A beach in Malaysia is where two brothers Ali (Idan Aedan) and Amir (Hadi Putra) peacefully live. One day, they find out their father (Amerul Affendi) remarries and sends them off working. Their boss (Chew Kin-Wah) isn’t so bad, school is worse but with a few beautiful exceptions. That exception is Lara (Dian Sastrowardoyo), the beautiful new English teacher.
The Fox King, from director Woo Ming Jin, shows how strong bonds are between characters, and this is especially true for young people who have no idea how life separates people. It also shows the power dynamic between student and teacher as Lara sets some boundaries. Sometimes, the brothers cross those lines and at others, she pushes and pulls on those boundaries.
Despite The Fox King being a tale on a beach, some people may have problems here. Just because Lara is a beautiful woman doesn’t mean that she can’t groom those brothers. Thankfully though, neither parties consummate anything on screen at least, so don’t worry about that part. And listen, there’s nothing wrong about ambiguous morality and movies that will go to questionable places.
The Fox King‘s main relationship is between the brothers until something bad happens to Amir, and it then switches that to show Ali and Lara’s strange friendship involving plethora of emotions. Aedan and Sastrowardoyo evince all those mixed feelings, finding subtle levels within emotional extremes. The cinematography also captures Ali’s imagined and real perspective, seamlessly switching to challenge us.
Image Credit: Courtesy of TIFF
- Rated: 15
- Genre: Drama
- Release Date: 9/9/2025
- Directed by: Woo Ming Jin
- Starring: Amerul Affendi, Dian Sastrowardoyo, Idan Aedan
- Produced by: Edmund Yeo, Woo Ming Jin
- Written by: Woo Ming Jin
- Studio: Greenlight Pictures, Sunstrong Entertainment
