I would like to recommend a film here. It’s called 還魂, written and directed by Chai Yee Wei, his debut full-length feature film. This is the first film that is funded by Singapore Film Commission’s Feature Film Fund, co-produced by Oak3.
It is not a horror movie, although it has something to do with the supernatural. There is more blood than scare, and there is more love than blood. So I’d classify this film as supernatural romantic drama. Rated M18 for excessive blood.
The film opens in GV theatres on 10 Sep, but they are already showing previews over the weekend. I watched it today with my wife and she enjoyed the movie.
The movie is multi-language with Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, and some English. With stellar cast from Hong Kong, Kenneth Tsang and Cheng Pei Pei. Acting is good and realistic, cinematography is impressive, the production quality surpasses many Hong Kong and Taiwan commercial films. The only thing that I’d nitpick is the scene sequencing. I can understand the intention of using flashbacks to slowly uncover the truth, but I do get a little confused because the idea of the movie taking place in a single night did not get into me. However, once you have that mindset, then you’d be able to follow the movie better.
The storyline is good and it surprises me with several (not just one) twists. So while you were watching and when you thought, aha, I’m so smart I knew it all along, the story unfolds and catches you off-guard.
If there is a compelling reason why you should watch Blood Ties in cinemas, here’s one: it’s possible for you to catch any Hollywood blockbusters on DVD in future, but if you don’t support local films like Blood Ties, then you might never be able to watch it ever again.
To share with you some facts about Singapore films and their box office receipts, here’s stats from the Singapore Film Commission website:
http://www.sfc.org.sg/docs/1991to2008.pdf
http://www.sfc.org.sg/docs/1991to2006.pdf
As you can see, other than the usual popular highly-publicised movies, most of the films aren’t making money in box offices. I can understand that some of the local films can be rather artistic, but Blood Ties is truly a “commercial-friendly” film. It’s visually and emotionally stimulating.
Join the Facebook Page for exclusive production photos and trailers. May I remind you again, this is NOT a horror movie. Go enjoy the movie and be impressed at our local film production quality.
1 comment
Agreed. This has to be the best local film ever!
I thoroughly enjoyed the film and how the director took care of every detail in the film. What was also laudible was the excellent cinematography, editing and the lead girl. Very sincere and mature acting from a 13-yr old.
Films like this give a boost of faith to Singapore's film industry.