How to deal with reverse culture shock in small town Malaysia

New theatre show 'Mixtape For Maz', which opens at KongsiKL on May 27, is a memory play directed by Jit (centre), featuring actors (from left) Mia, Faiq, Farah and Nabil. Photo: The Star/Art Chen

After spending many years abroad, teenage siblings Maz and Edi return to rural north Malaysia in the late 1990s.

As if navigating high school isn’t a big enough challenge, the brother and sister also have to deal with the clash between their Western upbringing (influenced by early Internet culture, 1990s music, and video games) and the conservative society around them. Faced with pressure to conform, will they be able to reconcile their fragmented selves, or will redefining their identities change everything they stand for?