I'm a bit late to the party, but I only just chanced upon this series of Tamil PSAs on CHAS and "Adapt and Grow" skills upgrading programmes. Since these PSAs aired during the recent Deepavali festive season, they were conceptualised as riffs off the Indian palace drama genre, much like how the Health Promotion Board … Continue reading Style and Sincerity: Some Thoughts on Singapore’s Ethnic PSA Videos
“Runaway” (2019): Penat, Yearning and Loss in Black and White
Singapore will languish if its lovers are uncritical and its critics are unloving. What Singapore needs is not sycophants but loving critics and critical lovers.Tommy Koh As of writing, Singapore has been mired in a debate about what it means to be a patriotic citizen. In a society where dissent is eyed with suspicion and … Continue reading “Runaway” (2019): Penat, Yearning and Loss in Black and White
Moving Onwards, Moving Back: Nostalgia and National Policy in “Semoga Bahagia” (2019)
Blink and you might miss it. In Gov.sg's 2019 cover of "Semoga Bahagia", our official Children's Day song composed by musical legend Zubir Said, a CPF advertisement suddenly punctures a sepia-toned daydream. A poster of an elderly citizen fades into focus as Hilmi walks out of the lift, and we're left to contemplate what "raising … Continue reading Moving Onwards, Moving Back: Nostalgia and National Policy in “Semoga Bahagia” (2019)
Space, Light and Urban Existence in “The Promise” (NTUC Income)
NTUC Income’s short film, “The Promise”, is one of the insurance company’s most well-received public awareness campaigns, with more than 9000 positive Facebook reactions as of writing. “The Promise” follows its protagonist Yong Tian (Robin Tiang) as he goes through life sandwiched between the financial needs of the generations above and beneath him. As many … Continue reading Space, Light and Urban Existence in “The Promise” (NTUC Income)
Visual Poetry: The Twin Cinema of Race and Ritual in “Religious Procession” (2019)
As Kopimotion's last article has shown, race is a trigger topic in Singapore's media landscape. As a concept that structures our thoughts and policies, race entrenches ways of categorising and dominating people through the enforcement of difference. This fixation on classifying people also becomes the dominant mode of thought within which we develop our own … Continue reading Visual Poetry: The Twin Cinema of Race and Ritual in “Religious Procession” (2019)
我的名字是个名牌 (My Name Is a Premium Brand): Preetipls, Humour, Anger, Race and Chinese Privilege
Look, I am angry. I apologise. I do, I apologise. [. . .] It’s not my place to be angry on a comedy stage. I’m meant to be doing… self-deprecating humour. People feel safer when men do the angry comedy. They’re the kings of the genre. When I do it, I’m a miserable lesbian, ruining … Continue reading 我的名字是个名牌 (My Name Is a Premium Brand): Preetipls, Humour, Anger, Race and Chinese Privilege
“I Not Stupid” (2002)/ “Lion Mums” (2015-) – An Education Unsaid
Exam results are the most stressful thing in the world. A simple alphabet and a number determines [sic] what school you go to, what courses you can take, and what jobs you end up with later in life. It's a turning point you have no control over.Mui Ee (Melody Chen), "The Teenage Textbook Movie" (1998) … Continue reading “I Not Stupid” (2002)/ “Lion Mums” (2015-) – An Education Unsaid
“Nobody” (2018): The Pontianak – A Figure of Disassembling Feminine Chaos
Content Warning: Misogyny, Sexual Violence “It is said that analyzing pleasure, or beauty, destroys it.”Laura Mulvey On Visual Pleasure Typically, the cinema is a playground for the fantasies of men. According to film theorist Laura Mulvey, women are overwhelmingly objectified on the Hollywood screen - they are visual objects for the consumption of their male … Continue reading “Nobody” (2018): The Pontianak – A Figure of Disassembling Feminine Chaos
“Phua Chu Kang”(1997-2007) and the Maleness of Singaporean National Identity
Content Warning: Homophobia Ask anyone who's lived through the nineties for the television series that best represents Singapore, and many might respond with Phua Chu Kang (1997-2007). Phua Chu Kang, a sitcom featuring its eponymous Singlish-slinging contractor (Gurmit Singh), is so deeply tied with this generation's idea of Singaporeanness that Chu Kang has become shorthand … Continue reading “Phua Chu Kang”(1997-2007) and the Maleness of Singaporean National Identity
“Have You Ever Wondered?” Stories, Belief and Identity in “23:59” (2011)
Content Warning: Death, Violence, Implied Homophobia/Transmisogyny What do a country and the army have in common? Both are held together by stories. When someone says that they feel like part of a larger body - say, the shared experience of National Service or a sense of Singaporeanness - their sense of insidership is produced through … Continue reading “Have You Ever Wondered?” Stories, Belief and Identity in “23:59” (2011)
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