A Film by Sherman Ong Closing Programme of the Asia-Pacific Weeks 2013 In partnership with AEDES East NPO and Asian Hot Shots 14 June 2013, Friday, 18:00-22:30 ANCB The Metropolitan Laboratory, Christinenstr, 18-19 (Pfefferberg) 10119 Berlin
Malaysia, Singapore | 2009 | 184 min | Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Tagalog, Mandarin, German Japanese, Korean, Thai, Malay, Hokkien | English subtitles | HD
What if Singapore’s water supply suddenly runs dry?
This docu-narrative fusion depicts the lives of foreign immigrants as they face an impending water crisis. Amidst this drought, a cast of non-professional actors grapple with their foibles, fantasies, and broken romances. Touching on issues as diverse as ethnic discrimination, ritual beliefs, World War II, and racial tensions in post-’97 riots Indonesia, the film explores how ingrained problems are transported along with migrant communities.
“A full-length feature with many documentary elements follows eight immigrant couples in Singapore who play scenes from their lives, often shot in their small dwellings. These immigrants are the basis of Singapore’s success, but get the hardest knocks when things go wrong. A film with an unusual length and an unusual form. It’s twice as long as a normal feature and made in two parts. It’s not a documentary, but has many elements of one. The film follows eight couples of immigrants in today’s Singapore. In this way, a lot is made clear about the political and social situation of Singapore, of which the flourishing economy is largely dependent on guest workers. Instead of interviewing the immigrants, the film maker has them play scenes from their own lives. A fiction film, but much more realistic than usual. Another fictional element in the film is the introduction of a water crisis in Singapore. It’s the immigrants who have most problems with this. For a large part, the film is set in the small dwellings where the various immigrant couples live. And also in other regards, the film maker works down to the square centimetre.” – Gertjan Zulhoif, Rotterdam