Tiga Janda Melawan Dunia Review: Breaking Bad Meets Hantu Kak Limah in a Refreshing Comedy Spin

But the trailer, complete with quirky music video shots, tom yam strobe lights and Khatijah Tan rapping, threw all expectations out of the window and made it one of the most anticipated local movies of 2022.

Directed by Hyrul Anuar, a juggernaut in the ads industry, 3 Janda Melawan Dunia tells the story of three middle-aged women scrambling to find sufficient funds to purchase concert tickets. The trio then experiments with the idea of selling vape juice to the masses - which brought them even more problems than they can solve.

Starring Khatijah Tan, Normah Damanhuri, and Raja Azura, the film brings audiences into the world of Jandas, where society’s skewed perspective of widows has directly affected the trajectory of their lives; influencing major decisions and relationship dynamics.

The story explores the conflicts and tropes closer to home; the neverending hustle of widows trying to thrive and survive in a community. Due to various reasons, society has not shown much empathy and is often quick to cast judgement toward widows. This movie seems eager to discuss those issues and I dare say, they tackled them brilliantly through comedy and satire.

What’s clearly interesting about Tiga Janda is the storytelling aspect involving new and fresh approaches with the inclusion of classic karaoke and musical parodies together with fast cuts akin to a hip hop music video—which makes the movie incredibly unique considering it is one of the first few to mix such treatments together and do it well.

The Hantu Kak Limah-like influence in its humorous script is apparent in this one as the writers cleverly use niche insights that not only made us burst into laughter but also evoke a sense of belonging. The jokes are uniquely Malaysian and the director is smart to bask in them, making the film a fun one for everyone.

The Breaking Bad and The Raid influences are also delightful to see injected into a Malaysian comedy-centred story, which only shows how daring filmmakers and producers are these days in pushing the envelope and unlocking the audience’s potential palate.