Feel-bad Comedy Part 1: Singapore Dreaming
by Jeffrey Koh
This shall be Part 1 of a double bill write-up on a couple of feel-bad movies I have recently seen (coincidently both films encircled shaded themes of familial dysfunctions). There was no conscious effort to group the two movies; they just fell onto my lap. Whether I like these feel-bad movies or not should not concern others, but my laying out the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of these flicks may hopefully offer some an idea of what they may be getting into. So here goes.
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Singapore Dreaming: Is it a "Like sand through the hourglass..." or a Presidentially endorsed "It is as it was.”?
Singapore Dreaming ( 美满人生 ) chronicles a working class family living in a capitalistic society, struggling with the frustrations of unfulfilled middle class ambitions. Ironically, when their material-centric dreams come true (almost), they are plunged into a spiral of challenges, which send their family dynamics into a topsy turvy. The film aims to deliver, as quoted from its marketing, “…a poignant, yet darkly humorous story about a typical Singaporean family coming to grips with their aspirations. It weaves a layered and moving tale about a family dealing with loss, ambition and the search for what really matters in life.”
Yes, the President blurbed about it. Mr Brown laced it with premium chocolate. Its prior previews sold like hot cakes and media approvals have been gaining momentum. The local film Singapore Dreaming is having a commercial release right now. I hence entered the cinema with very high expectations. So did it deliver what its marketing promised? In short, though I won't mind recommending this mildly entertaining movie (which works well as a tv soap opera), I don't love it. If you care to know the longer take on why I think so, then there are the below paragraphs...
The acting in Singapore Dreaming is all round evocative. The production quality is good. The sporadic humour is tickling and the pathos generally works. Singapore Dreaming is probably the first local film to succeed as a familial dramedy, if it did not so insistently choose to bear the burden of being a “Singaporean” movie. To me, this film just feels like an episode off an adequate TVB (HK) series, which have all the above-mentioned qualities, and then some. Just because the film dabbles in some men-on-the-street ideas of working class Singaporean lives does not elevate its level of social authenticity like any random Jack Neo production arguably can.
Allow me to sidetrack a little to comment on the Singapore Dreaming vs Jack Neo movies comparisons so rampant in film reviews I have read so far. I know I may unwittingly be inviting people to challenge my spews, but frankly, all the words expended so far may actually be the reactionary defenses of the Jack Neo groupie in me. I do not like Singapore Dreaming enough because I feel it is no Jack Neoir-ish enough, but I sense detractors are trying to closely associate Dreaming with Jack's grassroots films and yet push for it to assume an air of comparative superiority. Hence, no self-respecting Jack Neo groupie is going to stand on the sidelines and be unheard.
Granted, Neo also takes potshots at local social issues and manipulates his audiences with in-your-face sentimentalities, but he does so in purer and simpler extremes, which rules out common criticism leveled at his films for being middle of the road affairs. If Singapore Dreaming is a standard soap, then Jack Neo movies are bottled bleach solution, which would often leave us feeling stung and raw, but ultimately illuminate lucidly our sense of national/social/ familial identity. I will argue Jack accomplishes his non-critics baiting aims admirably because he is willing and able to tap into this country's shared emotional reservoir more heedlessly (and strangely to me, more effectively) than anything Singapore Dreaming can shrewdly conjure up. I hence honestly believe the cultural medallion winner to be the real deal, that his sincere films are more effortlessly authentic in echoing the silent majority Singaporeans' thoughts and feelings. That, and that fact that I am willingly planting for a "I Not Stupid Tree".
Now back to Singapore Dreaming. With my above sentiments considered, the main reason why I don't respond to Singapore Dreaming may be that I feel it's purported grasp of the heartlander spirit is adequate at best. It's the very same reason why all of Eric Khoo's pre-Be with me flicks don't work for me, until he realised it's futile to try to prove he can completely understand heartlander sensibilities and started making more universal movies about the human condition. In other words, Singapore Dreaming may work as a standard non-country specific melodrama, it is just “no Singaporean enough”, but which its marketing spin so far has been insisting, it is.
There are illustrative basis for my rant on why Singapore Dreaming is “no Singaporean enough”, for there are niggling elements in this movie which kick started my nitpicking urges on the film’s social authenticity and they greatly diluted my enjoyment. I shall list below, 3 of my most highly personal nitpicks.
(As the below passages may have spoilers and meant for discussion purposes, readers are advised to skip the green passages if you have not seen the film)
Nitpick number one: This film has some weird fantasies about including cheap laughs/ melodramatic plot devices being a true indication of 3-rooms flat dwelling Singaporeans. Come on now, any people who lives in HDB flats nowadays know and can attest that the frequency of people doing "that" in "there" is no longer as high as this film is implying. And to suggest higher numbered-rooms flat dwelling people will really do "that" in 3-rooms flat's "there" feels like what condo dwelling or above peeps will come up with. Could this be a socially conscious allegory to show that the higher we climb up the social ladder, the pissier we will get? I don’t know, it sure did not work as a funny scene to me.
Nitpick number two: I acknowledge the heightened melodramatic excesses in the last third of this movie is an effective showcase of the cast's acting talents and the crew's deft mastery of their respective film making craft. It's moving too, in a soap opera moving kinda way. However, the unrealistic behaviours of 2 caricatured characters, (one dripping with sardonic humour about his industry's unique products and services, another behaving badly for no other reason than to ratchet up the melodramatic angst of a main character) just reminds me further that this is a soap opera, and not much more. It can boast no claims to realistically understand a segment of this country's population via its illustrated comedy and drama so far. What it can be proud of, is that it is better than any random TCS tele-movie/ serials staining Singaporean television sets.
Nitpick number three: The behaviour of a main character near the end of the film is “surreal”, to say the least (I shall try not to overuse variation of the term "unrealistic" too often). No sane Singaporean in that "predicament" will do what is done "realistically" (I know, I can't resist) as the “act” itself is just too religiously irresponsible. Allow me to explain. (Spoilers ahead) If one is to up and leave and not return for a long time, one who has seemed "tao-istically" pious enough throughout the movie, one would have made arrangements for ancestral responsibilities like twice-monthly offerings and other miscellaneous festivities to be properly taken care of before leaving. In the movie, the ancestral tablets are still there! (End spoilers) Perhaps this plot development is in keeping with the spirit of melodramatic soap operas, with a clear and present intent to show up it's ability to heart massage its viewers. But that act of negligence to me, is just too jarring.
Since I don't classify this film as a "Singaporean" movie and only think of it as a "melodramedic" outing, I hence wonder, why should people see Singapore Dreaming in a cinema if they can get more mirth and tears renting some trusty TVB soap operas? Then I considered (perhaps presumptuously so), TVB might not be so hot with Singapore Dreaming's intended critics/ audiences. Furthermore, this film is exclaimed/ marketed as being socially relevant to our material-worshipping, love-starved and angst-ridden country. Now who wouldn't want to go in and experience the joys and pains of being Uniquely Singaporean? I would, I did, but I came out feeling something's missing. Damn.
With all said, above are still only my own nitpicks and their personally perceived trespasses most probably won't affect others as much. In the end, I think Singapore Dreaming is a suitably entertaining film with heartfelt melodramatic elements and I shall mildly recommend it to others as such. In fact, this film should be distributed regionally just to showcase the actors. I personally think they are too good for the movie. Richard Low, Serene Chen, Lim Yu Beng and Dick Su are unfortunately saddled with strictly plot-dictated roles, but I thought they made the most out of their respective screen time. On the other hand, I think both Lim Cheng Peng and Yeo Yann Yann deserve Golden Horse mentions.
Lim Cheng Peng's (the mother) character transition, though narratively unrealistic in my book, is emoted very well. She imbues her character with an emotional honesty, which renders the funny moments organically believable and the dramatic ones with a deft touch of gravitas. Yeo Yann Yann (the daughter) exudes a dexterous grasp of steely demeanour and heartfelt vulnerability so rare in local "thespians". The woman is like a younger Sylvia Chang to me, supplying a refreshing breath of intelligent naturalism despite Singapore Dreaming's awkwardly contrived universe.
All in, these actors effectively made my viewing experience of Singapore Dreaming not a complete waste of time. I sincerely hope for better writer/directors out there to discover these talents, work with them synergistically and ultimately push the Singaporean cinematic landscape beyond caricaturised portraits, beyond our sociological fixations with keeping things "local". The outlook is positive. Singapore Dreaming is inching towards the "universal" of Be with me, but imbued with more astute commercial sensibilities, showing that art and commerce can and will eventually result in a perfect blend. I personally can't wait for a truly great film to emerge out of the current pool of Singaporean film making talents, and I have a feeling the wait is not going to be too long.
______________________________________________
Singapore Dreaming: Is it a "Like sand through the hourglass..." or a Presidentially endorsed "It is as it was.”?
Singapore Dreaming ( 美满人生 ) chronicles a working class family living in a capitalistic society, struggling with the frustrations of unfulfilled middle class ambitions. Ironically, when their material-centric dreams come true (almost), they are plunged into a spiral of challenges, which send their family dynamics into a topsy turvy. The film aims to deliver, as quoted from its marketing, “…a poignant, yet darkly humorous story about a typical Singaporean family coming to grips with their aspirations. It weaves a layered and moving tale about a family dealing with loss, ambition and the search for what really matters in life.”
Yes, the President blurbed about it. Mr Brown laced it with premium chocolate. Its prior previews sold like hot cakes and media approvals have been gaining momentum. The local film Singapore Dreaming is having a commercial release right now. I hence entered the cinema with very high expectations. So did it deliver what its marketing promised? In short, though I won't mind recommending this mildly entertaining movie (which works well as a tv soap opera), I don't love it. If you care to know the longer take on why I think so, then there are the below paragraphs...
The acting in Singapore Dreaming is all round evocative. The production quality is good. The sporadic humour is tickling and the pathos generally works. Singapore Dreaming is probably the first local film to succeed as a familial dramedy, if it did not so insistently choose to bear the burden of being a “Singaporean” movie. To me, this film just feels like an episode off an adequate TVB (HK) series, which have all the above-mentioned qualities, and then some. Just because the film dabbles in some men-on-the-street ideas of working class Singaporean lives does not elevate its level of social authenticity like any random Jack Neo production arguably can.
Allow me to sidetrack a little to comment on the Singapore Dreaming vs Jack Neo movies comparisons so rampant in film reviews I have read so far. I know I may unwittingly be inviting people to challenge my spews, but frankly, all the words expended so far may actually be the reactionary defenses of the Jack Neo groupie in me. I do not like Singapore Dreaming enough because I feel it is no Jack Neoir-ish enough, but I sense detractors are trying to closely associate Dreaming with Jack's grassroots films and yet push for it to assume an air of comparative superiority. Hence, no self-respecting Jack Neo groupie is going to stand on the sidelines and be unheard.
Granted, Neo also takes potshots at local social issues and manipulates his audiences with in-your-face sentimentalities, but he does so in purer and simpler extremes, which rules out common criticism leveled at his films for being middle of the road affairs. If Singapore Dreaming is a standard soap, then Jack Neo movies are bottled bleach solution, which would often leave us feeling stung and raw, but ultimately illuminate lucidly our sense of national/social/ familial identity. I will argue Jack accomplishes his non-critics baiting aims admirably because he is willing and able to tap into this country's shared emotional reservoir more heedlessly (and strangely to me, more effectively) than anything Singapore Dreaming can shrewdly conjure up. I hence honestly believe the cultural medallion winner to be the real deal, that his sincere films are more effortlessly authentic in echoing the silent majority Singaporeans' thoughts and feelings. That, and that fact that I am willingly planting for a "I Not Stupid Tree".
Now back to Singapore Dreaming. With my above sentiments considered, the main reason why I don't respond to Singapore Dreaming may be that I feel it's purported grasp of the heartlander spirit is adequate at best. It's the very same reason why all of Eric Khoo's pre-Be with me flicks don't work for me, until he realised it's futile to try to prove he can completely understand heartlander sensibilities and started making more universal movies about the human condition. In other words, Singapore Dreaming may work as a standard non-country specific melodrama, it is just “no Singaporean enough”, but which its marketing spin so far has been insisting, it is.
There are illustrative basis for my rant on why Singapore Dreaming is “no Singaporean enough”, for there are niggling elements in this movie which kick started my nitpicking urges on the film’s social authenticity and they greatly diluted my enjoyment. I shall list below, 3 of my most highly personal nitpicks.
(As the below passages may have spoilers and meant for discussion purposes, readers are advised to skip the green passages if you have not seen the film)
Nitpick number one: This film has some weird fantasies about including cheap laughs/ melodramatic plot devices being a true indication of 3-rooms flat dwelling Singaporeans. Come on now, any people who lives in HDB flats nowadays know and can attest that the frequency of people doing "that" in "there" is no longer as high as this film is implying. And to suggest higher numbered-rooms flat dwelling people will really do "that" in 3-rooms flat's "there" feels like what condo dwelling or above peeps will come up with. Could this be a socially conscious allegory to show that the higher we climb up the social ladder, the pissier we will get? I don’t know, it sure did not work as a funny scene to me.
Nitpick number two: I acknowledge the heightened melodramatic excesses in the last third of this movie is an effective showcase of the cast's acting talents and the crew's deft mastery of their respective film making craft. It's moving too, in a soap opera moving kinda way. However, the unrealistic behaviours of 2 caricatured characters, (one dripping with sardonic humour about his industry's unique products and services, another behaving badly for no other reason than to ratchet up the melodramatic angst of a main character) just reminds me further that this is a soap opera, and not much more. It can boast no claims to realistically understand a segment of this country's population via its illustrated comedy and drama so far. What it can be proud of, is that it is better than any random TCS tele-movie/ serials staining Singaporean television sets.
Nitpick number three: The behaviour of a main character near the end of the film is “surreal”, to say the least (I shall try not to overuse variation of the term "unrealistic" too often). No sane Singaporean in that "predicament" will do what is done "realistically" (I know, I can't resist) as the “act” itself is just too religiously irresponsible. Allow me to explain. (Spoilers ahead) If one is to up and leave and not return for a long time, one who has seemed "tao-istically" pious enough throughout the movie, one would have made arrangements for ancestral responsibilities like twice-monthly offerings and other miscellaneous festivities to be properly taken care of before leaving. In the movie, the ancestral tablets are still there! (End spoilers) Perhaps this plot development is in keeping with the spirit of melodramatic soap operas, with a clear and present intent to show up it's ability to heart massage its viewers. But that act of negligence to me, is just too jarring.
Since I don't classify this film as a "Singaporean" movie and only think of it as a "melodramedic" outing, I hence wonder, why should people see Singapore Dreaming in a cinema if they can get more mirth and tears renting some trusty TVB soap operas? Then I considered (perhaps presumptuously so), TVB might not be so hot with Singapore Dreaming's intended critics/ audiences. Furthermore, this film is exclaimed/ marketed as being socially relevant to our material-worshipping, love-starved and angst-ridden country. Now who wouldn't want to go in and experience the joys and pains of being Uniquely Singaporean? I would, I did, but I came out feeling something's missing. Damn.
With all said, above are still only my own nitpicks and their personally perceived trespasses most probably won't affect others as much. In the end, I think Singapore Dreaming is a suitably entertaining film with heartfelt melodramatic elements and I shall mildly recommend it to others as such. In fact, this film should be distributed regionally just to showcase the actors. I personally think they are too good for the movie. Richard Low, Serene Chen, Lim Yu Beng and Dick Su are unfortunately saddled with strictly plot-dictated roles, but I thought they made the most out of their respective screen time. On the other hand, I think both Lim Cheng Peng and Yeo Yann Yann deserve Golden Horse mentions.
Lim Cheng Peng's (the mother) character transition, though narratively unrealistic in my book, is emoted very well. She imbues her character with an emotional honesty, which renders the funny moments organically believable and the dramatic ones with a deft touch of gravitas. Yeo Yann Yann (the daughter) exudes a dexterous grasp of steely demeanour and heartfelt vulnerability so rare in local "thespians". The woman is like a younger Sylvia Chang to me, supplying a refreshing breath of intelligent naturalism despite Singapore Dreaming's awkwardly contrived universe.
All in, these actors effectively made my viewing experience of Singapore Dreaming not a complete waste of time. I sincerely hope for better writer/directors out there to discover these talents, work with them synergistically and ultimately push the Singaporean cinematic landscape beyond caricaturised portraits, beyond our sociological fixations with keeping things "local". The outlook is positive. Singapore Dreaming is inching towards the "universal" of Be with me, but imbued with more astute commercial sensibilities, showing that art and commerce can and will eventually result in a perfect blend. I personally can't wait for a truly great film to emerge out of the current pool of Singaporean film making talents, and I have a feeling the wait is not going to be too long.
posted by Jeffrey Koh at 4:48 PM
1 Comments:
Singapore Dreaming is not a flawless film. It does have its melodramatic moments, as you pointed out, and there are parts about the film which doesn't make sense either. But as a satire on the Singapore Dream, it's a valuable reality check on our society - are we too caught up with our materialistic dream?
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