Mei man ren sheng (2006)

Directors:

Colin Goh (co-director)
Yen Yen Woo (co-director)

Writers:

Colin Goh (writer)
Yen Yen Woo (writer)

Release Date:

7 September 2006 (Singapore)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Big Dreams. Small Island.

Plot Keywords:

Melodrama | Mistress | Herbal Tea | Country Club | Inheritance

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Richard Low	...	Pa
Alice Lim	...	Ma
Dick Su	...	Seng
Yann Yann Yeo	...	Mei
Yu Beng Lim	...	C.K.
Serene Chen	...	Irene
Mariel Reyes	...	Pinky
Jacqueline Chow	...	Michelle Tang
Kai Boo Lee	...	Simon Koh
Serena Sim	...	Mrs. Koh
Vincent Tee	...	Uncle Peng
Jiali Xu	...	The China Girl
Jing Jing Ng	...	The Old Lady
Sylvanus Lim	...	Delivery Man
Angeline Lee	...	The Mistress

Also Known As:

Singapore Dreaming (International: English title)

Runtime:

Singapore:105 min

Country:

Singapore

Language:

Mandarin | Hokkien | English | Cantonese | Mandarin | Hokkien | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Taiwan:PG-12

Filming Locations:

Singapore

Company:

5C Films

Trivia:

The film is the first feature film collaboration between Singapore and new York filmmakers. There was a previous feature shot in Singapore in 1979, consisting of a mostly American crew, using Singaporean extras. That film was Saint Jack which was banned for many years in Singapore. The connection between Saint Jack and Singapore Dreaming is that Martina Radwan started out assisting Robby Müller, the cinematographer of Saint Jack. Martina Radwan was thrilled to discover she was retreading the path of one of her mentors.

A Family Dynamic

Once I started watching, I was hooked on this story about a family and the things that happen to them. Seng is the son who gets a degree in the U.S. and is now coming back home to Singapore. The mom does not speak English, the father is obsessed with winning the lottery and daughter, Seng's sister, Mei berates her life insurance salesman husband C.K. for being kind of a failure. The best character, however, is Seng's long suffering girlfriend Irene, who thinks Seng will now marry her since with a degree from America he can get a high paying job. You'll see how money changes things, but what you're mostly seeing is a real life depiction of a family's interaction with each other. The story, while heavily dramatic, moves well and the acting is good throughout. For drama lovers, this is well worth your time.