I've recently been to Singapore as part of a work related conference, and a tiring conference schedule is no obstacle to the most determined cinephile. It also isn't an obstacle to a hyperactive gastrointestinal tract, but that's a story for another day.
Singapore, owing to its multicultural nature, is also a cinematic melting pot: aside from the run of the mill Hollywood movies, Singapore cinemas also show Chinese films from either Hong Kong or the Mainland, Malay films from either Malaysia or Indonesia, Indian films, mostly in Tamil or Telugu, films from other territories like South Korea and Japan, and homegrown Singaporean films both mainstream and independent.
Singapore cineplexes, in my experience, are often integrated into malls like the Philippines. Tickets in some box offices can be bought and paid in advance, and some, like the Golden Village moviehouse in Plaza Singapura, are completely automated. The average price of a ticket with no special discounts is around S$9.50 (~370 php), though more fancy options exist such as IMAX, 3D, and VIP lounges.
I saw four films during my short trip to this island nation. So how did it go? Let's find out.
The mid to late eighties constituted a seismic shift towards democracy in several countries: the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the fall of the Romanian dictatorship during the same year and the People Power Revolution right here in the Philippines, to name a few. 1987: When the Day Comes, is about one such revolution in South Korea: the June Struggle, a series of demonstrations that led to the present-day government of South Korea.
In a way, this film can be viewed as a companion piece and follow-up to contemporary film A Taxi Driver, also a film that dealt with the various acts of dissent that eventually led to the overthrow of the military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan. But as A Taxi Driver dealt with its story in smaller, personal terms, at a time where Chun's reign was just beginning, 1987 deals with the story in broader terms. It splits its time between several characters, outlining small acts of defiance that build over time. It is a fire that foments slowly but surely. While major deaths (both of student activists) constitute both the beginning and end of the film, it is the smoldering sense of defiance among the people that creates the momentum that finally triggers the revolution. As such the film may not have a central character focus, rather, it serves more as a snapshot of that particular time. And the end of the film - a scene where our audience surrogate stands with the people as the demonstrations hit their peak - is just the beginning of a long and painful process towards true democracy, as the democratic reforms started by the revolution would not truly bear fruit until a few years later.
The same year this film was released, South Koreans removed Park Geun-hye from office on accusations of corruption, the will of the people manifesting itself in full force. In South Korea, the spirit of democracy lives on, while tragically, other countries who experienced the same shift towards democracy have forgotten the same lessons.
Love, Simon plays itself out like your usual fun, entertaining, teen story. Simon (Nick Robinson) is your regular high school student counting the days until the end of high school. But one day, he reads a blog post from a fellow student from his school who confesses that he is secretly gay. This catches Simon's attention, because he too is secretly gay, and the two begin an unlikely friendship while they struggle with coming out to the ones they love and their own teen issues.
It's quite interesting how normal Love, Simon feels, and that may be its greatest asset. I probably could not envision such a film existing a decade ago, but here we are, and the result is satisfying and at times awfully sweet. In a way, the world of Love, Simon is an ideal world that I reckon a lot of people would love to live in: a place where almost everyone is understanding and empathetic, where parents are the most progressive and loving parents a kid can have, where a school body is overly supportive and caring towards their own. It's still a far cry from the world we have now, but works like this in mainstream media that try to establish a new normal in the hopes of reaching that ideal world is a wonderful thing.
The film does suffer from a couple of nagging issues: the relationship between Simon and his anonymous friend Blue is underdeveloped, a casualty of the story's structure. Blue's anonymity works to the film's detriment in this case, though it can't be helped. Love stories have been made between people who have never met in person, good love stories even. In this case, I didn't find the love story to be that convincing, with the relationship between Simon and his friend Blue hinging on a mutual understanding (kinship?) and little else. But despite that, Love Simon is a fun watch, especially for teens and young adults.
The story behind Dukun is an interesting one: it is loosely based on the story of Mona Fandey, a pop singer turned witch doctor who was convicted of killing a local politician during a pagan ceremony gone wrong. She was later executed for this crime. The film was delayed for ten years after it was completed, perhaps to distance itself from real life events.
Dukun is a strange amalgamation of courtroom drama and horror film, one that feels dated even by 2007 standards. The film suffers from rudimentary CGI effects and spotty acting. As a horror, the feel is similar to contemporary mainstream horror movies here in the Philippines, though instead of using Catholicism as a defense against evildoers, this Malaysian flick defends its good guys against paganism by the virtues of Islam. As an outsider looking in, that particular cultural aspect is fascinating. But the horror itself is not really scary at all, the main antagonist's facial contortions ending up more wacky than terrifying. I'm beginning to think it's a cultural thing.
That's the least of the film's problems. For one, it's languidly paced, and with the scares being so lethargic, I found myself struggling to stay awake. The film suffers from a tendency to meander and go on weird tangents. Dukun tries to impart a message advocating piety and religiosity, but I'm not sure if that message is delivered well, if at all. The ending left me mostly unsatisfied with the result.
And finally, a Singaporean film to finish out today's post. Wonder Boy is a fictionalized biography of singer songwriter Dick Lee. Lee is well known in Singapore, especially in the late eighties and early nineties. I don't know who would serve as a local counterpart... maybe Jose Mari Chan?
Lee's contribution to the pop music scene in Singapore is important - in a milieu where pop music consisted of covers and had to adhere to proper English, holding on to a sort of colonial mentality, Lee's songs used Singlish and were about things Singaporeans could relate to.
The film concentrates more on Lee's early days, when he was just a schoolboy struggling to break out and do his own thing. Here, his character seems to be intended to be portrayed as a misunderstood genius, but he comes off as more insufferable than sympathetic. This fictional version of Dick Lee is, to put it mildly, a bit of a dick.
In any case, there are a couple of aspects of Lee's coming of age that I found fascinating. First, there's a bandmate named Mark that Lee is almost smitten with; there's a sexual tension between the two characters in certain scenes that I didn't foresee. Also, Lee's descent into the hedonistic underworld of seventies Singapore shows a side of the country that outsiders rarely see in contemporary media.
Once Lee mellows after those tumultuous school days, it gets better, though sadly there isn't enough of it once it gets going. Wonder Boy is fun as it is, though it takes a while to warm up to the main character.
In a way, this film can be viewed as a companion piece and follow-up to contemporary film A Taxi Driver, also a film that dealt with the various acts of dissent that eventually led to the overthrow of the military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan. But as A Taxi Driver dealt with its story in smaller, personal terms, at a time where Chun's reign was just beginning, 1987 deals with the story in broader terms. It splits its time between several characters, outlining small acts of defiance that build over time. It is a fire that foments slowly but surely. While major deaths (both of student activists) constitute both the beginning and end of the film, it is the smoldering sense of defiance among the people that creates the momentum that finally triggers the revolution. As such the film may not have a central character focus, rather, it serves more as a snapshot of that particular time. And the end of the film - a scene where our audience surrogate stands with the people as the demonstrations hit their peak - is just the beginning of a long and painful process towards true democracy, as the democratic reforms started by the revolution would not truly bear fruit until a few years later.
The same year this film was released, South Koreans removed Park Geun-hye from office on accusations of corruption, the will of the people manifesting itself in full force. In South Korea, the spirit of democracy lives on, while tragically, other countries who experienced the same shift towards democracy have forgotten the same lessons.
It's quite interesting how normal Love, Simon feels, and that may be its greatest asset. I probably could not envision such a film existing a decade ago, but here we are, and the result is satisfying and at times awfully sweet. In a way, the world of Love, Simon is an ideal world that I reckon a lot of people would love to live in: a place where almost everyone is understanding and empathetic, where parents are the most progressive and loving parents a kid can have, where a school body is overly supportive and caring towards their own. It's still a far cry from the world we have now, but works like this in mainstream media that try to establish a new normal in the hopes of reaching that ideal world is a wonderful thing.
The film does suffer from a couple of nagging issues: the relationship between Simon and his anonymous friend Blue is underdeveloped, a casualty of the story's structure. Blue's anonymity works to the film's detriment in this case, though it can't be helped. Love stories have been made between people who have never met in person, good love stories even. In this case, I didn't find the love story to be that convincing, with the relationship between Simon and his friend Blue hinging on a mutual understanding (kinship?) and little else. But despite that, Love Simon is a fun watch, especially for teens and young adults.
Dukun is a strange amalgamation of courtroom drama and horror film, one that feels dated even by 2007 standards. The film suffers from rudimentary CGI effects and spotty acting. As a horror, the feel is similar to contemporary mainstream horror movies here in the Philippines, though instead of using Catholicism as a defense against evildoers, this Malaysian flick defends its good guys against paganism by the virtues of Islam. As an outsider looking in, that particular cultural aspect is fascinating. But the horror itself is not really scary at all, the main antagonist's facial contortions ending up more wacky than terrifying. I'm beginning to think it's a cultural thing.
That's the least of the film's problems. For one, it's languidly paced, and with the scares being so lethargic, I found myself struggling to stay awake. The film suffers from a tendency to meander and go on weird tangents. Dukun tries to impart a message advocating piety and religiosity, but I'm not sure if that message is delivered well, if at all. The ending left me mostly unsatisfied with the result.
Lee's contribution to the pop music scene in Singapore is important - in a milieu where pop music consisted of covers and had to adhere to proper English, holding on to a sort of colonial mentality, Lee's songs used Singlish and were about things Singaporeans could relate to.
The film concentrates more on Lee's early days, when he was just a schoolboy struggling to break out and do his own thing. Here, his character seems to be intended to be portrayed as a misunderstood genius, but he comes off as more insufferable than sympathetic. This fictional version of Dick Lee is, to put it mildly, a bit of a dick.
In any case, there are a couple of aspects of Lee's coming of age that I found fascinating. First, there's a bandmate named Mark that Lee is almost smitten with; there's a sexual tension between the two characters in certain scenes that I didn't foresee. Also, Lee's descent into the hedonistic underworld of seventies Singapore shows a side of the country that outsiders rarely see in contemporary media.
Once Lee mellows after those tumultuous school days, it gets better, though sadly there isn't enough of it once it gets going. Wonder Boy is fun as it is, though it takes a while to warm up to the main character.
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