KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 29 -- A Malayan soldier and a British soldier, stranded during a military withdrawal, are forced to put aside their differences when an armed group threatens a village in war-torn Malaya.

That is the story at the heart of Peluru Senja (The Ghost and the Gun), a historical war drama set in 1948, directed by Singapore-based filmmaker Anshul Tiwari and written by Abhi Kumar.

Released in Malaysian cinemas yesterday, the film is a work of historical fiction inspired by events from the period.

Rather than focusing solely on battles and military strategy, it turns its attention to the people caught in the conflict and the psychological scars left behind.

A different lens on the trauma of war

For Anshul, the human cost of ...