State and capitalism, intertwined, guarantee the relentless oppression of the people. As corporate giants tighten their grip on the world’s resources, those who are most connected to the land—farmers, local communities, and minorities—are left crushed under this heavyweight.
The Malaysian short film Durian Trees (2023, Cheun Shi Chin), nominated for the Human Rights Award at Minikino Film Week 10, tells the story of a durian farmer who loses his land to corporate and governmental forces. But this film goes beyond personal loss; it offers a deeply moving commentary on the corruption, capitalism, and power struggles that shape our world today.
Durian Trees centers around a durian farmer who finds his land taken by an overpowering force: corporate greed. When he learns that his land is being seized, he realizes he’s up against a much larger, systemic problem, with government officials appearing to collude in this corporate greed. This systemic corruption is not unique to Malaysia; it’s a widespread problem where powerful corporate interests often co-opt government officials and institutions. As a result, the legal system becomes compromised, failing to safeguard the rights of the ordinary citizen.
I’m personally wary of the term “ordinary” citizens, as it’s often used condescendingly by those in power to diminish the significance of those who are less powerful. In reality, these so-called “ordinary” people, like farmers, laborers, and migrant workers, are the true backbone of Southeast Asian economies, the working class. Yet, the legal protections for farmers are often inadequate, and corruption only worsens their plight. In collusion with corrupt officials, corporations frequently exploit legal loopholes or outright bend the rules to their advantage, leading to forced evictions and land grabs.
As the International Institute of Asian Studies reports, a real-world case is eerily similar to the one showcased in Durian Trees. In Raub, Pahang, Malaysia, the expanding durian industry has led to tensions, with large corporations exerting pressure on small farmers. In 2020, the Pahang state government teamed up with the Royal Pahang Durian Group (RPD) to capitalize on durian farming on state-owned lands. This is the same land that over a thousand farmers have long worked and depended on. When the government granted a 30+30 year lease to these ventures, the farmers had to accept tough sub-lease terms or face eviction.
This real-world case is clearly the driving force behind the making of Durian Trees. Like the real-world cases, the farmer in Durian Trees is eventually forced to succumb to this unjust change. He’s cornered to give up, to sign the handover lease and sacrifice his livelihood. But this issue should not be characterized by the unjust end result, as the spotlight should be on how these farmers retaliate, utilizing all the power they have to confront and fight.
In Durian Trees, we see the farmer actively retaliating. This is first shown when he discovers the corporate giant arriving just meters from where he harvests the durians. We see guards, oppressive agents of greed, stopping him for trespassing—a completely ridiculous accusation, as how could someone trespass on their own land? Sadly, this absurd action is not purely fictional. In real-world cases, “trespassing” is often used as a weapon by corporations to silence farmers and treat them like pests, forcing them to fight from afar. A video shot by durian farmers who experienced this land seizure in Raub and went viral in 2020 clearly shows this tactic being used.
Evicted from their land, the next measure the farmers had to take was just as painful: filing a legal lawsuit. In theory, this could win them their land back, but in practice, it only further highlights the systemic corruption. In Durian Trees, the farmer invests all his effort into filing a lawsuit. In a heartbreaking scene, he encounters a Member of Parliament (MP) sent to the farm to delegate the seizure. The MP cowardly hides in his nice car when the farmer asks if the lawsuit can end this injustice. The MP responds with a nonchalant yet underlyingly threatening reply: “Generally, yes.” This foreshadows that the farmer’s efforts in filing a lawsuit might just be another dead end, and further illustrates how power can buy everything, even the legal process.
The farmer then heads into the bustling city, desperately searching for a witness to support his case, only to be met with further rejection. This sequence in the short film brilliantly captures the clash of agendas. As the farmer navigates the city streets, he stands out sharply against the backdrop of towering glass buildings and gleaming corporate offices. His ‘ordinariness’ makes him an easy target for dismissal by the powerful forces of capitalism, who, with indifference, ignore his fundamental human rights to equal dignity and access to essential resources like water and land.
As their fundamental human right is stripped from them by corporate greed, what else can they do? Laws that were designed to protect them turned useless when faced with greedy giants. As Durian Trees powerfully shows, desperation is a useful feeling to trigger the last measure; protest. In an impressive closing scene, the farmer, after signing away his rights, walks alone into his soon-to-be demolished durian grove. Consumed by righteous anger, he drenches the grass and trees in gasoline and sets his livelihood ablaze. The film closes with this act of protest, as he witnesses the burning of his own livelihood.
To me, this ending represents the farmer’s last desperate reclaiming of what was taken from him. The power that was stolen from him is now his to wield. If this act of burning could speak, it would say, “You want to destroy what is rightfully mine? Then let me wield the power to burn what is truly mine.”
Though the film ends on a somber note, hope is a fire that should not be extinguished. I hold out hope that farmers, not just in Malaysia but around the globe, will eventually find their justice. This immense power should be in the hands of those most affected, not in the hands of tyrants who view them as mere pests to be exterminated. Durian Trees offers a powerful reflection on issues that resonate worldwide. It not only captures the desperation felt by people but, more importantly, highlights the fierce retaliation it can provoke.
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