Two Malaysian sisters, Rohani and Rohana, run away from home to escape their wealthy father’s mistreatment. They find refuge in a small town where they get to know Brian Goh, a young Catholic schoolteacher. Brian is irresistibly attracted to the two girls. Impressed by their extraordinary courage in the face of adversity, their relationship forces him to confront the ghosts of his own childhood. Director Yasmin Ahmad explores the possibilities of emotional survival after being traumatised by loved ones. Through the wanderings of three lost souls who band together and console one another, Muallaf celebrates friendship, forgiveness, and the coming to terms with the past.
Acting
Sharifah Amani's Rohani—fierce, fragile, unforgettable.
Direction
Yasmin Ahmad's signature: healing through silence, not speeches.
Writing
Dialogue that trusts you to read between the lines.
Director
Yasmin Ahmad
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Real-life sisters Sharifah Amani and Sharifah Aleysha play sisters—Amani famously shaved her head for the role, a Yasmin Ahmad trademark of female transformation.
The title 'Muallaf' refers to Muslim converts, but the film subverts this—Brian's 'conversion' is emotional, not religious, scandalizing some Malaysian censors who wanted clearer moral lines.
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