sci-fi romance that won Best Film at the recent Malaysia Film Festival – director Adrian Teh felt inspired to see more films of its kind in the Malaysian cinematic landscape.
Motivated by this idea, Teh revisited a script he had started eight years ago, which uses time travel as a narrative tool to explore the bond between a father and son and the lengths a man would go to protect his family.
“I approached (Imaginur director) Nik Amir Mustapha, hoping he’d be interested in directing my screenplay,” Teh shared during the gala night for his latest film, Reversi, in December.
“I told him he’d do a better job with it than I ever could.”
Unfortunately, Nik Amir couldn’t commit to the project as he was busy with his own works. Teh then reached out to another director, but creative differences over the plot and casting led to a dead end.
“In the end, I had to direct it myself. I guess I shouldn’t fight fate,” Teh said with a smile.
Known for his action-packed films such as Paskal, Wira and Malbatt, the 40-year-old filmmaker decided to take on the challenge himself.
Reversi delves into the idea of trying to alter the past, only to learn that fate always has the upper hand. It also deals with death and grief.
The story follows Akid (Beto Kusyairy), a police negotiator with the ability to travel back in time – a skill he uses to save hostages when things go wrong.
He promises to live in the present after marrying the love of his life (Shiqin Kamal), but tragedy strikes and an accident claims his wife and son.
Akid is determined to rewrite the past, but then discovers too late that each trip he makes comes with severe consequences.
“The message is clear: ‘Don’t play God, and accept that you can’t change fate’,” said Teh, a fan of Hollywood time travel flicks like The Time Traveler’s Wife and About Time.
“This is my first time making a Malay film in this genre. While I’m known for action flicks, I aim to be a versatile filmmaker, which is why I’ve done projects like Gold and now Reversi. I enjoy films that break conventional formulas.”
Meanwhile, actors Vanida Imran and Azhan Rani initially assumed Teh’s offer was for an action film.
“When I finally read the script, I thought it had such a fresh concept,” said Vanida, 51. “When I learned that Beto was playing my son and Hasnul Rahmat my husband, I agreed immediately.”
Azhan, 48, echoed her enthusiasm: “I’m a fan of dramas, and this falls squarely in that genre.”
Adrian Teh (third from left) with his 'Reversi' cast.
Elsewhere, Shiqin said she had doubts about taking on the role as there were a lot of emotions her character goes through in the film.
“I had never done such a role before,” said the 33-year-old actress who is active in boxing and muay thai.
“But since the script was so good and I was surrounded by great actors, I felt I should give it a shot. I also took private acting lessons to help me further,”
Beto, 44, who was named Best Actor at the FFM33 in 2024 for Imaginur, said he felt very lucky and honoured to be in films that are different from the usual, surrounded by a cast of amazing actors.
With Reversi, it was especially challenging for Beto as he had to play a teenager as well as an adult, and even a much older version of the character.
While the ageing process was achieved with the help of special effects and makeup, the portrayal of Akid through the years fell squarely on Beto’s shoulder – hence, the actor is in every scene of the film.
While Beto did not comment on this, Azhan remembered that Beto looked very tired on set when filming their scenes together.
“Whenever I had scenes with Beto, I made sure not to make things difficult for him,” said Azhan.
As a consummate actor, Beto said that the first step in anything he does is in understanding his character.
“That’s always my starting point,” said Beto.
For Hasnul, the role of Akid’s father came during a deeply personal time.
“My father passed away just before filming began,” said Hasnul, 53.
“As I watched the movie tonight, I realised I had channelled my grief into this role. In one scene, I was saved by the rain – it hid my real tears.”
He also liked that Reversi delivers a poignant message: no matter how hard one tries, fighting fate is just a futile exercise.
Reversi is showing at cinemas.
