Anthony Chen 2013 Singapore
Starring: Koh Jia Ler, Angeli Bayani, Yeo Yann Yann, Chen Tianwen
Judging by the scraping noises that gradually become louder and louder and the sun-bleached image of a person making said sound by feverishly rubbing their arms against metallic blinds you'd be forgiven for mistaking Anthony Chen's Ilo Ilo for a horror movie or at the very least a particularly unforgiving prison picture but, aside from the brief appearance of a bloodstained chicken in its death-throes, that's as violent and experimental as things get and it's only the first of several lacklustre elements in a feature that does little to distinguish itself from countless others. Quite why it has won so many awards, the highest of which, the Caméra d'Or at Cannes, declared it the top debut of the festival, is anybody's guess. For example the setting is Singapore in the financial crisis that blighted East Asia in 1997 but other than the occasional cassette and Tamagotchi there isn't a lot to differentiate the film's tale of a fractured middle-class family in an increasingly dire economic situation from any other timeframe or fiscal rut. Likewise oppressed Filipino maid/nanny Terry's background or the circumstances that have led her to become hired help in a foreign country are hardly explored. Chen starts out strong showing two phone calls home that establish that Terry has a young child of her own and a sister who is raising it (unwillingly) but the implications of an argument during the second (the details of which aren't disclosed) are abandoned after the first half hour removing any suspense about her plight and the fate of the infant and basically rendering the conversations utterly pointless. It's almost as if her love for him lessens as her regard for the horrible kid she's looking after rises. You couldn't even think of her as a Mary Poppins, arriving to civilise both an unruly child and its parents, as the boy in question, Jiale, is only marginally less obnoxious at the end of the film as he is when Terry arrives and even a present from employer to worker in the coda is actually just another case of authoritative control. The title too is similarly nonsensical. Ilo Ilo is a province in the Philippines and possibly Terry's hometown but as the narrative takes place exclusively in an unspecified Singaporean city and returning to Ilo Ilo itself isn't set up as an aspiration it's simply irrelevant - the original title Ba Ma Bu Zai Jia (Dad and Mum are not at home) at least vaguely describes the plot even if it too is inadequate. Chen may as well have just titled it Understated Domestic Melodrama #83. Jiale himself is the most interesting character, the disobedient, selfish son of an inattentive, inconsiderate, failed businessman father and a conceited, insecure, heavily pregnant mother. They call him 'Boy', denying him status in any other area than as their progeny. When they hire Terry their approach is identical, offering to 'look after' her passport and giving her hand-me-down clothes, appearing to be caring but actually moulding her into their own desired likeness and using it as leverage to mistreat her when in a bad mood. In the film's finest scene Terry stands up to Jiale, slapping him for a transgression, and the surprise on his face is striking. For the first time he accepts the punishment and begins to respond to her, letting his guard down and allowing a friendship to build. This foreshadows a lovely late moment where, unable to contact his parents, the headmistress of Jiale's school calls Terry and she comes running, making an emotional plea for leniency in an effort to prevent him from being expelled. Soon though she's interrupted and sent from the room and, in a simultaneously exquisite and disappointing move, the camera leaves with her, refusing the audience a conclusion in favour of a forlorn Terry alone in the corridor sadly walking away. Equally several fleeting scenes rich in cynicism remain just that and aren't really followed up on while the four main actors are all capable but unextraordinary, the story is credible but lacks much in the way of insight and Chen is obviously skilled enough to produce memorable instances but falls down when he stretches himself. Recently he's spoken of his wish for a vital new cinematic culture in Singapore (a nice thought although unlikely considering the political and social conditions in the country) but if he really is sincere he'll have to do far better than this.
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