Edge of Obedience

Audience Reviews

View More

04/04/2021 What a gem! You really get to feel like you're having a chat with Zakii and truly get an insight into this amazing artist, who is he his, how he works, why he paints and so on. It's laid back, yet informative and knowleddgeable. Highly recommended! See more william w @RT71370217 05/03/2020 I stumbled on this, watched the first bit and was hooked until the end. I am neither an art fan or understand much about Islam but not needed to find this film worth a watch. I found the story of Ahmad really interesting. It was fascinating for an American to see the tensions told through and artist in Malaysia. From his upbringing in a large family to current times. Interesting, informative and worth a watch. See more 05/21/2019 Edge of Obedience is an excellent documentary about Ahmad Zakii Anwar, an artist who paints nudes in Malaysia, where it is a taboo. Director Jin-Theng Craven thoughtfully explores issues of artistic expression and religious freedoms in Anwar's home country of Malaysia. I find that there's far too many amazing and under-watched documentary films on Amazon, Netflix, and other platforms -- films like Edge of Obedience. With so much garbage reality television on now, it is refreshing to be able to find and watch intriguing and informative true stories like this one. I have a soft spot for anyone who is trying to overcome conservative societal limitations, so I deeply connected with the film. I highly recommend Edge of Obedience to anyone looking for a good documentary. See more 04/14/2019 I thoroughly enjoyed Jin Craven's beautiful and captivating documentary Edge of Obedience. I had no prior knowledge of the artist Ahmad Zakii Anwar or the cultural and political history in Malaysia. I was passionately moved by Ahmad's spirit that kept him going and evolving despite living in a repressed culture. It was fascinating to get to know this artist. I found the film really powerful on a level that is hard to describe and I hope there are more documentaries to come from this filmmaker. A must see for sure. Beautiful film. See more 12/15/2018 Malaysian artist Ahmad Zakii Anwar is the wonderfully intriguing subject of this outstanding and deftly nuanced documentary from Jin-Theng Craven. The perfectly-titled Edge of Obedience is simply a must-see for anyone who stands in admiration of those courageous enough to engage knowingly and unapologetically in the forward-looking deconstruction of antiquated cultural taboos. Middle-aged and living in a world that doesn't enjoy the freedoms we so often neglect to appreciate in the west, Ahmad Zakii Anwar is a metaphorical punk rocker by any definition of western nomenclature. Painting nudes is his passion; it charges his creativity, and as an added bonus, it allows him to swim against the oppressive current represented by the entrenched institutions of power, tradition, and religion - all of which predictably find his art to be incendiary and intolerable. As a documentarian, Jin-Theng Craven is a storyteller operating at an elite level, and here she has empowered that cause by choosing a truly compelling character as her subject. Through Craven's mastery of craft, Ahmad Zakii Anwar soon transcends the role of mere artist to become a rare and necessary cultural catalyst for a society resistant to abandoning its long-established but decaying paradigms. Like a Muhammed Ali or even a Johnny Rotten, Anwar is a threat to the establishment, and his homeland is surely all the better for it. See more 09/28/2018 What an amazing documentary following the unbelievable journey of Ahmad Zakii Anwar. A beautiful artist discussing the development of his style in a country under Islamic control, which can definitely be a challenging place to express ones artistic ability with no boundaries. Well worth the watch and will definitely be watching again! See more Read all reviews

Edge of Obedience

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING