Of the two Malay words that have found common use in English, one is "amok," a word that aptly describes the actions of one soldier that took place in Kuala Lumpur in October 1987. Armed with an M-16, Private Adam Jaafar ran amok, terrorizing the Chinese neighborhood of Chow Kit. His rampage triggered a citywide panic amid rumors of racial riots, and nine days later an infamous Internal Security Act clampdown was enacted. In the subsequent months, the Malaysian public's views of the police, media, judiciary, royalty and political process underwent a radical shift. In The Big Durian, these events are recalled, recounted and recreated, in scenes and interviews that draw on both truth and rumor, and the often indistinguishable intertwining of the two. A hybrid of fact and fiction, this film serves as a powerful example of how perception and memory can corrupt the truth. Featuring almost two-dozen interviews, this documentary of reality and imagination demonstrates that even history isn't safe. From the initial terror provoked by one disturbed man to the aftermath that shook all of Malaysia, The Big Durian reveals a much greater menace, when the political and cultural landscape of a nation is forever changed.

Armed with an M-16, Private Adam Jaafar ran amok

His rampage triggered a citywide panic

Malaysian public's views underwent a radical shift