Ola Bola (Character Development and the Three Act)
Ola Bola is a movie tells the story of the most glorious achievement of Malaysian national football team in the 1980s that successfully entered the Olympic Games Moscow 1980. it portrays the struggles of the national football team which consist of different races team members faced in their personal life and to achieve success in their football dream.
In the First Act, the movie begins in establishing the fact that people of the modern days doesn’t really appreciate the national football team anymore. A reporter, Marianne was given a task on reporting a national football team that successfully entered the Olympics in the 1980s. She is about to start her new job in England soon and have no interest in doing this project as she thinks it is a very lame idea and no one wants to see it. She can barely even find much information about the members of the team. However, she told herself to finish the task as it is the last job before she goes off to England and set off to Sabah to search for one of the national team member of that time, Balak Eric who is now old but still teaching a group of kids football.
Marianne listens to the old Eric telling the story of their glorious period as the national football team.
To be serious, I felt really shameful of myself after watching the movie. At the beginning of the movie, I totally agrees with Marianne, thinking that: Yea, who would wanna watch national football team’s news nowadays? I would just do the same as what Marianne’s friend told her to just leave the task and go England for a better career already.
The three main characters of the movie. Ali, Tauke and Muthu.
It then brings us back to the 1980s where the story all begun. It establishes the characters and the background of the settings in the 80s era. The football team is soon to welcome the Olympics matches that very year and they really wanted to make their way into it. The urge of making into the Olympics is deeply shown on the captain of the team, Chow Kok Keong (also known as Tauke) as he has been in the team for 4 years already but with no achievement. The team works really hard under his trainings especially Ali, the best striker in the team. With the absence of a coach, the team still continues their training as usual with no slacking off.
However, the two coach assistances seems to be taking their effort funny as there is no coach and the team is under the lead of Chow Kok Keong who has lost in the previous Olympic game four years ago. Here, it shows that the team members have a very good relationship with one another, they make fun of each other without caring their skin color. This really makes me jealous of their friendship where they can really be friend with each other, share the same dream and move forward together. It makes me wonder if this still happens in our modern days which are very sad to see. Since when, our society became so sensitive with each other’s skin color? Since when, we as Malaysians start to have barriers among ourselves?
The team members having fun together in the funfair, teasing each other.
The scene then brings us to a funfair filled with the setting of the happy and colorful fun fair of that time. The team members are really enjoying the games there, teasing each other and having fun together. They go to the fun fair as Tauke wants to help his girlfriend, Siew Lee in her game booth and sends her home after work. After sending Siew Lee home, Tauke goes back to his house where his mother made him chicken soup to bust his health as he is always busy with the training and also works. Tauke sister, Chow Mei Ling questions her mother’s act as she thinks it is not worth it to treat Tauke so nice, he just making himself busy but nothing seems to have any result. It seems that Mei Ling is working very hard sewing clothes with her other two younger sisters. I guess it is comman that girls have to work more at their early age for their family while boys can always do what they want, going out all the time during the old days. Chinese family especially, boys will be the treasure of the family in the olden days.
Tauke and his sister working as rubber tappers.
However, Tauke works several works to support his family while pursuing his football dreams. He work as rubber tapper which is one of the most common job for the society during the 80s in Malaysia. He also works as a clerk which will later on be told. Muthu also work at his father’s coconut field. However, he hasn’t been helping his father much as he has been training in the football camp leaving his three younger brothers and a monkey to help his father. His father seems to be very dislike of Muthu’s decision on training football as he thinks they will never win anyway and has no future. I felt very sad to watch this because it splits Muthu up between his dream and his family. I wouldn’t know what to choose if I was in his position. I think I will most probably listen to my father and give up easily on my dream.
Muthu went back to help his father in picking the coconuts but was scolded by his father for his unrealistic football dream.
Rahman's very own style of commenting the football game, "GOAL! GOAL! GOAL!"
In the First Act also introduce not only the story of the football player but also the journey of a sport commentator, Rahman growing along with the team. He is a very talented man with a great passion for his job. He has his own very way to comment the football games but to his teacher, it was always overly done but he never gives up. It is very cute to see that he even practice with his twin daughters.
In the Second Act, things start to fire up when the new coach comes in. Coach Harry decided that the team’s old tactic is no longer useful and come up with a new one. He changed Eric who is just a backup player to become one of the strikers while Muthu change to become the goal keeper. This decision offended Ali and Tauke as they do not think Eric, a new comer, can handle a striker’s position and seems will threaten their position as the old players.
Abu was sent to the field by the coach with directions but was then messed up by Tauke during the game.
Things goes even rival when the coach has arranged a series of friendship games with other football teams from other countries with the team to train them further more before the Olympic games come. In the first friendship match, Tauke and Ali wouldn’t pass the ball to Eric and orders Muhammad Abu to not follow Coach Henry’s directions. This has caused the team to lose dramatically. Tauke and Ali both has ego. They both too stubborn to listen and thinking they are all so right. Their ego has brought their fans and all Malaysians to lose hope in the team. The team started to fall apart with all the anger and stress and misunderstanding between each other.
Tauke with his temperamental problem causing him once again kicked out from the game receiving a red card. He felt that the team has fallen apart because of him and childishly decided to give up and quit the team. He then become lifeless for days, being late to his rubber tapper work leaving his sister doing it alone and did not turn up for his clerk job for two days without informing the boss. This very irresponsible attitude really made me angry not to mention the people around him, especially his sister. It tears me apart to listen to his sister telling him stop being so immature, thinking he is the only one scarifies for the family while she is now working, not studying.While Tauke gave up his opportunity to play football in England for their family, she too gave up her studies for the family. She used to have really good grades in the exams. But now, she gave up, cause she knows her brother can achieve a better and brighter dream. It is so sad and angry to see her brother now being so stupid to give up his dream when he is so near to it.
Mei Ling confronting her brother, Tauke of being so immature and irresponsable upon giving up his dream that he has been working so hard for so long.
The situation became more drastic when Muthu’s three little brothers decided to drive the trunk to help their father sending the coconuts as their brother is not there to help but was in a game. The game lost tragically because of Ali’s ego of insisting to play with his injured leg. After the great failure in the game, Muthu came to know of the incident of his brothers makes him even hopeless in achieving his football dream. I understand Muthu’s feelings as if anything happens to my love ones just because of me, I would never forgive myself. Luckily, the brothers were just slightly wounded. Rahman then advise Tauke to stop being so stubborn and go back to what he should be doing, stop running away. Siew Lee also shows her support towards her boyfriend on pursuing his dream and willing to lend him money for Muthu's brothers' medical bill.
The team went through a series of army trainning to be more unite as a team.
Tauke then finally decided to go back to the team and make things work. The team members once again came back together as one and accepted Eric sincerely as one of them. The coach then trains them really hard and sent them to the army force to learn how to be a better team, teaching them the real meaning of team spirit and further strengten their stamina. It touches me very much here, seeing them in the training and at the same time feeling the spirit the army have in protecting our country even it means to take their own life.
In the Third Act, things have come to the climax and the resolution. The team has finally come the game to go against their strongest opponent, the Korean team, as the national team as once loses to them in the last Olympic game. But one thing the team members do not know that is, the national team will not be playing the games in Moscow even if they won this match. It is because the government has decided to boycott the Games in protest of the Soviet Union's invasion against Afghanistan. The team then found out about it and felt angry and disappointed. Most of them wanted to just give up the game.
However, Muthu stands out to tell them his reasons to continue fighting, even if they’re not going to Moscow, even if they might lose the game, even if he is the only one to play the game, he will continue to play. It is because he wants to make his father proud, he wants to make his brothers proud, and he wants to make his country proud! This has touches everyone’s heart in the room and the team brought themselves together again and went back to the field. They won amazingly in the end.
The team finally won the game against the South Korean Team.
The neighbours came to Tauke's house to watch the game and cheer together with the television Mei Ling bought with a special purpose. ;)
Marianne could felt the anxienty of the audience and as if she was one of the audience to cheer for the national team while listening to the old Eric telling the story.
Marianne then understands the spirit contains within the team, the spirit of contributing for our own country and decided to stay in Malaysia. She gave up her job opportunity from England and continued the task of reporting the history of the national team. Most of her colleagues does not understand her decisions to give up such golden opportunity, but I understand, I believe all of us who watched the movie would also understand. ;’)
Tauke trying to cheer the team up and convince them to continue playing not for the ake of themselves but also for the sake of their believers sitting outside cheering for them while the team found out about not being able to go to Moscow even if they win the game.
The flow of the movie really flows very well, each parts touches my heart bit by bit. Seeing the main characters to grow bit by bit and not giving up not only for themselves, their families but also for their country makes me very impressed and touches. The character development is also very amazing. Tauke has finally realized his ego and immaturity and went back to the team and grow with the team step by step and hands with hands. He went through the struggles and manages to pull himself back together and in the end became a more responsible captain for the team and a better son and brother. Same goes to Ali where he finally puts down his hostility towards Eric and be friended with him and even work as a team with him.
Rahman, the best friend of Tauke, trying to advise Tauke on his problem and being stubborn.
Rahman is one of my favorite characters to be honest. His optimism and not giving up attitude really impressed me, not to mention his very stylish way of commenting the football matches that really brings the whole Malaysians together. Growing from silliness and finally being able to be on his own feet and becomes the formal sport commentator in the end, he really did a lot of hard works. “GOAL! GOAL! GOAL!!!!!”
Ah Cai sharing his dreams with the others to tell them the meaning of being in the national team.
Not to forget what we can learn from mirror characters like Ong Tian Cai. Imagine yourelf being a backup players for 4 years, not played any games or matches, how would you feel? If it was me, trust me, i would have long quit the team and went back home. However, Ah Cai did not. Bringing along with him a football shoes gifted by his father, he continue believing himself and did not give up in his dream. He continue with the trainings even if he's not to be in the game to play and gave himself extra trainings. We all need a little spirit from people like him, remain clear of our dreams and never say give up. One day, we will succeed, just like Ah Cai finally to play in the game and won the game.
The funfair was really built out for the movie to take scene but was demolished after the movie.
The setting of the movie is really good. First of all, the entire funfair. They really brings out the funfair of that time and the cheerful atmosphere of that time where all people would go and play without minding anyone’s race or culture. The movie also successfully portrays the life of the people during the 80s in Malaysia and as an athlete. In that tumultuous economy, people work more than just a job to support their family. Athlete during that period of time has no payment or only has very less allowances. They continued just because of their dream, not the money. I really do salute them. All of the issues are addressed in the end of the movie and ended it impressively. I too felt as if I was one of the supporters cheering for the team in the games not only for the team but also for my beloved country, MALAYSIA. :D
Unite as one, no races, no languages, just as MALAYSIANS :)
Your heart beats fast and slow together with the movie, tears falls for the story. It is unquestionably an amazing movie.
