11:27 p.m. - 2006-07-02
i am wearing boxers as i write this
any review of a film should reveal the opinions of the reviewer and reveal its construction/hiding within the review
my words are awkward. this is not a good review. more like a free-for-all.
today i went out with Ken, the ex-intern, a kind easy-going fellow. we went to watch roystan tan's new film 4:30 at shaw balestier.
The whole theme of the film is about loneliness.
It's quite nicely shot, with minimal dialogue and locations, i don't know if it's a matter of style or production ease... but i do think it's easier to make a mood piece within a small budget, letting shots stay longer on the actors, letting action within the frame play out fully, having a small indoor set; you know, things that will be easier or cheaper to set up and shoot.
but of cos, i haven't shot anything at all, maybe i shouldn't say that it's easier because shooting in general is tedious and requires patience.
i haven't watched Lost in Translation yet, is it about loneliness also? If it is, i think it would be interesting to see how its portrayed, given that it has a bigger budget and a more city-like location.
all in all, i think roystan tan is right when he said (in an interview)that he makes arthouse films, if his or the general definition of arthouse films is a message from the filmmakers, a statement on life, with a less plot-driven story.
There isn't a winding narrative or dramatic build-up that you can sense, but more of an empathising reach into the intimate thoughts and feelings of the characters, trying to understand and feel their feelings when they cry, when they seem anxious, when they do irrational things like hugging clocks.
the kid in the film he hugs a clock.
for me, i think its because the ticking of the mechanical clock is like something alive, especially when you hold it to your chest and feel its ticking against your own beating heart, something that might be comforting when you are alone. this is just my interpretation, do tell me yours if you've seen the film.
i do like the film, it is believable and it does make you feel for the characters...
other than that, i was quite surprised by the decor in the flat, the 70s or 80s feel of the wallpaper, lamps, the square-cut plastic flooring. It doesn't look like my own flat at all. i wonder briefly how it feels to live in such a place, a place with no flourescent white light, a place that seems like another period.
i thought about this art project by someone. I'm not sure who it is, but she has a project where she takes photographs of the homes or living-rooms of singaporeans. i think its a rather great idea because this way you can see how people live, how people arrrange their furniture, how they leave clothes or books hanging around, what curtains they use, etc... and subsequently maybe infer into their inner lives.
(reminder to self: i need new curtains that can block out sunlight better. Been saying this for a long time, but i haven't gotten round to getting them. i'd better!)
Another part of the film which i like is the part when the boy watches tv from his sofa and he speaks the parts of a female character within the dialogue happening, in real time. This part is rather long and you get amazed/interested in how this boy can remember and say the lines...
i like this part. Why? Because he's mouthing off lines from 12 Storeys by eric khoo! And that dialogue is between this butcher (Jack Neo) and his china-bride.
Within this intertextual bit, you can mentally link the 3 singaporean directors: Eric Khoo, Jack Neo and Roystan Tan. (everyone forgets the china-bride).
thanks to ken for pointing out that the dialogue is from 12 storeys. This is also the part when im glad that i'm not watching the film alone as originally intended, cos i would never have remembered, and enjoyed this bit as much.
so anyway, after watching the film, with that korean guy sleeping naked except for boxers, i decided to take a big step in my personal life: wearing boxers. not only for sleep.
so yes, i went into giordanos and bought a pair - let me proclaim my new-found freedom!
that's freedom for 2 days (or more), if i decide to change daily, as reccommended by current hygiene habits.
ok this is it, byebye.
