Singapore films...

One of my friends mentioned to me about why Singapore films cannot make it. He said that Singapore films are either too artistic or they are too local. Personally, I see nothing wrong with it, but let’s explore his points of argument first.

Firstly, Singapore films are too artistic.

His criticism lies in the fact that because Singapore films are too artistic, it results in a reduction of the amount of people in the world who are able to enjoy the film properly. The films are thus not able to make it globally and is also part of the reason why up to now, the Singapore film industry do not have really big blockbusters or box office hits that it can be proud of.

What makes a film artistic? A film is artistic when it isn't the stereotypical Hollywood fare, which basically consists of "Boom!", "BANG!", "Fwoosh!", "Swipe" and then the usual sex scenes that go over the top with the lust for flesh... Ok, I admit that this is a very narrow view of what exactly is an artistic film, but I can't really get a good definition of it.

A definition that I had arrived at after watching artistic films for some time is this:

1. Artistic films are films that make you think; films that have lots of hidden meanings and specially chosen phrases to highlight a certain idea that is behind the film.
2. They are films that may seem simple at first glance, but when you go deeper, it becomes a very complicated affair.
3. They are also films that want you to have your own interpretation of it, to have you come to your own conclusion when you finish watching it.
4. They are films that make you want to look for a plot analysis so that you know what is going on and to figure out exactly the entire meaning behind the film...

This is what I call artistic films, and if I am correct, and my friend is correct, very little people appreciate this type of films.

Secondly, Singapore films are too local.

Over the period of the last few years, we have seen films such as "I not stupid", "Money not enough", "Just follow law" and the like. We all know that these films are a highly satirical take on the things that are happening in Singapore and may be not very understandable to a foreign audience. This, according to my friend, is the second reason why Singapore films cannot make it to foreign market.

His criticism on this is because it is too local, a foreign audience is unable to understand the large number of dialects and other variants of Singlish being applied in the movie. At the same time, people will not be able to understand the big fuss being kicked up in the movie over a very trivial issue because they are not part of the happenings and thus is totally disconnected.

For example, if you are an expert in Maplestory and now proceeds to tell a lengthy story to your non-Maplestory friend about how you kill Balrog, your non-Maplestory friend will be going "WTH?!"
Same here...

After listening to my friend criticism of the Singapore film industry, I did not have enough time to reply to him so this is my take on the situation.

Firstly, what is wrong with Singapore films being too artistic?
What exactly is wrong with it being too artistic? Or rather, what is wrong with a film being artistic in the first place? An artistic film is still a film. It’s still a film for audiences to enjoy and to remember and to discuss with other people and their friends.

Besides, isn’t it a good thing that our films are artistic? For one thing, it means that Singapore films are able to be differentiated from the rest of the films out there in the world. It’s a good departure from the stereotypical Hollywood films which basically goes something along the line of “lust for blood” and “lust for flesh”. At least Singapore films will not be confused with American films out there… I mean, it’s a good thing; we will be able to build up a “brand-name” for Singapore films.

Also, if you guys had been following the news lately, there have been lots of reports coming in from westerners where they are criticising Hollywood and the film industry in general. They are usually criticising it for its use of on-screen sex and violence to attract people to watch their film. Criticisms have been lashed against slasher films, splatter films, films that have been created to satisfy a population’s lust for blood and the raw flesh…

Other than that, there has been alarming cases of people who have become numb to the experience of killing people in cold blood because they watch so much violence on tv and in the movie. To some of these people out there, they feel that killing people is nothing, like the way it is being shown on tv. Killing people to achieve joy, is that what we want our next generation to become?

Artistic films are a great departure from the traditional formula of hack, hack and slash, slash. At least we see more to life than just killing and slashing, fighting for some cause that seems to have no logic in, and then end of almost all films with the line “happily ever after”…

Secondly, what is wrong with a film being too local? I mean, seriously, what is the point of a film other than to try and earn lots of money from it by making it a great box office hit? Well, I feel that another point of a film is to inspire, to motivate, to make you think about some philosophical details in daily life that we have already taken for granted and also to make fun of daily life while trying to transmit an important message.

Some years ago, I watched a short film about the last few days of primary school for two friends and how they spent it. It was a very short film and that’s probably the reason why it left such a deep impact on me. It is these films that touch our daily life that leaves such a great impact on us, and probably the reason why we keep remembering them after all these years. Human experiences are somewhat similar all over the world. We all experience happiness, sadness, despair, fear, excitement… All these are common experiences that we all enjoy at some time or other in our life, and even if the film is “too” local, the experiences created, the human spirit, its still present, it’s still there, it’s something that humans all over the world can relate to.

Look at the Oscars…
There are even awards for “best foreign language films”. Sure, Singapore hasn’t won one yet, but how do we judge a foreign language film? Probably on the way it can touch our lives? Isn’t that one of the best measurements for a good film?

So after looking at all of this, what is exactly wrong with Singapore films? Is there anything wrong with Singapore films being too artistic and too local? Isn’t it a good thing that we are able to experience the human spirit instead of continuously embracing the lust for flesh and blood?

Personally, I like Singapore films because they are close to my heart so that’s why I am writing this in the first place, but seriously, Singapore films isn’t that bad. Judging from opinions from abroad over the last few years, Singapore films will continue to grow and one day it will be a synonym with good films.

Discmon