Artful and incisive, 7 Letters highlights the creativity of Singapore’s film industry.
The government-funded collaborative anthology is helmed by some industry heavyweights, such as Eric Khoo, Jack Neo and Royston Tan. With the calibre of directors at the helm coupled with hype around film’s release for SG50, one should expect nothing less than a long and deep look at distinctly Singaporean themes from collaborative anthology 7 Letters.
A large part of the film’s success comes from its appeal to common themes of Singaporean identity.
Concepts such as change and loss resonate with many of us as we celebrate Singapore’s accomplishments this SG50. Have the nation’s successes cost us much of what made us uniquely Singaporean in the first place? What does it mean to be a Singaporean in the age of globalisation? The seven shorts, albeit disjointed, all offer pertinent takes on the Singapore heartbeat.
1. Cinema by Eric Khoo
A stunning shot opens the anthology. The visual clutter of the opening scene a marked departure from modern Hollywood framing and emphatically declares to kick off the series, “This is Singapore’s unique cinema, and it is beautiful!”
2. That Girl by Jack Neo
Neo elicits strong performances from his young actors in this kampong tale of budding virtue. The period setting is used well, employing a nonchalant portrayal of practices like child-beating to accent the vignette’s theme of moral ambiguity. Though by no means surpassing Neo’s feature length Homerun, viewers can expect a decent showing of Neo’s didactic flair in storytelling.
3. The Flame by K. Rajagopal
Set during the British military withdrawal from Singapore, an era rich in symbolism and is still relatively unexplored in local cinema, the script is narrative gold. As the onscreen family grapple between the choice leaving with the colonisers or staying on in the newly independent Singapore; we are left to question if nationalism is merely the sum of its parts, or, like the family trees of immigrants, bloom far beyond its origins.
4. Bunga Sayang by Royston Tan
Strategically positioned in the centre of this anthology is a charmingly low-key piece about the universality of music amidst the multi-lingual fabric of Singapore. Carefully paced and offering up a healthy dose of lingering shots, Bunga Sayang is as compelling as it is meditative.
5. Pineapple Town by Tan Pin Pin
The estranged bond between Singapore and our immediate neighbour is told through a masterful allegory of an adoptive family. Just as the verbatim translation “Pineapple Town” (from the Malay phrase “Pekan Nanas”) seem unnatural on the tongue, so too has something inexplicable been left behind in our independent march towards modernity.
6. Parting by Boo Junfeng
This quietly melancholic piece takes viewers on a journey with an elderly gentleman suffering from dementia as he returns to Singapore in search of an old flame. All parties soon discover that space, like memory, erodes over time.
7. Grandma Positioning System (GPS) by Kelvin Tong
Closing the anthology is a spiritual take on the friendly phantoms of spaces and family living on through shared memories. This dramedy drew its share of laughs yet allowed viewers to mourn the lost ideals of Singapore’s past.
Check out our in-depth review of 7 Letters, how its marketing ploy paid off, and how it tells the Singapore story from seven slants.
Be sure to catch 7 Letters before its screening ends 16 September, at selected Golden Village cinemas only!