‘Tegkang’ Netflix Movie Review - When Love is Literally Blind

Josh Nawan's Tegkang entirely depends on a twist to grab the attention of the audience. That revelation comes after 40-ish minutes into the film, though you don't need the eyes of an eagle to detect what's coming next. You already find Rinai's (Michelle Lungan) mannerisms weird. Something feels off about the way she completely turns her body in the desired direction before moving her legs. She speaks slowly as if trying to feel every letter of a word before making it a part of the sentence. Lungan's performance, however, is so rigid that it feels as if she's trying to remember her dialogues. The biggest giveaway, though, is Rinai's acknowledgment of those sounds produced by those whatchamacallits hanging on the crossroads. She listens to it, smiles, and makes the appropriate turn. I easily figured out the twist, which is why I found Tegkang's attempts at covering it up to be laughable. The movie makes absurd choices to hide the real matter.

For instance, Rinai always looks in the right direction. The head and eyes land on the perfect angle. Her gaze never falls on a person's lips or chest when she talks to them. A man might be standing behind her, and she would be able to "look directly into his eyes" after turning around. If Rinai comes across as someone pretending to be a blind woman, blame the filmmakers. Lungan is supposed to be playing a visually impaired character, but Tegkang packages this information as a twist so her performance sticks out as a performance. You don't see Rinai. Rather, you observe an actress trying to act a certain way to fulfill the requirements of the plot. Remove this "shock factor," and Tegkang is just another story about a village girl who wants to explore the world. In fact, without Rinai's blindness, the movie just becomes a touristy video highlighting the beauty of Bario (it's a village in Malaysia).

Hanafi (Syafie Naswip) is a photographer, but he talks like someone who clicks photos for Instagram. What, according to him, is a beautiful picture? What does he try to capture through his camera? Why did he leave the field of engineering for this profession? What does he find so interesting about this job? Does he have a role model? Hanafi never talks about himself or his work in detail or with passion. He is a very bland character. Rinai, at least, offers fascinating thoughts about colors and people who are close to her. She had been raised with the notion that she was not different. Meaning: Everybody "sees" like her. When she learns the truth, you expect a dramatic explosion. Who, after all, likes to be surrounded by lies and liars. I know Guruq (Lian Tarawe) and other villagers created the "safety net" with good intentions, but Rinai's painful reaction to the truth is almost minimized to oblivion. It feels as if someone merely told her that the bread she was about to eat for breakfast had expired. Tegkang has no real drama. It ends up creating a faux obstacle later, probably because it realizes it's going too smoothly toward its conclusion. Nothing significant comes out of this hurdle - the movie is devoid of suspense, excitement, and tension. It only exudes a vacuous schmaltziness. Tegkang means rainbow, but this story is painted with only one color.

Final Score- [3/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times