2SSFA - 'Timeless' by K Rajagopal

Moments of human connections are seamlessly melded together, blurring the lines between history and the present reality. History as we know it, is commonly enshrouded in a aura of grandeur and mysticism. Yet, it is written by humans and driven by humanly motivations just you and I are capable of. 'Timeless' by K Rajagopal humanises and normalises history and even suggests a few deviations.

Told through 4 different time periods, it is really a film about the frailty of human connections. Antagonism turns sexual urge. A sense of solace turns into passion which then evaporates in a flash of an awakening. In each of the episodes, Siva (which is also the actor's name) appears interacting with the characters in different states of existence but in the same temperament. But in each of the situations, fear consumes him and he walks away. In the 1875 episode where the murder of J Birch took place, sensing trouble on his master's, Siva chooses to walk away from duty. In the 1969 racial rioting episode, Siva watches helplessly as an aggressor threatens to the take the life of a young girl. In a more recent episode, Siva is both a saviour and deserter. Or perhaps, it's just about being alienated from everything else.

Rajagopal's works typically stem from an emotional state rather than a concept or a story. Sensitive in his grasp of the the interactions and fluid in his protrayal, his works often present a interesting duality about the human condition - that we can be so primeval and yet complex. You can tell that Raja's approach is highly intuitive. Yet, in the randomness and formlessness, it imparts a wisdom about behaviour. I would even draw an analogy that they amount some kind of soft porn with added weight of considering the characters' mental states. It is very tactile yet the emotions run deep.

Finally, another crucial part of the 'Timeless' equation is the visual texture and effective use of the water motif. There is a discernible affinity to nature in the film with the use of the forest as a background, the organic feel to the 'colouring' and of course, human nudity. (The nudity here is an even bigger visual statement with the deliberate 'colour-contrasting' of darker Indian skin tones again white zen like furniture and bed.) While aesthetic in its use, they seem to allude to the evergreen nature of human behaviour and how we are gripped by the same fears and insecurities regardless of time or era.

2SSFA - 'Bani Ibrahim' (Best Fiction) by Raihan Harun

When asked about the process of deciding which film would win Best Fiction, the jury at the Singapore Short Film Awards related to the audience that the winner was clear. Given the Straits Times very biased pre-awards coverage which spotlighted Rajagopal as being a cut above the rest, opinions were largely swayed in that direction. While Raja's work was nonetheless exciting, giving the award to a new face was invigorating. Raihan Harun won with a short film that was powerful and yet able to fill its huge thematic shoes on terrorism and suicide bombing.

'Bani Ibrahim' which translates to Children of Abraham, brings the audience 15 minutes of intense moral dilemma, heartache and several gunshots. The epic proportions of the topic makes it a challenge to scale it but Raihan has given us microcosmic view of it through a family torn apart by differing ideals. At one end, there is an Australian Muslim doctor who has adopted the ways of the locals here and helms a family happily settled here. On the other polar end is his radical-minded brother who makes an entrance in the film with a row of bombs strapped to his chest. You get the picture.

The issues make it easy for the film to be dramatic and engaging but it is Raihan's humanising touches that lends depth to the film. Behind every violent 'freedom fighter', is a family grounded in the simple things like playing a board game together. The films opens casting a scrutinising gaze at the impressionable sons of the protagonist father. They are playing an innocent game yet there are undertones of uncertainty and an strange ominous air hangs over the game. The suicide bomber shocker then punches in at the right moment, unleashing the crux of the film. Raihan cleverly avoids too much focus on the weaponry but rather more on the clash of ideals and the moral dilemma. This is also where you realise the necessity of the quieter buildup at the beginning where you see the father in his fatherly role - making the change of heart and allegiance more heart-breaking.

Raihan has also skillfully stretched the narrative hook by making us believe that the father was really going to heed his brotherly calling. On one hand, it makes you wonder when the film was going to end as it has just opened a new can of worms. But the narrative finds its twist quite naturally to be able to bring this chapter to a close - a close that has a decided stand on the issue. Not that it was bad to have a closed ending but given the complexity of the issue, it might have left the audience with something more to think about if we had a flawed protagonist who is left at a point of indecision when the credits roll.

2SSFA - 'Lost Soles' by Ng Wee Kiat

Shoes are sensitive matters. Above their obvious function, they give us dignity. Many films have demonstrated how close shoes are to the human heart, like Jack Neo’s Home Run and The Devil Wears Prada (‘soleful’ in all senses of the word). Similarly, ‘Lost Soles’ by Ng Wee Kiat (surprisingly a Chinese director directing a Malay language film), deals a mother child relationship and how a pair of shoes bring them closer together.

This film does not escape the trap of stereotypes – the long-suffering mother who gives her child everything and leaves nothing for herself; the young naïve boy who is still learning the ropes of life. The only ‘un-stereotypical’ quality is that the boy appears rather well-fed despite his family’s financial difficulty that prevents his mother from buying him a new pair of shoes. Leaning on a simple, unpretentious storyline, this film is about keeping your eyes open and noticing the little (or big) things the people around you are doing for you. While linear most of the time, a few narrative twists and suspensions add bite to hidden moral messages. But ultimately, it is its plain-speaking style and the way the actors slip so easily into their roles (sorry for shoe pun) that make it a quiet winner.

2SSFA - 'V1K1' by Tzang Mervyn Tong

What is a ‘techno fairytale’? Just a fairytale with sci-fi touch or a does it aim to be something that relates to the future world that we are going to inherit? I’d like to think it’s both – that’s it is an visual exploration as well as a something that echoes modern sensibilities and carries a pertinent message. Can ‘Avatar’ be considered a techno-fairytale? Possibly, even though some of the visual influences seem prehistoric. VIK1 can certainly be what it claims to be – a techno fairytale. It ‘s got the full motley bunch of alien-like characters, dramatic sound effects, bursts of stardusts around the characters and man vs ‘natural order’ moralistic slant to the story to make it complete.

Director Tzang Mervyn Tong breaks another new ground with sci-fi in this one. The film reflects his closeness to the genre, a knack for special effects (given the limited budgets), a seasoned director’s eye and even some occasional punches of humour. However, from the rather purist opening to this review, you might smell a whiff of skepticism to towards the film somewhere. While the film is very conscientiously put-together, what was presented would have worked better as a book. After the initial visual pyrotechnics (literally), the film slips into long bouts of preachy dialogue that dilutes the very confident visual build-up right from the delightfully suspenseful opening credits. The actors in this film certainly had a heavy burden to bear, trying to sustain the prolonged conversation about mankind and the ecosystem. Just as trying were some of the costumes! Given the demands of the content and the relative inexperience of the actors, director Mervyn could have done himself a favour with some cutaways and even relied on the power of the unspoken and hence, our interpolation. Too much had been explained.

It is a formidable task applying the sci-fi genre to the Singapore context without looking too much like SBC’s Channel 8’s sci-fi attempts in the 1980s. The Singapore landscape just does not provide an ambience that inspires and Tzang has actually done a tremendous job with preventing it from falling into a huge B-Grade trap, all things considered. Having said that, watch out for the ‘kitchen sieve-like’ round antennas of the master alien! Not that affects the overall viewing.

2SSFA - 'Rice' by Sofrie Yusof

The film's title and its publicity still of someone's mouth being stuffed with rice froze my attention for a while. The simple title belies the twisted expressionism of the film. Rice, a commodity so familiar with all Asians is used in a way that subverts the traditionally and almost sacredly-held notion that it is our lifeblood, something to be treasured and wasting would be like a sin. Here, the protagonist, abused by her parents (not made very apparent) takes revenge on her parents. While both lean their 'dead-body weight' on the sofa, she stuffs their mouths with rice, humiliating them. With the film ending there, it neither seems to be making a statement or telling a story. Perhaps more like doing something many directors are guilty of (to different levels of subtlety) - sadistic expression.

Our Predictions for First Film Fest and some other noises from us

Jeremy Sing: what's the one you remember most out of the 11?
Alvin Choo: I can't decide between 2. 'here i'll always be' and 'paranoia'. my favourites i think. You?

J: I thought you'd like the funny ones. Like Jan. I remember Jan most. Why do you remember the 2 psycho films most? Well, the former's not really that psycho i guess

A: Come to think of it, yeah Jan's probably the most memorable. but not in a favourable way to me. I really liked the conceptualization of both films, multi-faceted and least predictable i felt, of all the finalists
J: You find it too 'skit-ish'? I agree about Here, Ill always be. It's a very different film and its transition to a more poignant scene in the hospital was quite seamless. But just thought they could be more creative with the hallucinatory parts
A: Yeah Jan felt more like a Youtube video-of-the-day then a film competition entry
J: But it's so witty, don't you think? Especially the see Jan in heaven part. No?
A: Nope, i didn't take to it at all. but i get the feeling that films/vids of this nature, you either love it or loathe it. i think i'm the latter. You enjoyed the wit?
J: Yes and the clever use of the same actor but varying the behavior and the pacing and editing were very funky
A: he's the director too, apparently all of 13 years old.
J: Oh! What a prodigy
A: Maybe a kid with lots of guidance
J: Certainly not parental guidance !!! hahaha. if we have Singapore's Got Talent, he must be on it... Thailand's already got their video sensation, he could be the Singapore one.
A: Yeah, i think the reason I didn't take to it might have something to do with some of the humour leaving a bad taste. i.e. him making light fun of cancer, or maybe that's just me being prudish.
J: Yes you are being prudish!
A: But refreshing it certainly was, from the field of similarly themed films.
J: Similar themes certainly…many about madness…losing the mind
A: yeah, jaded-ness..
J: Yes that too
A: I felt i should be a country bumpkin after watching like 3 of them. So which was your fav of the lot?
J: Jan
A: Haha really
J: Maybe I am looking at how the films make the best of the 3 mins. But many other films come close. I like Hide and Seek, Here, I'll always be, Citylapse.

A: Here I'll always be' takes the cake for me. Leaves me impressed how the director could convey such a complex storyline in all of 3mins. But yeah, if there was a talking point of this competition, guess it'll have to be Jan.
J: Yeah... i like the bittersweetness of here. How did you find Hide and Seek?
A: Came across feeling over-dramatized.
J: I liked the premise and can be potentially very moving and cutting. But the delivery was not sharp enough. Too easy an ending too.
A: The opening scenes made it feel more like what it turned out to be. It felt a little downhill after that. The camerawork and music, almost makes you prepped for a psycho-thriller.
J: Don't you find City Lapse familiar?

A: Yup we last saw it...Panasonic film fest right?
J: No. It was the civic life 90 sec competition. There was one entry that had this diorama effect. Ddo you remember?
A: Yup i do. How do you think this director did?
J: I liked it, in fact this time round, he sharpened his diorama visuals even more, making familiar city-scapes look like toys
though unfortunately, I wished more craft was put into the narrative.
A: Yeah my thoughts exactly. perhaps the issue with leaning too much on technical brillance is that compromise on narrative/flow...i think i felt the same w that previous film. You think? (Previous meaning the civic life one)
J: Yes, the storytelling component moved only inch between that and this. So what else did you fancy?
A: I thought paranoia made great storytelling use of the 3mins too. Not easy considering the buildups needed of a psycho-drama genre. How did you find it?
J: The biggest things that caught me was the cinematography. The shots were nicely lit and framed and I bet the final product had been colour graded. Sorry, story wise, found it too predictable….like you could guess how it would end after the first 30 secs.
A: Probably true, but good execution nevertheless. Which else do you like?..,…besides the love-it-or-hate-it Jan.
J: Hahah…I liked the initial 1st minutes of Square One. It's the Stephanie Sun music video look….white washed colours, Saturated, emotive shots.... but.....

A: So more an aesthetic appeal than anything else?
J: Yes, cos it kept repeating visual motifs and the grieving voice
A: Yup. I thought it interesting the almost-synonymous moods captured by all these films..
J: The layman will just call it emo. The film educated may label them contemplative. (pause) What did u think of Tabula Rasa?

A: I liked it. I looked up the meaning of that actually. Tabula rasa is the epistemological theory that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that their knowledge comes from experience and perception. -Wikipedia
J: What language is it?
A: Latin, I think. Bet you thought it was Malay?
J: Haha. Yes! Rasa as in Rasa Sayang.....
A: Haha don't worry I did too. How did you find it?
J: I like the film. It's 'inception' with a bit more heart. What did you think?
A: I liked it too, thought the open-to-interpretation ending served it well.
J: It's a thoughfully crafted film that does not overdo the visual 'effects', was afraid David would do a 'Steadfast' (his earlier action flick) on this one. The lighting and camera work also reflect a seasoned pair or eyes and hands
A: yup probably one of the more experienced directors in competition.
J: I noticed many films were visual plays more than narrative pieces.
A: Maybe it's the 3 minute restriction….to save themselves the editing dilemmas, you think?
J: But it echoes a comment a Malaysian filmmaker made some time ago, that Singapore films are very glossy pieces with high production values but rest on weak narratives or stories. I mean entries like Carnival of Animals, Square One, reminisce, city lapse are products of editing wizardry.
A: Yup that comment sums it up quite well. the stereotype, almost of arthouse/indie works in Singapore.
J: How did you find Carnival of Animals?

A: i liked the metaphors concept, thought it worked well...up to a point when it seemed to deviate a little. but overall, a 'like' for the visual narrative. You?
J: I prefer to 'comment' instead of 'like' haha.
A: So what's your comment?
J: I like the moment when the giraffe was trying to feed on the leaves and you can still see the human body frame moving, it was kinda transcendental in a way that it achieves its aim of making you see humans in a different, more primeval way. Vice versa, you discover animals have humanly characteristics too.
A: Felt it was narrowing down to women specifically. The tiger therefore was a nice touch.
J: Haha! Agree! (pause) How did you find My Little Brother?

A: I thought the narrative felt fragmented, like it was going in a number of directions and you as audience never really knew which to follow. One minute it's focusing i assume on childhood ambitions, the next starting a family...felt more like random thoughts than a congruent flow.
J: It was a visual statement having the teenagers play parents but he did not carry that forward to a deeper level, so it remained a gimmick, like his use of text (which was quite distracting while it was interesting). I kept guessing where the text would appear next!
A: I thought it was more the hopes and dreams an older sister had for her brother.. in his ambitions, family et al. yeah it somewhat turned out gimmicky.
J: Here’s something funny about 'Reminisce'…….it's the film I remember least.

A: Haha. And why?
J: From my reminiscence, it was like a prototypical wedding video.
A: Haha, except with darker themes i suppose. But i agree the aesthetic touches made it feel like that.
J: Moving on, we are down to our last film, The Last Job.

A: Haha, you're not done with puns are you?
J: I am done, this film is not that 'punny'. Lol.
A: In one word, ambitious. but I'm not sure whether to put it down to the acting or the script, it was a promising concept that fell rather flat for me.
J: Yes agree, good concept but 'make-shift' execution. I mean I would have preferred the victim to not have worn T-shirt and bermudas. Makes the action flick sleepy.
A: Haha. Like a pajama party roleplay!
J: By the way.... do you notice something missing in The Last Job? And sorry, this is my final pun
A: No what's it?
J: Make a guess la
A: Oh...blood?
J: Bingo.
A: Haha
J: No blood on the last job. No more puns I promise, we are done!

Our Favourite Top 3
Jeremy
1 - Jan
2 - Here, I'll always be
3 - Tabula Rasa
Alvin
1 - Here, I'll always be
2 - Tabula Rasa
3 - Paranoia

Our predicted winner
Here, I'll always be

2SSFA - 'Garlic Cream Puff' by Lee Wong

As quirky as the title is the film about family relationships and dysfunction. The young protagonist, Ken, a troubled-looking young adult, who looks like he can’t wait to live out on his own has to face his doting parents everyday. His ‘well-casted’ parents look the type every rebellious teenager loves to hate. One day, Ken’s good friend, throws him an unconventional job offer that will earn him some very enticing money. Generally, a wandering soul, Ken goes for it.

This is where it gets interesting and you realize this film is not just about precisely-timed track shots or seasoned actors who deliver on cue. It takes a turn for a tinge of queer. Ken was asked to meet a man who’s not seen his son for ages and pretend to be his son. This man is dressed in a pink tie, which was emphasized in the sartorial description. While the ‘coming out’ of this ‘stranger’ father was a tad cliché, the sense of disjointment in being in a kind of dual existence, both equally troubled and confused, as Ken sat facing ‘the man in the pink tie’ gave the audience something to ponder about. From a opportunistic shot at quick bucks, Ken gets sucked slowly into this other world that he thought was worth only a fleeting glance. Then, with how things unfold later, lines are blurred between this apparent-mirage-of-a-relationship and reality.

But Ken comes with lessons learnt and a change of heart towards his family. Which is a kind of bittersweet ending, just like the cream puffs, with the (accidental?) garlic inside that were served in the starting scene.

2SSFA - 'Acronym City' by Leon Cheo

Acronym City would have been interesting as a music video, going by the way director Leon Cheo had created a palpable rhythm out of the recitations of the acrynoms by the various talking heads. Leon interviewed a credible selection of experts in literature (like Dr Kirpal Singh) and linguistics and plebian Singaporeans on why they think we have evolved to be a nation that loves acronyms.

The film succeeds in the eliciting the ludicrous nature of this national obsession through piecing together the acronym montage and ‘acronymising’ the interviewees’ occupations in a ‘self-mocking way’. The result is a film that begs for instantaneous audience reaction and laughs.

However, and strangely, the film did not explain one acronym that it strategically included in the synopsis – KNNBCCB. Being part of every Singaporean man’s inception into manhood in the army, its absence was felt in the film. Ultimately, it’s not just about this 7-word expletive but about exploring the vernacular acronyms and social taboo as well, which the explanations of the interviewees did not capture. This is where the ownership of acronyms is actually universal and not restricted to an educated crowd that belongs to the fast-efficient Singapore that they all talked about in this documentary.

2SSFA - 'Hiding Under Covers' by Michael Davies

Tension hangs as a bloody-faced mafia boss cruelly lectures his victims before they face the final blow. The film cleverly hinges on that bloodied face as a visual hook to lure the audience into the dark minds of the 2 protagonists. It goes back in time with a flashback on how the 2 men ended up at the mafia’s mercy. All three men, the protagonists and the boss were in a room when news surfaced that police were on their way to raid their hideout. The two men then began a mutual ‘outing’ of each other, which seemed somewhat clumsily delivered by the actors.

Thankfully, the crisp editing and storytelling brought the pace up and the boss was accidentally shot. Hence, the bloodied face, which also inevitably makes the audience predict that he is not actually dead for the first scene to have happened. But for that moment, the 2 men (who later confessed they were the police) panicked over how the body was to hidden. While keeping up the tension the director kept some room for a Freudian, humourous dig at the Indian sensibility of chopping up the dead body and cooking it in curry!

The actor who played the boss was a solid anchor who gave gravitas to the otherwise sparse set. There were only 2 bodyguards but it felt like there were more, somehow ambushed in the darkness. The masterful play on lighting and framing also helped accentuate the best of what little the film was resting on.

The film completes a loop by going back to the starting point where the hooded victims were about to be shot but yet delightfully, thwarts our assumed understanding in a completely different direction. Makes you realize that there is such a thing a gangsta-flick sensibility, those who have it know what the audience already expects and surprises us at the right moments. Those who don’t, basically drag us through he film spending half the time explaining it.

Pretty Junk for Mise En SIN

We (Jeremy, Grace, Melody) braved the rain and the crowd to pick up some pretty-looking junk for the exhibition Mise En SIN. It was tough finding pretty things among the heaps of dusty hand-me-downs. The most interesting thing on display was actually a dog, which attracted a crowd. We were speculating if it was on sale!

Grace waiting for directions

Melody checking out old clothes

Shooting paraphernelia

Melody found a 'basket suitcase' - good for running away or eloping!

Jeremy's 'auntie' instincts rise for the occasion.... :P

You wonder how these shopkeepers bring these things in and out everyday. It's back-breaking.

We found another oldie, but no la.... not quite for going for the period look for Mise En SIN.

First Takes Feb review...Dealing with O.C.D.

It’s a night of obsessive compulsive tendencies at the first First Takes of the year, not all that heavy-going, kinda dreamy in a hallucinatory way as too. The films screened all display The line up is a mish-mash of the dark and heart-warming, the forlorn and the funny. It also spans various genres which include a traditional narrative, stop-motion animation, experimental and even a mockumentary.

The first film ‘Candid Shot of Youth At Play’ by Athalia Ho is languid and dreamy in the way it portrays 2 youths trying to cover up for their deed, a likely murder of a common friend. Dragging his dead body across the grass plain, they look for a suitable resting place. Shot in blurred focus, handheld and with an esoteric eye for quirky yet intimate angles, you can’t help but notice a certain aesthetic knack about the way the director is framing what’s in the scene.

Strangely, the cloudy skies and the ‘sanctuarious’ nature of the open field gave it a very ‘Country Western’ look to the film, which I suspect having 2 young men dealing with a dead body adds to it. It’s got a grey-hued palate reminiscent of Hollywood’s ‘Cold Mountain’. In short, I am just alluding to a very subtle sense of romanticism the film had over a killing act, which made death seem balmy and peaceful.

‘Backyard Bowler’ by Amanda Tan, though shot in cheerier and warmer colours, is actually more carcinogenic than you think. With pun intended on its story about a lackadaisical man who finds his soul in bowling and rests his health in the hands on cigarettes. What might have been smothering could be the choice of an uninspiring character, begging the question of why this story needs to be told.

The film is told in different timeframes, starting in mid-life, going back and forth between marriage, old-age and childhood. Throughout that life-span, we see a man, brought up in a dysfunctional family, insecure about himself, jittery at his biggest moments (like his wedding) and living in regret half the time. Narrated by the voice of his mid-life self (which is a self-defeating voice), you look for point of redemption but find yourself lost in a state of addictive consciousness in which the only respite is the pleasure of bowling.

This film however, had some quirky poignant directorial touches like the protagonist bowling into a birthday cake and seeing that birthday cake quashed under the weight of the ball. Also visually punctuating was the Fortune Cat waving its arms in the foreground while turmoil has unfolded in the background.

‘A Green Ticket’ by Anoo Priya was the sweet surprise of the evening. It is a modest film that opens your heart without trying too hard or telling a big, grand story. It’s in the actors’ gestures and temperament that this story flutters in my heart. A poor boy struggles to earn money while studying in school. Amidst the overpowering tinge of sepia that is aimed to recreate the year 1976, his innocent, somewhat naïve single-mindedness sparkles and exudes an undeniable subtle charm.

He comes home late every night from collecting used drink cans in order to sell them for money. One day, his mother comes home, fatigued from work and he relentlessly pesters his mum to take him out for a show. The ‘green ticket’ to this is when he flashes the ticket itself to his mother, surprising her. This is of course, when the truth inevitably unfolds and his mother discovers his ‘moonlighting’ endeavours. Avoiding the potential drone of explaining his ‘labour of love’ he simply hurries his mother, drawing attention to the fact that they could be close to wasting the ticket since the show was about to begin.

It‘s guts meeting good intentions that makes this little short film, the tiny empowerer it is. It also draws attention to the fact that human nature and responses transcend language and culture. I did a double take at the director’s name and was assured of this.

The later films took an experimental, experiential turn. ‘You Disappear’ is a contemplative, mood-evoking stream of images played to a hypnotic soundtrack. It follows the journey of a blind-folded girl, treading through forest and beach-scapes seemingly searching for someone. Vacillating between the phantasmic and idyllic, the film takes us on a journey, sometimes lucid in its clarity of textured details and landscape and sometimes shrouded in a blurred interplay of light and movement. This duality of lucidity and the moments of pandemonium, in fact, gave this visual journey some depth and solidity, preventing it from being just another dream-scape.

‘Don’t hate the player, hate the game.’. That’s apparently the T-shirt that made our protagonist, Rick Shamus, famous in Stephanise Bousely’s ‘I Make T-Shirts’. He is a ego-centric, anal-retentive, obsessive-compulsive young man who thinks too highly of himself. Told like a satire of the cocky, ambitious Gen-Y youths who want to dominate the world like Marcus Zuckerberg, this mockumentary is a strange animal, sometimes funny yet sometimes intense and affecting.

It is funny because it contrasts Rick’s inflated-ego-driven ideas to the reception towards them. The turn out at his investor presentation was one out of twelve. It is also intense because of the way he exploits and torments his Indian intern. Odd moments in the film make you wonder if you are watching a film about human exploitation. He quips about his intern being Indian and hence, naturally more hardworking, yet he cracks the whip unnecessarily and throws his temper over the most trivial of things. He would knot his eyebrows, his face would crumple up and he would be struggling to contain his irritation at the things that stumble him. For the behavioural detail, you wonder if this film is really more a dig at a fellow friend, rather than an attempt to tell a story. Nevertheless, disregarding the ‘classroom exercise’ that this film seems to be, you might want to grab a T-shirt or 2 from Rick, but you sure need his attitude to go with them.

The final 2 short films felt like random picks given yet another genre-departure or thematic departure. ‘Squared Shaped’ by Zen, on closer analysis is still in the same grounds as the rest, except that it takes a lighter look at an OCD problem and has a happy ending as well. Boss needs everything on his table to be square while his secretary tries to coexist with that and even share some of her sunshine energy in the office. Eventually and predictably, he succumbs to it and airs his plush toys on the table…. Which begs the question, this film square-shaped or circular?

Finally, never go on a date with a bigmouth. His appetite could kill. Told through spunky stop-motion animation, this musically-driven short film tickles with black humour and discernible style. Half the time you are staring at a menacing looking set of carnivorous teeth, the other half of the time, you are grooving to the music. I guess that kind of sums up the eclectic, dual nature of this particular installment of First Takes.

You can check our their synopses at the First Takes page of the Substation website.

'It's a Great Great World' for most seasons - a movie review

A modest photo-studio background with the landscape of a moon-lit river provides the visual motif that creates a commonality among 4 different stories spawned from the world of the Great World amusement park. The photos each look theatrical in the moments they capture, a little caricaturized and sugar-coated in the way a circus poster would, and possible summing up how the film seemed to portray the Great World – sweet feel-good snapshots of a spectrum of characters.


From the poster (below) one should already get the hint that this is an all-star Raintree production in which part of the fun comes from spotting your favourite Mediacorp celebrities making their token appearances like in a Chinese New year variety show, or perhaps a Halloween Dress-up party? Therein lies the challenge of putting together a festive pantomime like this that will still stir our hearts in a deeper way.

The film is told in 4 parts and each part is kept quite separately from the others. The story runs a complete gamut of age, emotions and mode of association with the Great World - jobless man who seeks an escape here, a young girl, operating a games stall who catches cupid’s arrow, a fading starlet who finds a new tune to sing to at the Flamingo Night Club and a newly-wed couple who cherishing the company of family and friends on a fateful night.

The stories are kept separate by the compartmentalizing of the storytelling – an old man retells each story one by one, without attempting to make any links between them. He is prompted by a set of old photos (all with the moon-lit river) taken from the Great World, in a manner that somewhat resembled an elementary school TV program, point by point with words articulated at regular rhythm. For a discerning audience, this is like a kind of ‘narrative hand-holding’ taken to great lengths. The set of vintage photos already provide a natural visual lead-in to the back-stories but having someone to tell it took away some of its mystique and elusiveness. The old man should have just said ‘go away, don’t bother me!’, then Olivia will have no choice but to take her bouncy curious self somewhere else and perhaps try twice as hard to find the answer, which would have made a more exciting movie!

Henry Thia in Chapter 1

Grace Chang’s ‘Mambo Girl’ cha-cha number raises the curtain on the first story, anchored by Henry Thia. He is, and has typically been in many movies, an ambling, wandering odd-jobs bloke. This time, he is a little worse than that, an unemployed, single man who fools his bed-ridden mum into thinking he’s going out to work when he is in fact, going to the Great World. This is the segment of caricatures where we meet the bizarre and the kooky, including an unrecognizable Chen Tianwen who has piled on the kilos quite shockingly. Henry, who owes money to a ‘side-show’ troupe master is forced to play a ‘baby’ alongside his other ‘freak’ brothers and sisters. Some of them included a ‘big’ girl with a red wig and beard and a muscle iron-man in an undersized leotard. While a thoughtful, visual oddity, this touch of PT Barnum and Circus seemed a little out of context.

Interestingly, this was the first point in the movie when the use of dialect was noticeable, probably because the characters looked straight out of a Western circus and they were speaking in Hokkien! It was a point when I questioned the language used in the movie. Not that it was inappropriate but it gave me a sense that actors were not fitting into the right shoes. That’s one problem with using TV personalities and making them speak an unusual tongue. The word is ‘exoticising’.

Joanne Peh and Zhang Zhen Huan in Chapter 2

The predominance of slapstick antics and fleeting acts of creative mischief made this segment easy to forget. Thankfully, the film’s tapestry is enriched by its subsequent stories. From amusement, we move to amour, in which a young ‘shooting game’ stall-keeper has a hormonal encounter with a dashing young patron. This is supposedly the segment to showcase the ‘sweet young things’ of Mediacorp – Joanne Peh and Zhang Zhen Huan. Boy meets girl and in the context of the 60s, express their mutual interest in each other through counter-actions of ego bashing and prank-like revenges. Basically, a small prank leads to a bigger one at the Ghost Train ride. Both pit their fear-thresholds against each other and play a game of who’s the scaredy-cat. The Ghost Train sequence was particularly a treat because you feel part of the ride as well, awaiting the next surprise that dangles in front of you.

The tit-for-tat game played by the 2 young puppies does stir up a tune or tow though the final kissing scene was a little too Hollywood (maybe intended so for that touch of whimsy). Again, the lack of context made the romance rather transient, almost like a meeting of prototypes - Ah-Lian, working-class girl meets dashing pretty young boy knows how to hit the right buttons and give us all a happy ending. We have no idea what he does, where he comes from and what he’s after. We all love an innocent, frivolous love adventure but we all remember more, a hard-earned, enduring love built amidst struggle.

Xiang Yun in Chapter 3

That is why the 3^rd segment of the film was for me, the emotional anchor of the film. The puppy-love from the 2^nd segment matures into a flavourful and poignant love affair. Xiang Yun, lending her gravitas to the film, plays Rose, a fading songstress in the Flamingo Night Club, fighting hard to regain her turf against the younger troupers. She battles age and tries to cope by lighting one cigarette after another. She fumbles through her dance steps and give her audience a show-stopper of a different kind. But in that stubborn old self is a spirit that is not giving up. Sounds cliché? But Xiang Yun makes this into her own. Not exactly a siren in the likes of Gong Li (as some netizens have compared) but she gives Rose an agenda which most is faintly noticeable in most of the characters, something compelling for us to believe in. It’s a kind of self-defeating and desperate spirit that is looking an answer, which she eventually finds and reinvents herself with. In a way, it also mirrors the subsequent development of the Great World amusement park as we know of it from recent history.

On hind-sight, the film is really quite tightly structured. Every chapter with its key players is like a season. Each season has its overriding mood and puts the spotlight on a different landmark of the Great World, be it a physical or even a spiritual landmark. Segment 1 is like Spring. It is light-hearted, kiddy, playful and it reminds us of our yearnings(sometimes bitter) for the thrills at the park that became integral to those who grew up in the 60s and 70s. Then the temperature rises a little with first-loves in Segment 2, still playful but only more rebellious and spirited (in all senses of the word), like Summer. Then things slow down a little and we lament about the lost of time in Segment 3 where Autumn leaves would very much fit in with the wistful of the iconic Flamingo Club and a fading singstress. Which leaves Winter, the last season of all, where final moments are cherished and sweet goodbyes are exchanged.

Bryan Wong, Kym Ng and Zhang Yao Dong in Chapter 4

In the final segment, in a rather confusing manner, we head decades back in time to a WWII period. A couple, newly-married hosts a grand dinner at the famous Wing Choon Yuen restaurant. On their big night, the Japanese planes are heard roaring past the skies above them, making the event not quite the sweet affair it was meant to be. But despite that, the overriding mood in this segment is far from one that is grave. Instead, it takes a rather matter-of-fact treatment of the impending war and instead punctuates the scenes with pockets of humour. A motley bunch of characters create a friendly battle of dialects in the kitchen. It seemed of no coincidence that all the seasoned Channel 8 hosts seemed to be placed in that scene, Bryan Wong, Zhang Yao Dong and Marcus Chin as two talkative chefs and Kym Ng as the ‘chilli-padi’ restauranat manager. To top it all up, Auntie Lucy (below) makes a cameo appearance as her 1940s-self complete with her signature head jerks and frenzied hand movements, certainly one of the highlights of the segment, if not, the entire film.

I must also comment on a directorial quirk that caught my attention. The momentary focus on the kids playing with the drinks and sauces, which seems inconsequential and more like a distraction to the plot, is actually quite observant on Kelvin’s part. Consistent in his other films, Kelvin has always been able to capture the unusual and sometimes even the unsettling, almost to the point of it being a fixation.

That’s Kelvin at his best, I suppose, always able to disturb and unsettle his audience (in a good way). It’s Great Great World , however, seems tied to a certain strict TV formula, that I suspect came with the entire financial ‘origin’ of the film. It feels like Kelvin Tong ‘with hands tied’. It is also a challenge trying to get seasoned TV actors out of their modus operandi or conversely trying to get us, the audience, to not see our ubiquitous TV personalities, as their TV-selves (especially Yvonne Lim, skinny as a willow, who looked ill-fitted into her photographer ‘suspender’ strung get-up). When you bring on an entire stable of stars for a blockbuster like this, some moments get lost. These were in fact the gems for me in the near-2 hours of sitting in the theatre. For a place so pregnant in memories and dreams, sometimes less is more and all it takes for us to be vividly transported back is not fanfare and theatrics. There was one particular shot of the Great World at the opening of Segment 1 when camera glides above the park and we it in its unassuming form through a tinge of sepia, like it appears in the postcards. That’s the evergreen memory of the Great World I took home from the film.

A Train Ride with Apichatpong Weerasethakul, winner of the 2010 Palme D'or

The experience of being able to hear Cannes Best Picture Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul share about Thai films and filmmaking one-to-one, was undoubtedly humbling. There was a strange duality of feeling like you are talking to star who's won his accolade on the other end of the globe while also feeling the closeness of hearing something from a neighbour who shares a common Southeast Asian experience and mentality. But here I was, taking the escalator, crossing the roads and squeezing with the MRT crowd with a person whose name I have grown accustomed to only on my precious DVDs of his films. Though soft-spoken, he speaks with a sureness about what he believes in and wants.

Jeremy (J): What is the most significant issue facing filmmakers in Thailand and perhaps yourself at the moment?

Apichatpong (A): (pauses to think) I think about funding often. However, this is a very common problem to filmmakers worldwide, independent and even Hollywood ones.

J: Is there government funding available for Thai films? for instance, in Singapore, the government gives out some money for short films and selected feature films.

A: We had it last year, and it created quite a controversy because the distribution of funding was quite , how do you put it…. not transparent, at least for me, or that the knowledge of the committee or the people who drafted this funding scheme, was not adequate. It shows they do not have enough knowledge of international funding schemes….how to make it equal and fair for filmmakers. And I don’t think we are likely to have it this year. So I don’t always feel we can (pause)… trust our government in terms of funding because it is always unreliable. In fact, I have more trust in the public sector.

J: Private investors?

A; Ya, because it is stronger than the government.

J: Who are these people? Are they businessmen or…

A: They are people who are interested in the arts and particularly movies. But because of their job, they do not have the time to be involved. And another issue is censorship. Because in Thailand, you cannot make anything that is disruptive to society. So, anything can be applied under that.

J: I guess it’s very loose.

A: Yes. For, example you cannot portray the policemen in a bad way. (pause) The censorship board has become like a moral police. If they do not think it is right, they can ban it. I think the system is quite fascist. The last movie that was banned was a movie that dealt with transsexuals. The government said ‘oh, it’s not a good image for the Thai young people.' Even though they have a rating system, they don’t really trust their own rating system. It may be because even with the ratings, people can still sneak in. (pause) There is another film that has high school students kissing, in fact, not even kissing, they were only about to kiss and the censors stepped in.

J: Really?!

A: This is really a ridiculous time we live but I am sure it will be gone in the future.

J: Is this strictness just at the current moment or…. I am wondering if it really is a reflection of the Thai society or not, because I have watched several Thai films and having been to Thailand, it definitely feels more tolerant than Singapore. I feel Singapore is a conservative society. So am I right to say that Thais are generally quite open but it’s just the authorities…

A: Yes, it’s the authorities and it’s a flippant society too. What is deemed right and deemed wrong changes very quickly. But certain in this current climate when there is political chaos, the government tries its best to unify the country, behaving like a big brother. As a result, they eliminate some voice and pretend to be THE voice of freedom.

The way I maximise the use of my gadgets... that familiar phone

J: You were saying that they in your case they could not do much because your winning brought good news in a time of uncertainty.

A: They do not want to create controversy. (pause) You know this film about the transsexual… the filmmaker made repeated appeals and was turned down so now, they are campaigning against the government. I feel that is a good thing because people, especially filmmakers have become more aware of their freedom.

J: When you started making films, you were outside this strict studio system in Thailand (I read this somewhere), in what ways was it strict?

A: The Thai film industry is not big and they only have a few studios. These studios operate like families. The boss dictates most of everything and it does not give much freedom to filmmakers. The filmmakers are like puppets.

J: So here is not much freedom on the stories they want to tell…

A: But you know this is normal for studio movies, it’s not a bad thing, it’s just the way it is.

J: Who do you consider pioneered Thai arthouse cinema? Were you one of them and how was it starting out this cinematic genre?

A: It would be quite embarrassing to call myself a pioneer of Thai arthouse cinema. The circle is very small. We do not have something of a movement like the French new wave or the Japanese new wave. That you can tell because it is such big movement. In Thailand it is just individuals doing their own things so it is not really a movement.

J: The first Thai arthouse film I watched was Last Life In The Universe, was that one of the first Thai arthouse films?

A: No, there was a film before that that was banned and it called My Teacher eats Biscuits. I haven’t seen it. But it was made in the 90s.

J: Do you know who it is by?

A: Ing-K. I-N-G and K.

J: I will go check it out. (pause) Obviously you make personal films… was it difficult to do so knowing it may not find an audience in Thailand at that point of time?

A: I make films for myself and I don’t compromise for others. It’s not an issue for me. It’s very hard to say what will make money. Even many studio films flop. So I end up making my personal films.

J: So your first feature was Mysterious Object at Noon. How much did you spend making it? Obviously, you did not spend too much but I loved it a lot.

A: I never count but it probably cost 3 million baht or something.

J: I will do the conversion. (pause) And that was private funding?

A: Yes, and grants from the Hubert Bals Fund from in the Netherlands, and Fuji and other companies as well.

J: How many short films have you already made before that film.

A: Maybe 4-5?

We cross the MRT barrier at Douby Ghaut station still maintaining the conversation.

J: What’s your feel about the social climate in Singapore?

A: I can’t really tell but I can imagine it can be tough in terms of freedom of expression.

J: Well the government controls and censors a lot. But actually the worst thing is actually not the government censorship but self-censorship. I feel because of the education system, the people have grown up to be mini-governments themselves.

A: With the internet now, do you think there is more resistance from the young?

J: I guess though we are still largely controlled by the baby-boomers (our parents). And they listen to the government more.

Our train arrives.

J: Are there a lot of young independent filmmakers now in Thailand?

A: Yes. It’s got to do with the affordable technology.

J: How do they cope with the money?

A: It’s their personal money and friends helping friends… but generally, it is cheaper to make films now. So actually, the money is not biggest issue. The more worrying issue is censorship or self-censorship under the Thai education system.

J: You were educated overseas right?

A: No, I was educated in Thailand in a very conservative school and society at that time.

J: What are some of your favourite Thai films of all time?

A: There is an old film called Son of the Northeast. Not because I am fond of the Northeast but because of the style of the film. It’s very mature.

J: When was it made? In the 60s, 70s?

A: No, 80s.

J: What other films?

A: I like many films made in the 80s when I grew up. If I look at them now, I may not like them. But as a good memory and for the nostalgia, I still like them. They did not imitate Hollywood and used dubbing.

J: How about some of the more recent films?

A: (pondering) I like Killer Tattoo by Yuthlert Sippapak.

A rare shot of filmmaker Apichatpong in an MRT train - rare for several reasons, one's got to do with the filmmaker and the other SMRT of course!

Poster of Thai film 'Son of the Northeast'

Poster of 'Killer Tattoo'

We face some barrier problems at the exit point of the Chinatown MRT station.

A: Sometimes, he made very good films, sometimes, not so good.

J: Commercial film?

A: Yes.

J: I will have lots of homework to do after this (laughs).

A: But I don’t know if you will like it. It is very kitschy, like Japanese comics.

J: I find the current set of Thai directors so diverse in their styles.

A: That’s what I mean, all very different. We each have our own calling. Like Singapore?

J: Well, let me give you a mini history of Singapore films. We had a long period when we did not make films until the 90s when Eric Khoo drew attention to the arthouse genre by putting a Singapore film on the world map. However, I feel this (and how the media wrote about this) sometimes sends a signal to the younger generation that to gain some recognition from making films, you need to make these types of very serious and depressing films. So there are many filmmakers who want to go the arthouse route and not enough enterprising people who dare to make the commercial or funny movies.

A: That’s the same as Thailand. There are not enough good commercial movies. We should really be trying to build an stronger industry with good scripts and good acting.

J: Talking about acting… you work with non-actors right?

A: Yes.

J: How do you manage to get them to work with you? I mean they have their own jobs right?

A: I pay them. (laughs) Well, I pay them to work with me for a period.

J: Can you tell a bit more about how you work with them and create the kind of effect we see in your films?

A: We do a lot of workshops, really important to break their.......

The madness of the Chinatown crowd slowly unfolds itself as we emerge at the top of the escalator. There was a pregnant pause as we beheld the huge crowd.

A: To break their consciousness about the camera. To have a camera on them all the time. Also, to get to know them. You know professional actors do not have time for that.

J: You know you have some actors who have acted in several of your films. I vividly remember the older lady in Uncle Boonmee, was she also the same lady in Blissfully Yours?

A: She was also in Iron Pussy and Syndromes and A Century.

J: And how do you get your actors to do such brave acts? Like the sex scene in Blissfully Yours?

A: Ahhhh, it was very difficult. I tried very hard to convince her. I had to explain to her that it was about human condition, not really about sex. It’s about desire.

J: Final question: What’s the most common question you’ve been asked since you win the award?

A: How did the award change my life?

J: Okay. I will not ask that. I will leave you to move on with what you need to do.

A: (laughs) Okay sure.

J: Thank you so much for the interview! All the best for your future.

He disappears into the sea of people in Chinatown.

All photos were shot by Thomas Tan

'Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives' by Apichatpong Weerasethakul opens at the PictureHouse from 27 Jan. This film won the Palme D'or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

'Uncle Boonme' comes to Singapore

(Picture by Looi Wan Ping) Sharing a picture with director of 'The Blue Mansion' Glen Goei in a windbreaker that matches the 'Uncle Boonmee' banner behind

When a headliner-type movie like Palme D'or Best Picture 'Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives', you can expect familiar faces from the film community to come face to face, shoulder to shoulder. Here are some snapshots from the charity premiere on Saturday 15 Jan at the Cathay.

(Picture by Lai Weijie) Folks from the Asian Film Archive huddle and say cheese - Juliana Montgomery (from New York who is on a 1-yr fellowship in Singapore), Chew Tee Pao and Ethan Yeo

(Picture by Lai Weijie) Film producer Juan Foo and 2 friends including recognisable screen face Keagan Kang

Have Faith - Faith, a volunteer, opens the charity screening

(Picture by Lai Weijie) Filmmaker Wesley Leon Aroozoo catches up with a friend during the post-screenig Q & A.

(Picture by Lai Weijie) Me feeling like I could almost kiss the camera lens in this shot with filmmkers Charles Lim, Wee Li Lin and Elizabeth Widjaya.

(picture by Colin Teo) The man himself in his quiet splendour- Apichatpong Weerasethakul, director of 'Unclee Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives'.

(picture by Colin Teo) Karen of the Asian Film Archive with Apichatpong during the post-screening Q & A.

(picture by Colin Teo) I was basically stuttering when I approached the auteur for an autograph, whose films I have watched repetitively on DVD and the big screen.

Looi Wan Ping, one of the photographers of the night and local filmmaker (White Days) is engrossed in his duty. This photo taken by Colin Teo is particularly interesting given the 'motley bunch' effect formed by the people here.