Directed by Teng Bee, “Biko” is a Malaysian film that make us privy to the drama that happens in the life of a single father taking care of his child. He feels that his position in his son’s life is threatened when his mother chooses to come back. The movie has a lot of flaws in its plot and could be skipped if the viewers so wish. The entire movie seems to have no aim except to unite the son with his mother. The characters were very two-dimensional and were not explored properly, because of which the movie lacked depth.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Biko’ Plotline: What Is The Film About?
The movie follows the struggles of a single parent, Izwan, who makes a living as a truck driver while taking care of his son, Biko. Biko missed his mother, and his classmates picked on him due to his impoverished circumstances. As Izwan strived to make sure Biko was taken care of, Sherry, his friend, took Biko for an audition for a music video to help their situation. It turns out that the music video Biko auditioned for was for Sara, a famous singer who, coincidentally, turned out to have a history with Izwan. Izwan and Sara had been married earlier, and Biko later found out that Sara was his mother.
How Did Biko Meet Sara? Who Was She To Him?
Izwan had been struggling a lot while taking care of Biko, his son. At the beginning of the movie, Izwan and Biko are kicked out of their rented home because they were not able to pay their rent. Thus, Biko and Izwan shifted into their truck, where they stayed till Izwan could find a place. Izwan was a truck driver who delivered goods from one place to another and did not have enough to even afford basic necessities. He had to ask for an advance payment to provide food for little Biko; thus, to help them out, Sherry, Izwan’s friend, helped Biko get an audition. Biko being a natural in front of the camera helped him get a role in Sara’s music video. Sara was a famous singer, and she was holding auditions at that time for a child actor for her music video. He was popular among the other child actors, and Sara naturally gravitated towards him. Izwan was okay with Biko starring as a child actor in Sara’s music video; however, he was strictly against Sara and Biko spending time together.
Izwan even told Sherry to make sure that she took care of Biko and kept him away from Sara, as he was afraid that if she knew about Biko, she would fight for his custody. Sherry had no idea who Sara was to Izwan, as Izwan was secretive about his past with Sara from the very beginning. However, when little Biko had cried out to him and asked Izwan to let him know who his mother was, Izwan had conceded to giving him a ring he had gotten for her instead of a diamond ring due to his poverty-ridden circumstances. He also told Biko that his mother had died in the fire, along with the pictures he had of her, which is why he could not show Biko the appearance of his mother. Biko had accepted the story and had stopped crying as they reconciled after a little fight they had due to their circumstances. Biko’s insecurity about being poor and getting laughed at by his classmates at school led to the little fight.
Why Did Izwan Hide His Past With Sara From Biko?
Izwan and Sara loved each other when she had just started singing in restaurants. Sara belonged to a well-to-do family that supported her dream but was completely against her relationship with Izwan. Izwan had been working in the garage at that time, and he used to participate in illicit races, which could also threaten his life. Sara’s parents, who were strictly against Izwan, had locked her in her room to prevent her from meeting with him. But their love for each other was a lot stronger, and because Izwan could not contact Sara, he went to her house only to discover her locked in with the windows tightly fixed. He shattered the window glass with his helmet and climbed into Sara’s room to comfort a crying Sara. They were discovered by Sara’s mother, who let them elope together as Izwan had promised to protect Sara. However, when Sara was pregnant with Biko, Izwan could not keep his promise. Sara had asked Izwan to not participate in the bike races, and she also got him to swear that he would not do so anymore; however, to provide food for her, Izwan participated in one last race, which he lost. The gang that was backing him during that race had lost a lot of money as well, which led them to terrorize Izwan and Sara at their home. Izwan got into a scuffle with the gang as they threatened his wife and accidentally hurt Sara, which caused her to fall down and lose a lot of blood. She was rushed to the hospital, where her family rushed in to meet her. They handed Biko to Izwan and told him that Sara did not want to see him again and that she was leaving him while telling Sara that her son had died during birth. This separated the two as Izwan fought each day to take good care of Biko while Sara worked hard to get to the top of the entertainment industry.
Izwan was under the impression that Sara had left him, and he had never forgiven her for that, which is why he told Biko that his mother had died in a fire. He also wanted to keep Biko away from Sara because he did not want him to suffer from rejection. He was afraid that if she knew that Biko was her son, she would reject him yet again like she had all those years ago. There was another fear that Sara could give Biko a much better life, and thus, Biko would want to live with her and forget Izwan. All these reasons led to Izwan begging his friend Sherry to keep Biko away from Sara and only talk to her during the duration of the shooting and not after it. Biko had realized something was wrong with the way his father acted whenever Sara’s name was mentioned, yet he listened to her songs every day without fail. Sara, too, realized this from the ring Biko wore as a necklace, as well as from asking Sherry, who acted as a mother to Biko, for her permission as her mother to go forward with a better payment for the music video. Sherry had denied being Biko’s mother, even though he used to call her Mummy, and had said she was just a friend to Izwan, and she took care of Biko while he made his deliveries. Sara realized that she might be Biko’s mother, and she confronted Izwan immediately. Biko came to know that Sara was his mother when she told her manager in a fit of anger as he was pestering her to attend to her guests instead of meeting up with Izwan and Biko.
‘Biko’ Ending Explained: Did Izwan Die?
Izwan had been injured and was suffering from discomfort after his run-in with Raj, who had taken the money Izwan had saved up for a house and run. Raj had pushed Izwan out of fear of being hit when caught. A few days later, Izwan went to the doctor because he was having problems using his hand to lift up the packages as well as drive his truck. The doctor gave him a diagnosis of ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and told him that his muscles would slowly paralyze and he wouldn’t be able to lead a normal life. With this, Izwan returned to Biko and kept the diagnosis a secret from Sherry and Biko. Meanwhile, Raj contacted him to have him pay 7,000 ringgit more to get the house. He also gave him an explanation as to why he had run away. It was only to make sure Izwan got a good house. Izwan apologized to Raj for thinking that he had gambled his money away. Izwan looked for better job opportunities, however, and came up empty-handed. He was very ashamed of not being able to make Biko’s dreams come true and thought of leaving him with Sara, who could take better care of him.
Izwan was bound by his work and that is why couldn’t go to distant places. His heart broke when Biko called him up, crying, and asked him to pick him up from Sara’s house, as he felt like an outsider there. Izwan had to tell Biko that he couldn’t come because of his work and then call Sara to admonish her for not keeping an eye out for Biko. This resulted in Biko being angry at Izwan for a few days. To make up for it, Izwan looked for another job to get Biko a present and also get the remaining money for the house. He took up a job as a stuntman at Sherry’s workplace. Sherry worked as an assistant to a director, and thus Izwan was told to perform a risky jump with his bike over a flaming shed. However, Izwan was unable to execute the move properly because his muscles were paralyzed at the time, and he fell into the blazing shed. He suffered grave injuries while he lay in bed fighting for his life.
At that time, Biko had been with Sara, accompanying her to her concert, where she announced to the whole world that Biko was her son. As she was about to perform, the hospital called them to inform them about Izwan’s accident. Biko rushed to the hospital to meet his father, while Sara was forced to keep on performing. Biko stayed with his father during his last moments, as Izwan told him to give him a diamond ring he had bought for Sara and also told Biko about his ALS and that he did not have much longer to live. Izwan took his last breath after admitting the truth and also asking Biko to live with his mother in the house he bought for them. After his death, Sara took Biko to the house, and she opened the gate of the house to signify new beginnings with her remaining family.
