La Luna OTT release date – Directed by M. Raihan Halim, La Luna is a Singaporean-Malaysian romantic-comedy with deeper, underlying notes of social commentary, feminism, as well as religious orthodoxy.
La Luna had its world premiere at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival on October 24, 2023, before releasing theatrically on November 9 in Malaysia, November 16 in Singapore, and December 6 in Indonesia. The film is finally ready to expand its distribution and will be streaming on Netflix this month.
Directed by M. Raihan Halim of Banting fame, La Luna features a similar narrative to his 2014 debut, which also had a Muslim female challenging religious orthodoxy. The Singapore-Malaysia co-production will release on Tudum on February 9, 2024. The film had dropped a teaser and a trailer back in 2023.
La Luna stars Malay acting luminaries like Sharifah Amani as protagonist Hanie, Shaheizy Sam as her love interest Police Chief Salihin, and Wan Hanafi Su as the intolerant mullah Tok Hassan who preaches hatred. The Malay-language film focuses on the arrival of bold city girl, Hanie Abdullah in the strict and boring Muslim village of Bras Basah in Malaysia.
The story centers around the shop she intends to open on her late grandfather’s unoccupied property. In the sleepy and stuffy village of Bras Basah, Hanie is ready to highlight the ‘bra’ part boldly by opening a sleek lingerie boutique, named La Luna. Though the village initially reacts with outrage, Hanie slowly develops a decent customer base in the village as several dry marriages begin flowering again.
Also read: A new film depicts a future where women are conscripted in Singapore
But if life were only so easy. Despite having Police Chief and potential love interest Salihin Arshad on her side, Hanie must face the onslaught of orthodoxy and religious intolerance thrown at her by village mullah Tok Hassan and his band of loyal believers, as seen in the trailer. The film is inspired by a true event that the director admitted to reading some fifteen odd years ago about a lingerie shop that was burned down.
Thus, La Luna features an inspiring and grim journey ahead, despite its heartwarming and humorous premise. With a solid subtext in feminism and women empowerment as well as making a stand against orthodox authority, La Luna promises to motivate and instigate as much as make you reach out for a tissue or snort into your popcorn.
Also read: Singaporean actors Yeo Yan Yann and Sunny Pang to join Tom Hardy in Netflix's ‘Havoc’
Share