{"id":462310,"date":"2026-05-01T00:20:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T00:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/462310\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T00:20:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T00:20:12","slug":"how-real-life-struggles-inspired-malaysian-film-circus-of-life-and-its-long-road-to-the-screen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/462310\/","title":{"rendered":"How real life struggles inspired Malaysian film \u2018Circus of Life\u2019 and its long road to the screen"},"content":{"rendered":"

KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 \u2014 Cinema has always been a powerful medium for storytelling, where human experiences are transformed through drama and cinematography.<\/p>\n

The upcoming Malaysian film Circus of Life, written and directed by Tham Wai Fook, draws on real-life experiences and presents a heartfelt story grounded in emotional truth.<\/p>\n

The film was recently unveiled at a press and gala night on Monday at TGV KLCC, offering audiences an early glimpse into a narrative centred on a mother\u2019s unwavering love as she navigates the hardships of her son\u2019s mental struggles.<\/p>\n

Beyond its intimate family focus, the project reflects Malaysia\u2019s multicultural fabric while engaging with the realities of mental struggles and their impact on both perception and aspiration.<\/p>\n

At its core, Circus of Life explores the fragile space between hope and struggle \u2014 where dreams can feel both within reach and painfully distant.<\/p>\n

Speaking with Malay Mail, Tham said his personal life experiences, parenthood, and childhood memories of the circus inspired the film\u2019s emotional and symbolic narrative.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up, my parents were rubber tappers, and going to the circus as a family was a rare luxury.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt left me with very vivid and beautiful memories.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, the circus represents joy, wonder, and dreams \u2014 and that symbolism naturally became part of the film,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that living in Malaysia\u2019s multicultural society has also shaped his storytelling.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a filmmaker drawn to realism, everyday interactions between different cultures inevitably find their way into my work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

An idea finally realised decades later<\/strong><\/p>\n

The idea for the film originated decades ago.<\/p>\n

Initially titled Mother, Mother, Mother, the first draft was written in 2011 as a story about a mother supporting her son\u2019s dream.<\/p>\n

However, securing funding proved challenging, and after a significant personal experience, Tham decided to set the script aside.<\/p>\n

\"Director<\/p>\n

Director Tham Wai Fook speaks to the media during the \u2018Circus of Life\u2019 press conference. \u2014 Picture courtesy of Mega Films Distribution<\/p>\n

Director Tham Wai Fook speaks to the media during the \u2018Circus of Life\u2019 press conference. \u2014 Picture courtesy of Mega Films Distribution<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout ten years later, after starting a family, we revisited it and wove that experience \u2014 and what we had learned \u2014 into the story,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The team also later received the Creative Content Fund from Finas, allowing the project to finally come to life.<\/p>\n

The title Circus of Life was only decided after the film was completed.<\/p>\n

Non-professional cast and why this approach\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The film features a largely non-professional cast, starring Tom Phan, Faye An Ying Fei, Lai Thiam Tai, and Khok Eng Loy.<\/p>\n

For Phan, this marks his film debut in the role of Wei.<\/p>\n

He shared that while he had imagined acting in films someday, landing a lead role came as a surprise \u2014 but also an incredible experience.<\/p>\n

He spent six months preparing for the role, researching through books, films such as American Psycho, and music related to mental health to better understand his character.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysically, I also did observation studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe visited places like Tanjung Rambutan and observed from the outside,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also watched documentaries and observed people on the streets who go through similar struggles.\u201d<\/p>\n

The director stressed that casting newcomers was intentional because he wanted the story to feel real and organic.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew actors bring a fresh presence and energy \u2014 it\u2019s a bit like the weather,\u201d Tham said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t always know how they\u2019ll perform and sometimes they don\u2019t either, so there\u2019s a real sense of unpredictability and possibility, like a sudden downpour.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften, the most genuine surprises come from what isn\u2019t overly planned or rehearsed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that while inexperienced actors may lack consistency, their rawness contributes to authenticity.<\/p>\n

Expectation of the \u2018Circus of life\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tham hopes audiences will approach the film with an open mind and leave with a sense of calm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would mean a lot to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Lead actress An said the film highlights a mother\u2019s love, particularly within older generations who may not express affection verbally.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey may not say \u2018I love you\u2019 directly, but they show it through their actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cCircus of Life reflects that, and audiences will be able to relate and feel it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Phan added that the film offers a unique storyline rarely seen in Malaysian cinema.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Malaysians, I think many people will relate to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone has dreams \u2014 whether now or in the future \u2014 and this film speaks to that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He noted that the themes of maternal love and personal dreams are universal experiences, making the film a meaningful watch with lasting takeaways.<\/p>\n

Circus of Life will release nationwide on May 7.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 \u2014 Cinema has always been a powerful medium for storytelling, where human experiences are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462311,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[263],"tags":[161602,18,117,19,17,203199,94627,203198,203200,327,203197],"class_list":{"0":"post-462310","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-childhood-memories","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-living-in-malaysia","14":"tag-malay-mail","15":"tag-malaysian-film","16":"tag-mental-struggles","17":"tag-movies","18":"tag-tham-wai-fook"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}