Screened in the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes, this lucid, resonant drama is the feature debut from 29-year-old Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen (a rising star whose Ah Ma was nominated for the Best Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2007).
Set in Singapore during the Asian financial crisis of 1997, it focuses on the relationship between bratty, spoilt ten-year-old Jiale and his strict new nanny Terry, who comes from Ilo Ilo in the Philippines.
Entering a family in the midst of societal and economic pressures – Jiale’s father has lost his job as a sales executive, but is too ashamed to tell anyone, whilst Jiale’s pregnant mother works tirelessly in a gruelling secretarial position – Terry lays down the law with her new charge, almost assuming the role of surrogate mother, as Chen documents their changing relationship.
Provoking reflections on cultural and generational differences, and the strengths and weaknesses of family relationships, this is a tender and insightful film which confirms Chen’s place as one of East Asian cinema’s most promising new voices.
