December 31, 2021 by Eternality Tan

881 (2007)

One of the most crowd-pleasing Singaporean films of the 2000s, Royston Tan’s getai movie is both riotously funny and a tearjerking melodrama.

Continue reading →

December 6, 2021 by Eternality Tan

24 (2021)

Royston Tan’s latest would make a strong double-bill with Kiarostami’s ’24 Frames’—a provocative and clever meditation on the ephemerality of mortal existence as captured through the meta-fictivity of his cinema.

Continue reading →

August 18, 2021 by Eternality Tan

I Want to Go Home (2017)

This heartfelt, partially-animated documentary centering on a Japanese man who lost his wife in the 2011 tsunami doesn’t have any pretensions and works because of its sincerity.

Continue reading →

December 13, 2020December 13, 2020 by Eternality Tan

Tiong Bahru Social Club (2020)

As a wacky satire on Singaporeans’ pursuit of (a regulated kind of) happiness, this genial comedy might just as well be science-fiction—or not.

Continue reading →

January 17, 2020January 17, 2020 by Eternality Tan

My Magic (2008)

Khoo’s work here is a gritty ‘freak show’ first, and a heartfelt drama second.

Continue reading →

December 27, 2019July 13, 2020 by Eternality Tan

Unteachable (2019)

Authentically depicting the academic struggles of several students from the Normal Technical stream in a Singapore neighbourhood school, this illuminating documentary is a must-watch for teachers, students and parents hoping for a pedagogical way forward.

Continue reading →

December 8, 2019September 12, 2023 by Eternality Tan

Wet Season (2019)

Chen’s introspective sophomore effort features a delicate lead performance by Yeo Yann Yann which elevates a narrative that seems content to operate in a single gear.

Continue reading →

December 4, 2019 by Eternality Tan

Ilo Ilo (2013)

Resonating, emotionally potent and an astute depiction of growing up in Singapore in the late 1990s, Chen’s work will please both film enthusiasts and the common folk.