a Land Imagined, Singaporean Feature Film on a Missing Immigrant Worker

A land Imagined, feature film directed by Singaporean film director Siew Hua Yeo started off with two police officers in search of a missing China mainland immgirant worker in Singapore. Taking set on reclaimed island, filled with mega construction machine this film takes off from the worker's point of view, not linearly in-depth as it splits with the policeman's mindscape and the surrealism the two shared through dream. Wang, the China construction worker got his hand injured and handicapped, shifted his role into lorry driver fetching Bangla workers from one point to other. The two characters (Wang and the officer) are in search of someone, and both of them share similar underlying sleeping problem, awaken to the nightlife of this ever connecting busy nation.

As most scenes took place in the construction site, which made frequent sight to audience but never closely observed, it felt familiar and distant at the same time. The director was said to have spent one to two years of research being around the site, hanging out with the workers. In Singapore's ever-ascending development the buzzing immigrant is often seen as a group of people impermeable to the fact each departed from a rich background, a dilemma between home and future. Unknown to many the agency's high cost service to the land imagined was found worth owing money as a promising investment for a start. Settling here, workers' passport is held to ensure obedience and performance, in consequence of the on-hold return to the family. A line perfectly described during the post screening talk, when he said that during research process he met a worker having resided for over ten, fifteen years yet never really felt as a part of the mainstream society.

Amidst the surreal state, a dancing scene commonly practiced in worker's homeland showed their trans movement to the singing and drum, captured seemingly on to it they are, to the lyrics representing the missing state of connection. Instead of bar, night club or red district to bring out the night life, the use of 24 hour gaming room fits well to Wang's sleepless state and encounter with the staff, that brought him to more escapism.

To my personal preference, the dreamlike part adds tiny disruption to the flow. Though it's smooth transition doesn't detach, it holds our bond to the character and topic from intensifying. Emotionally it puts you in the broad floating state. It does successfully maintain consistent ambient that interstates reality and dream throughout, which is a challenge. The dialogue and acting are realistic on the most parts. However, some parts seem incomplete, floated in the air that a few more lines or scenes could've added balance to. Not that all things should be explained or have a polished resolving, plot holes can tribute the audience's role to part in. Having too many of them, however, as one moved to the other, creates distance. In this reality inferred topic that implies loaded reflective narrative, the bare truth in itself is rich. The sufficient research this project has attained can do justice to it and bridge the audience more connected to the story and the topic. If only we were allowed to enter their life more, with more view to reality outlook the film has provided in the beginning. The surrealism is a good approach for this controversial inflicted topic, but it took a little too much proportion in ratio to the mysterious plot rooted from major social phenomenon to unveil. The director said along with this film, a documentary is on the making which might be the reason he is more keen with this direction for the film.


All in all, it deserves to be along the internationally acclaimed film. It's worth applauding for any local film to look into local's politically and socially charged topic in humanity lens. The fiction reinforces the extent of reality implied in the story. This topic like it or not roots Singapore's identity and needs to be shown to the public in multiple approach time and again.

First In Contact : Disaster. Palu, Central Sulawesi.

Sea and row of mountains laid over one side, of what was said to be blocked by houses before the tsunami. It is too insensitive of a statement, but one could only gather bits of positive lookout after such a traumatic occurrence. We roamed around as I documented every sight of destroyed buildings that remained along tranquil nature as if the once giant monster had been put to sleep. It was my first day of the duty and the endless sight of severe damages still put me to disbelief. There was a limit to what I can comprehend the cascade took a toll, no matter how bad the wreck looks, my mind simply can't go beyond. I don't think those who have experienced it is capable either.

At one point the car stopped and made a turn. I asked why and my peer casually said he could not spot the place we headed for lunch, must have been swept off.

taken from a moving car, Palu Sulawesi Indonesia.

Tsunami was only one impact of the earthquake. Next stop was the liquefaction sites. The term is rarely heard, much like it is to happen. The next time I know, the look of apocalyptic no-man's land had never been that close. To put simply, the soil loses strength and liquifies like mud, as it sucks, buries repeatedly whatever on top and hardened back over time. Victims underground most likely will never be found. Not because it is technically impossible, but more to the fact that the bodies must have been wrecked as it likely to spread harmful bacteria to the health, at least that was what stated to justify the evacuation discharge. Houses had gone astray despite how precise the place was figured to be, made it impossible for the persistent victim's relative on any attempted independent discovery. The news stated that the ground will be kept as it is, excavation won't be done to flatten it like once had been. Most of the damaged houses were removed for easier access and to prevent prolonged trauma.

The mundane items scattered all over places: clothes, holy book, trophy, and innocent kids' belongings, to mention a few. The cars wreckage made a sight of unimaginable causality, thrust to the ground, up down, sideways. Some happened to look like showroom cars, with a price tag attached still. Some had both of airbags flopped, once inflated. We could cluelessly conclude they might be more fortunate, emerged on the surface among many more that were hopelessly buried beneath.

I spotted some of the passer-by covering their noses only then to be reminded that the place might still retain the smell to it, I did not acknowledge anything noticeable and for the most part, much of its atmosphere suggest no presence of the living that I lost touch to the fact that they were not just soil and wreckages.. Although it might also be caused by the memory of earlier much stronger scent one-month post-earthquake that drag people's recollected reflex until now, three months later.

There was guilt in being curious to go to such a place. This project is part of aid relief in many forms, and therefore I could not help to see the importance of being on site although my part might be not as technical compared to the previous wave of SPI and army's workers (more to that on different post).

The inanimate objects is one thing, the eyes that were taken aback by flashing memory from people I talked to is another thing. Both amount to more variables on mind's attempt toward the incomprehensible disastrous tragedy before anyone's eyes, that had it subconsciously embedded within us to be unlikely to happen. It definitely still lingered in the survivors as two minor earthquakes (which I experienced first-hand there) was enough to spark trauma-induced conversation among the neighbors.

This first post, like Palu had on my first impression, is an entrance to a more length-project that was done over there.

Starry Night

The stars were as exaggeratingly beautiful as dramatically portrayed in the film, except that I saw it before my eyes. A few shooting stars marked the wishful hopes, when I have long stopped praying. the first hesitation was soon replaced by magical why not, things happen nonetheless and you have too little capacity to know if those are from the stars. The camera was too technically far behind to capture all glitters of the night, and why should it bother as once captured it will soon become too flat to ever represents a tiny bit of this much-loaded immersion. The mind, the only thing to rely on with a certain mechanical limit it has, ended up to be the only tool to squeeze in much of this rare immense momentary view into. One can be a little cynic over the language used by the poet but how else can you articulate the jumbled sensations.

The oysters were fresh from the sea, and the mother showed us the foreigner and me being the domestic visitor, the way to crack it open. The flashlight was much help to the curious mind, the smell was barely fishy at all. The ocean behind us crashed the waves together with the noises from delighted urban people, cheering as the mother served the oyster raw straight from her knife. "It's good for fertility". It did not taste fishy and not smelly.. if anything it was a slight sweetness to it. A few oysters later, I left the group and sat beneath the tree, joining two local boys and a friend.

They were talking about the tide, boat, fishes, season. The boys were aged same as me, one is a year younger but both have taken the lead of this whole village island. I do not know how, the senses in the structure don't necessarily apply on this tiny secluded island. I've always seen him blowing a puff of smoke out of his endless amount of cigarettes as if that's the only way his lung could breathe. Leaving tomorrow, they are concerned about the weather to sail, reminded by the recent accident that happened. Being curious with information that doesn't contribute to peace of mind, I prompted them to explain more. His dad shooshed him from behind and walked past. It basically happened on the way back from a wedding ceremony held on the island, and nobody survived. "Can't you tell from the sky color?" "yes but the horizon has a limit, you don't know what the sky looks over that line from the land. A sudden change of weather is possible." He added some soothing lines to make up his fear-inducing story but my mind has raced scenarios on how to make it alive on a drowning ship. What happened on the next day aside (nothing much thankfully), that night has a taste of sea and stars I can keep myself to sleep back in the city, much like scenes of drowning keeps me awake. Meanwhile, did the oysters actually do something to the fertility? I'll never know.

And a slight reminder, Singapore will always be too small of a city to ever take away your long to experience the big world.

American Beauty - Reflection (Second Time Watching)

(this is a rewritten post from 14 June 2018)

Watching it for the first time, it gives an overall impression I couldn’t quite pick a word for. Slightly disturbed but it drew me in with uneasiness and unabashedly inevitable relevance as characters' façade made of intricate unreconciled layers unveiled. The crossing path between characters each bears complicated psychological background makes the undercurrent tension is of intrigue in itself along with anticipation to culminating conflict.

The contentious moral by right would pokes conscience as it is not presented to spoonfeed in black and white manner. An extreme case as though they may be, it is very much in reference to reality, in which all individuals just happened to meet and match their unfilled need. Superficiality is a mere indicated deeper long in this modern society's epidemic.

You can click here for the summary (I don't fond of spreading over plots in sequence)

The second time I watched it, plenty got to me as if it was the first time. Immoral it might be, it's gotten easier to sympathize and relate (it was, vaguely and I didn't investigate it). Characters stretch within grey spectrum, complex mixture of good and evil you've increasingly witnessed in real life. You sympathize yet don't side fully to all characters as the change of situation turn one's view justified, and audience's mighty moral judgment mends as some ring true, either first-handed or being a witness one has been. The expanse of experience and outlook in life affects the extent a character get to them, not to say I've grown as bitter (not completely), but to understand how survival in desperation may cause someone to go against their value. The first view, I was a highschool student, landing to a dream job was seemingly as attainable as crossing bucketlist as much as quitting one for your passion call was. The level of peace acquired had little to do with peace and more to being unexposed to responsibility. Although being pessimistic is not sustainable but in adult transitioning stage, one can sympathize how others fall into that line of thinking.

When a real estate mother, Carolyn Burnham, flamed into anger and desperation having her house turned down, she stood back assuringly, when visibly it still lumped in her. it does not look like exaggeration as it makes too real of a fact that people resolute piling expectation onto the next target, as one failed miserably tumble down rest of the burden it came with. Although most of the time she made the least favored character (reminds you of some colleague perhaps) for a nagging, materialistically driven person she is, it gives a peep of what one values and made them who they are.

Lester (the husband) is more complicated. His oddly calm manner is a brilliant portrayal of underlying conflicts, unmeet satisfaction. His thoughts, on the fence of sanity they can seem, never took shape into physical harm, not even his wife. It's a fair depiction of how sick any individual is had the mind spoken out. Some are mild grudges most would have, except a perfect match of Allan Ball the scriptwriter and Kevin's delivery made them eloquent. He does not aggress, he just couldn't be bothered with responsibility as a father. His detachment to his role forms into a thrill of infatuation toward his daughter's girl friend. He didn't initiate an advance and the conscience remaining dilutes him more in his grey's moral spectrum. Not necessarily likable (as all is made not to be), he is definitely the most intriguing one I find throughout this film.

His daughter is a teenager lives with insecurity in a typical teenage dream. From her interaction with her parents, she is more psychologically impacted by family's disharmony and neglect. Obsessed with breast surgery, from her lines one can draw her concern over physical superficialities while simultaneously there lies a profound side of her that disregard those, that attracted the cam-recorder man, beauty seeker that recognizes hers.

Angela's insecurity cracks open under convincingly confident, insensitive boastful desirable teenage girl with her lollita-esque's move. Her insecurity showed as she gave in to Lester, in the confrontation to objectification that has given her the power. We were led to a point of breakdown where she is not any less miserable under utterance.

Colonel Fitts, last one of brilliant character. His presence guarantees emotional intense scene despite rare appearance. Subtle tension on shady son's incompliance blared into violence in his obsessively adhered-run father and son relationship. The poor mental state of his wife hints unpleasant history in the house without a need to address. Hints of his trigger tease mystery of his background, in what we'd be grateful for the scrapped off details in the actual script, now provided just enough that it's long repressed and vented out to many. Despite the odd, he played the major twist and though it can be shocking for such a long-built story, the shame of rejection to his confronted repression makes the shooting logical. All hints connect. Only appearing from middle toward the end, he didn’t come off complementary and as strongly significant to the puzzle of the whole conception of American Beauty.

It was not my intention that this review dominantly covers the characters. Seeing one of its screenplay study, it agrees that the characters here make a big deal of quality to the whole story.

with a pile of history background each has, their present self we have little knowledge of, and present continuous sequence give audience a peep to their life at a point of time, without flashback. What made this film powerful, is the subtle tone of desperation, in many form of distraction. At one point everyone unable to cope with the hollowing desire of living, on another scene they turn into a state of betterment through another distraction. The vacant essential long was replaced with denial, infatuation, target obsession. The title, American Beauty, perfectly captures the darkness to American dream.

I liked it the first time I watched it, I like it more now and know why.  Easily one of the top five film in my list.

Talk Reflection : Pathompon Mont Tesprateep in dialogue with Silke Schmickl - Celluloid Dreamstate, Composing Memories through Decay

On the dialogue programme by Newwave between Pathompon Mont Tesprateep with Silke Schmickl, the talk went tad bit personal to get a better sense of the film, which can be foreign for narrative filmgoers. His interdisciplinary practice of art and film, in this case, is relevant on the attempt to push the fine line as a basis to their norms as story and medium. A short summary is included to slightly give a picture to the dialogue discussed.

The format started with 13 minutes screening of his two trimmed short film due to the time limit, continued with a discussion.

Titled Endless Nameless and Song X respectively, both are black and white film recorded using celluloid film which intervenes its aesthetic with apparent texture. No dialogue was involved throughout as it primarily relies on gestural action. The tension is hinted by the sense of danger amplified through natural acting as if shown on hidden record documentary. Emphasis on the sound also played a part.

In summary, to make sense of it would be in itself an interpretational attempt due to its surreal narrative. Gesturical wise, it consisted scenes where soldiers did common activities that went gradually strange, which turned out to be based on artist’s memory on an actual private soldier's garden run by his family. One of the scene includes a snake purposely unleashed by two soldiers to attack another soldier.

I did not notice intermission. Supposedly it started with a man discovered a corpse on the bushes and dragged him over the river for cleansing. Most of the scenes took place in the river, with various activities of climbing down the tree, a group of people bathing in the river festively, rowing a bamboo raft, pedaled them with a contented face (sorry if it is really vague). The men being topless aside from taking place on river had to do with artist's fascination with the way skin looks on the screen.

Presumably hinted political implied narrative, the follow-up discussion clarified with his personal motive behind the use of soldier. It was meant to be a personal attempt to reconcile with his unease and guilt having witnessed his parents performed authority toward the soldiers. It is manifested from the accumulated observation over years being around. Knowing that I assume the non-linear scene jumbledly comes from what he saw, unintentionally heard, that it forms peculiar subconscious state transmuted into a visual disturbance. As he mentioned it himself, he was also moved by curiosity as to why soldiers do the things they do, to be even drawn into taking the role in the first place.

On the Song X film, he revealed the sentimental loss stage he had, the idea pokes me that his real-life tragedy could’ve suggested the way tragedy is portrayed in the film. Even though we are left clueless as to what extent the significance each gesture portray the actual event, or in what way it is so. But for sure he underlined the word self-hypnosis a couple of time, to sum up what he has achieved throughout the process of the film.

The fact that the personal motive disclosed makes a big shift to the way his work's perceived reminds me of how an intrigue toward visual artwork is significantly affected by findings on research. These films are somehow acceptable in both spectrum of contemporary art context as well as the independent film which fine line has increasingly blurred. He himself said that in the midst of both work of visual art and film, he felt like an outsider for both worlds. It is not entirely bad for he doesn't find any necessity to be put into one box.

There's a time when as things sink in you are overwhelmed by how much the speaker just took the word out of your mouth, what has always been wanted but in need of reassurance. He is a master of fine arts graduate and has respect for feature film, both conventional and experimental. When asked about crossing the disciplinary, to him different context and expression requires experiment on various medium and approach to bring it forth better. Knowing his practice is important in this phase where clearer direction is needed. Being in the same space with someone with a longer stretched experience in an unconventional hybrid domain helps to open up the possibility of the long way ahead.

He mentioned as though film has always been intriguing, it is intimidating at the same time with the big workloads of team that come with it. Film is a big responsibility, the endless name listed in the credit role for a few minutes short films shrink guts, especially if you have been passive. The discussion land me to the thought that the element of film that makes it approved as one, is as attainable as having one camera as an extended vision of the artist/creator. The rest of technicality and logistic followed up depends on the extent of negotiated output standard with available resources (man and space). It is about making and worrying less as to what level a work is seen valid to be on a particular category it is under.

Shall the works lean toward film context more than art, I have learned to notice that I appreciate how originality and rawness have helped in translating genuine vision of the creator. It can connect audience to different level through its peculiar articulation regardless of the genre. Art, from what I understood favors rawness and authenticity and big part of it is highly attainable with medium of film, and it is up to the artist/maker in deciding how much of certain authentic element of story is implied and the form it should take shape.

The talk went a little slow, but it was still thoughtful. Although articulation and flow of discussion might require the audience to actively gather up the points, as long as it came from a speaker who initially think to bring something forth through the works to begin with, there is important notable points to take home. 

Written by Ahdini Izzatika

On Newwave dialogue program.


Picture source :
http://emergeredelpossibile.blogspot.sg/2015/02/endless-nameless.html
http://cargocollective.com/ptesprateep/Song-X