With a dizzying 112 films across many different genres and styles in the line-up of this year’s Singapore International Film Festival to choose from, you’re forgiven if you experience decision paralysis. Lucky for you, we’ve picked out a couple of highlights to suit everybody’s tastes.
Photo: SGIFF
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Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (2017)
Directed by Mouly Surya
Nov 24, Friday, 7pm and Nov 29, Wednesday, 9:30pm
National Gallery Singapore
Shot in the style of an epic Western, the film tells the story of Marlina (Marsha Timothy), a young woman who murders an entire gang of men that try to rob her. She sets off on a long trek across the island with the severed head of her attacker to seek justice. Expect lots of violence, sardonic humour and white-hot feminism, set against the barren landscape of rural Indonesia.
Photo: SGIFF
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I Not Stupid (2002)
Directed by Jack Neo
Nov 27, Monday, 7pm
National Museum of Singapore
Talkingcock the Movie (2002)
Directed by Colin Goh, Woo Yen Yen
Nov 25, Saturday, 7pm
National Museum of Singapore
Flower in the Pocket (2007)
Directed by Liew Seng Tat
Nov 29, Wednesday, 7pm
National Gallery Singapore
We’re excited to see two familiar favourites this year. I Not Stupid and Talkingcock the Movie are guaranteed to stoke nostalgia in the 90s kids.
Malaysian film Flower in the Pocket may also give you those warm and fuzzy feelings from reminiscing about your golden growing up years. The movie is a heartfelt yet humorous look at dysfunction in family life and follows a pair of recalcitrant young boys and their father (James Lee) who struggles to be a better parent to them.
Photo: SGIFF
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Mayhem (2017)
Directed by Joe Lynch
Dec 2, Saturday, 11:55pm
Filmgarde Bugis+
Fans of Steven Yeun (of The Walking Dead) have this satirical horror flick to look forward to. Shortly after our protagonist, Derek Cho (Yeun) is fired from his job, there’s an epidemic outbreak in his office building that infects his coworkers. Derek takes the opportunity to try and get his job back. Social commentary on the competitive and cut-throat corporate world comes disguised in zombie-slasher-esque ultraviolence and a dash of humour.
Photo: SGIFF
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Gerak Kilat (1966)
Directed by Jamil Sulong
Nov 24, Friday, 7pm
National Museum of Singapore
Four words: campy retro spy movie. If you’re thinking of the Bond series, think again. This movie was made on Singapore soil some 50 years ago. Secret agent Jefri Zain (Jins Shamsuddin), Singapore’s very own 007, must solve the murder of a fellow agent. Armed with high-tech gadgets and cheesy one-liners, he will entertain you while exacting every textbook spy cliche you can think of from each scene.
Photo: SGIFF
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Oh Lucy! (2017)
Directed by Atsuko Hirayanagi
Nov 30, Thursday, 8pm
Marina Bay Sands
Art-house cinema isn’t all macabre and melodrama. Take for instance this lighthearted and uplifting love affair between a middle-aged Japanese woman named Setsuko (Shinobu Terajima) and an American expatriate John (Josh Hartnett). Setsuko develops feelings for her quirky English language teacher and when he leaves Japan abruptly for his home country, she goes on a road trip to track him down. The movie tackles themes like cultural divide, love and loneliness while promising to be funny and thoughtful.
Photo: SGIFF
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I Want to Go Home (2017)
Directed by Wesley Leon Aroozoo
Dec 2, Saturday, 4:30pm
National Museum of Singapore
Ever since Yasuo Takamatsu’s wife was swept away in the tsunami that struck Japan in 2011, he has gone out to sea every week in a desperate attempt to find her. First-time filmmaker Wesley Leon Aroozoo first published a book of the same name which tells of one man’s relentless pursuit of love lost. Now, his documentary gives the audience a window into how Yasuo’s life has unfolded since the tragedy and his journey to find closure.
Photo: SGIFF
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The Square (2017)
Directed by Ruben Östlund
Nov 26, Sunday, 11am
Shaw Theatres Lido
The art world is often criticised for being elitist and self-congratulatory and in The Square, it is portrayed at its ugliest. Museum curator Christian (Claes Bang) tries to stage a PR stunt that will draw crowds to the gallery’s latest exhibit, The Square, which represents a space where people are meant to feel greater kindess for others. But when Christian becomes the victim of a con, he tries to get even and ends up entangled in a moral conundrum of his own. The series of events that follows is weird, provocative and uncomfortable – in other words, a delight for anyone belonging to the art world.
Photo: SGIFF
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Singapore Panorama Short Film Programme 1 and 2
Nov 28, Tuesday, 7pm and Nov 29, Wednesday, 9:30pm
National Museum of Singapore
Be the first to catch these films by talented Singapore filmmakers. There’s a good mix of comedy, drama and romance, touching on subject matters that are close to our hearts. Don’t miss Areola Borealis (2017) directed by Wee Li Lin, in which young bride’s wedding plans go ary when her bra breaks.
Photo: SGIFF
The Florida Project (2017)
Directed by Sean Baker
Nov 27, Monday, 7pm
Shaw Theatres Lido
Halley (Bria Vinaite) and her six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) stay at The Magic Castle Motel, just outside Disney World in Orlando, Florida. While Moonee goes adventuring with her gang of pre-adolescent motel dwellers, her mother tries to scrape together enough money each week to make rent. Treated with empathy and childlike wonder, their story will captivate you. Another two movies at this year’s festival that have garnered awards buzz are The Killing of the Sacred Deer and Call Me by Your Name.
Photo: SGIFF
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