881

Released Date : 09-08-2007
Genre : Musical
Running Time : 110 min
Director : Royston Tan
Cast : Qi Yu Wu, Yeo Yann Yann, Mindee Ong

Score 3/5

Story-telling *****
Cinematography *****
Directing *****
Acting *****

Comment

Skillful attempt, Roystern thou unpolished, works his magic

Plot

2 young sisters join the getai to fulfill their dreams and face challenges by an upsetting duo as well as impending death.

Review

I must admit I’m never a fan of Roystern, yet I have to give credit to Roystern for picking up the theme of “getai”, (thou most probably due to its penetrability into the foreign film market with its exotic and excessive display) giving due attention to this dieing art form, and giving voice to this forgotten generation. And in the end, weaving all these into a tasteful film that pleases the subject’s patrons and yet reaching out to the young.

This is in comparison to some of our more popular local productions that prefer to tug at known pains of the Heart Landers and hoping to make a profit out of it with its stale subject matter and cheap jokes. Hence, it is totally revitalizing to see a more skillful attempt with kinder intentions.

Roystern’s directing style is almost text-bookish and this film would be an A if it has been his thesis paper. He is displaying almost all the correct strokes at the appropriate times. However, it would have been better if he had decided to leave the mainstream or the established examples in such an exotic subject matter. I would not blame him since he is still young and I would have done the same in his shoes. There is heavy influence from French storytelling such as Amelie as well as Hong kong visuals such as the moody Wong Kar Wai and Christopher Doyle’s over-exposed colours. It would have been better not to insert stylistic props to define the film as an art show, equally better if there is understanding that not every film have to be art farty to be indie.

This film is like a summation of his past works and a display of his skills in his previous ones. The pause moments in the film are borrowed from 4.30 and the setting almost cliché with places like staircases, drive-through car wash, rustic shophouses. The story picks up well at the start and the momentum was well in motion. However, due to a lacklustre script, the story loses steam towards the end, an unnecessary attempt to push the film towards 2 hours.

Nevertheless, the effort and attempt is commendable in putting front the medley of Hokkien songs that warms the forgotten corner of our hearts. If the film had found its issue or have established the core of the story, it would have truly won my heart. Perhaps there has been too high an expectation of the director who is skilled in the works of visual magic. In truth, 881 lack emotional depth with too little time paid to emotional exchange among all the glitzy. It would have been better beyond all that style to question and strengthen the subject matter of getai if that was the original intention. Otherwise, it would have been an extravagant documentary which fails to cover in detail.