Kuala Lampur, Nov. 22 -- With the local Tamil language film Simple Manusan from earlier in the year proving to be one of the highlights of the year for Malaysian films, the arrival of Macai, the latest film from writer-director Sun-J Perumal (of the FFM-winning Jagat fame), has got me thinking that maybe, just maybe, the most interesting Malaysian films being made and released this year are local, low budget Tamil films.

It's a well-known fact that the most interesting and adventurous art being made anywhere in the world are made by people on the fringe or outside of the mainstream, where money might be in short supply but courage and the spirit of exploration definitely aren't.

While Jagat was a more conventional, neo-realist concoctio...