It's all about places and situations. It was a Friday night, and the World Cup be damned, a small group of people were seated in a theatrette in Kuala Lumpur, waiting to see a rough cut of Yasmin Ahmad’s new film, Mukhsin, a tale of innocence and first love. 

Some members of the audience had been warned by Yasmin beforehand: “This is a small film. It’s narrative-driven. There are no deep meanings in any of the characters.”