Saturday at the Movies

April 26, 2009 — Brian Gothong Tan, Chee Chuan Yang, Cheong Ah Fong, Cheong Soon Foon, Chiu Wai Yin, Gary Goh, Hush Baby, James Toh, Kat Goh Phek Siang, Kee Chiew Hiang, Kelvin Tong Weng Kian, Kimberly Chia, Kyle Chan, Liam Yeo, Lim Poh Huat, Lui Wai Yu, Madam Chan, Ong Xiu Ping, SG film festival, SG filmfest, SIFF, SIFF 09, SIFF 2009, Singapore International Film Festival, Swimming Lesson, Tan Fong Cheng, Tan Wei Kong, Wilson Yip, Wong Shu Lin, Yeo Wah Lai

I spent a few hours over the past two Saturdays catching selected entries in the Singapore International Filmfest. 

I bought quite a number of tickets (I think for 8 shows with at least two tickets each so I can invite one or more friends) but didn’t get to use all of them due to time constraints.

Anyway here are the ones I found interesting (took the synopsis from the SIFF booklet):

Short films:

HUSH BABY (3 mins, Singapore)

(A sheet of paper, a pair of scissors, and a fussy baby in a battle of wits)

Director: Tan Wei Kong, Producer: Tan Wei Kong, Screenplay: Tan Wei Kong, Cast: NA

Overturning the popular association of animation with children’s entertainment, Hush Baby depicts a baby’s struggle against confinement and restriction. The many expressive faces of a baby are brought to life with dark humour and wit as the film imaginatively explores a different facet of animation.

MADAM CHAN (20 mins, Singapore)

(An elderly woman spends her entire holiday complaining about her family and irritating the friends traveling with her)

Director: Wilson Yip, Producer: Lui Wai Yu, Screenplay: Wilson Yip, Cast: Cheong Soon Foon, Ong Xiu Ping, Chiu Wai Yin

Filled with endless gripes about her familial troubles, Madam Chan joins her friends the Wongs on a local tour of Singapore, much to the annoyance of Mr Wong. As the group travels from one tourist spot to another, the truth behind Madam Chan’s complaints emerges, unveiling the vulnerability beneath her crotchety exterior.

SWIMMING LESSON (13 mins, Singapore)

(An overprotective mother gains new understanding from an old memory)

Director: Kat Goh Phek Siang, Producer: Kelvin Tong Weng Kian, Screenplay: Kelvin Tong Weng Kian, Cast: Kee Chiew Hiang, Cheong Ah Fong, Yeo Wah Lai, Wong Shu Lin

On the way to the airport, a mother frets over her daughter, who is leaving home for the first time. Suddenly, she finds herself on a curious detour that plumbs muddy memories, only to surface with a dazzling session in both life and swimming.

Full-length feature

INVISIBLE CHILDREN (85 mins, Singapore)

(A dreamlike film about ordinary Singaporeans struggling to find their joy)

Director: Brian Gothong Tan, Producer: Gary Goh, Tan Fong Cheng, James Toh, Screenplay: Brian Gothong Tan, Liam Yeo, Cast: Kimberly Chia, Kyle Chan, Lim Poh Huat, Chee Chuan Yang

Two children go on the run after a traumatic accident at home and find themselves lost in a monsoon drain under the roads of Singapore. A shy, obsessive-compulsive neighbor reluctantly helps his neighbor, only to let his heart get in the way. An air stewardess on Merlion Air returns home to a life without love and hope. An uptight army officer finds himself sliding steadily into the crack between his private and his military life, while his estranged girlfriend laments her life before a photocopying machine. Brian Gothong Tan’s debut feature film is a polyphonic fusion of quiet realism and flights of fantasy that bring into focus the regrets and disappointments that Singaporeans swallow everyday.

Turns out the films I liked were done locally!