Gossip (Ngompat)

The scouts

Finally—a film that treats gossip not as a moral failing but as a *skill*, complete with tutorial hierarchy and dramatic staging that would make Mamet nod. It's exactly the kind of irreverent premise that makes you recalibrate what satire can actually do.

Zainal channels the formal restraint of sophisticated ensemble comedy—the pacing mirrors early Tina Fey's understanding of how power dynamics breathe through dialogue—and the theatrical staging situates this squarely in a lineage of films examining institutional hierarchies through the comedic form.

The decision to frame the entire second half as a *rehearsal* of the gossip, with the seniors orchestrating beats like a scene coach, is what elevates this from observation into something genuinely strange—it's a technical choice that recontextualizes everything you've already seen.

Reviews

A witty short that follows a group of high school seniors determined to teach a junior how to turn her mundane anecdote into an irresistible, tantalising tale… packages itself with the glossy cattiness of films like Mean Girls (2004), and adds a touch of a soap operatic flair.

Festivals

• CinemaSHORT Asian Short Film Competition 2023, Jury Award