Hanyut (film)

Hanyut is a Malay film based upon the Joseph Conrad novel, Almayer's Folly. The movie, written and directed by U-Wei Haji Saari, comprises adventure, drama, romance, conflict and suspense.

Story

Based on Joseph Conrad's first novel, the movie tells the story of a Dutch trader, Almayer, struggling to survive in Malaysia at the turn of the 19th century. Almayer's dream of finding a mythical gold mountain is at odds with his plotting wife, colonial authorities, the political machinations of a local chief with Arab traders, and his daughter's love for a freedom-fighting Malay prince.

Synopsis

Almayer is a lone Dutch trader grubbing to survive in colonial Malaysia. He sends his 10-year-old daughter Nina to Singapore to be educated as a Westerner, much to the distress of her mother, Mem, a local woman of Betawi origin. The couple stop speaking to each other as a result.

When Nina returns as a beautiful woman ten years later, she finds the family home and business in dire straits because of Almayer's obsession with finding gold in the mountains. Her return rekindles interest in the Almayer household, bringing in new business that allows Almayer to build a lavish new house in his compound.