My Magic

My Magic by Eric Khoo (2006) is the third movie I have watched from this director and is by far, having the most amount of interactive dialogue as compared to Be With Me (there is only 3 minutes worth of dialogue) and 12 Storeys (well, the grandma rattled on quite a lot in movie but it is more of a monologue).

12 Storeys

Watching 12 Storeys by Eric Khoo (1997) was very much “Singaporean-identifiable” to me, with stereotypes of the characters in our society that I can easily relate to.

The movie starts with an unexplained suicide of a young man, even though it is clear that the plump and withdrawn lady San-San contemplates suicide, yet, the plot begins with the young man ending his life; and slowly unfolds the stories in the movie with the ghost of the young man occasionally being the silent narrator (we see him appearing in random scenes – especially those when sorrow is felt).

"Be with me, my beloved love, that my smile may not fade."

I had always wanted to watch Be With Me by Eric Khoo (2005) since I got to know about it, but the year when the film premiered, the M18 barred my viewership and it is only till now that I’m of the legal age to be finally able to watch this movie.

“Is true love truly there, my love? Yes, if your warm heart is.”

After the introductory credits rolled in, the movie started off with a close up shot of two hands slowly typing away on a typewriter, churning out the quote above. My attention was immediately fully captured. To me, there is a charm to understated words that speak of philosophical wisdom, I believe in the beauty of simple words that bring out the many emotions, feelings and facets of life.

来，去Jiak Hong

Eating Air by Kelvin Tong (1999) is a heavily Singaporean flavoured film, about an Ah Beng who falls in love with an unassuming girl, yet ended up losing his life to honour his friendship with a fellow street hooligan.

What is your 4:30am moment like?

“我觉得一部对白不多的电影，也能感动别人。因为听不到的声音，可以用心来感受。说不出的言语，可以用眼神来流露。触摸不到的人，可以用回忆来重温。那，就是我心里的4：30。”

I feel that a movie without much conversation can also touch the hearts of the audience. Because a voice that cannot be heard, can inevitably be felt, by the heart. Words that cannot be spoken, can instead be conveyed through one’s eyes. And a person that you cannot physically intereact with, can be relieved, and relished, with memories. And that, is my true definition of “4:30”.

- Royston Tan

This is my first time watching an arthouse film directed by local filmmaker, Royston Tan, even though he is best known for his awards-winning feature “15” and commercially successful movie “881”.