The Last Communist

The last Communist of Malaysia is Chin Peng (real name: Ong Boon Hua), a leader in the fight against the occupying forces: the British colonial power, then the Japanese invaders, and then once again against the British. As a leader of the Malaysian guerrilla war, the longest and bloodiest undeclared war in Commonwealth history, Chin Peng soon became the most wanted man in the British Empire. After Malaysia achieved independence in 1957, the new government was firmly allied with the West and the Communist Party was banned. Chin Peng had to go into hiding in the Thailand jungle where he has lived in exile until this very day. Director Amir Muhammad conducts interviews with various people in the towns Chin Peng lived in until his exile. They talk about their jobs and their beliefs in various languages, reflecting the multilingual and polymorphous reality of contemporary Malaysia. The interviews are interspersed with especially composed songs, an ironic tribute to the old-fashioned propaganda films of British colonialism. (DOK.fest München)