Yihwen Chen's documentary 'Queer as Punk' offers a warm and galvanising look at the Malaysian queer punk band Shh…Diam! as they battle discrimination with humour and raw energy. For the band, whose name translates as 'Shut up!', every live gig is a small miracle in a country rife with homophobia. Their distorted riffs, heavy drums and swaggering lyrics seek to drown out the noise of prejudice.
Shot over six years, the film charts the monumental changes undergone by the band members and their home nation. Lead singer and guitarist Faris, a proud trans man rejected by his family, finds a safe haven with bandmates Yon and Yoyo. Their songs turn up the volume on issues faced by the queer community, bristling with anarchic humour. One tune, 'Lonely Lesbian', takes its title from a hostile rightwing article and reconfigures homophobic ideology into satire.
The band's activism extends from the stage to the streets, joining pro-democracy and queer rights protests. Faris is filled with optimism when the conservative Barisan Nasional is defeated in 2018, but joy turns to anger when the party returns to power in 2022. Despite political cycles, Chen's film prioritises hope, foregrounding moments of personal triumph such as Faris's top surgery and Yoyo's wedding to her girlfriend.
