18 Grams of Love (2007)

Two men write anonymous love letters to test if their wives are faithful. When their wives actually respond, the two men are left in a fix of what to do.

Director:

Yew Kwang Han

Writer:

Yew Kwang Han

Stars:

Adam Chen, Yann Yann Yeo, Alaric Tay

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adam Chen	...	Ah Hui
Yann Yann Yeo	...	Michelle (as Yann Yeo)
Alaric Tay	...	Zihua
Magdalene See	...	Xiao Tong
Shun Ai Liu	...	Female Critic 1 (as Low Shun Ai Angel)
Ariel Hay	...	Female Critic 2
Wen Wayne Kuo	...	Model 1
Dongli Lin	...	Model 2
Bobby Teo	...	Model 3
Jimmy Yeow	...	Model 4
Chin Juan Han	...	Salon Uncle 1
Tiang Choon Koh	...	Salon Uncle 2
Kay Seng Lim	...	Salon Uncle 3
Steven Lim	...	Salon Uncle 4
Candice Chua	...	Ex-Girlfriend

Storyline

Two men write anonymous love letters to test if their wives are faithful. When their wives actually respond, the two men are left in a fix of what to do.

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Plot Keywords:

love letter | suspicion | bookstore | flashback | husband wife relationship | 

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Taglines:

How much does love weigh?

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Singapore

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

9 November 2007 (France)

Filming Locations:

Singapore

Box Office

Budget:

SGD 150,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Boku Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

User Reviews

Enjoyable rom-com with something to think about

Han Yew Kwang is not a very well-known name in Singapore other than to those actively following the local film industry. This film, "18 grams of Love", is his sophomore feature. His first is a expanded remake of a short he shot, named "Unarmed Combat", funded largely by the Singapore Film Commission. Let me say straight off that "18 Grams of Love", though not flawless, is nonetheless a nice take on an interesting premise which struck the director while writing the script.

"18 Grams of Love" was made on a tight budget (shot on HD) and produced by Kelvin Tong's production house "Boku Films". Yet it manages to rise above the budget restraint and presents us with an engaging script (penned by Han himself) about two young, married men who suspect their wives were having affairs behind their backs. The story is very much like that of Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte"; in a collaboration, each tries to test the fidelity of the other's wife by wooing them through love letters. The eventual fallout is what makes the movie interesting.

"18 Grams of Love" sometimes watches like modern theater, at times even like a radio drama. There is plenty of accompaniment music (mostly accordion), enough suspense for you to follow through the two friends' adventures, and humor enough of the quirky kind, decidedly of the acquired "Han" taste. But nonetheless it still manages to entertain. The production values can be considered pretty good, with colors deliberately set bright and saturated, and shots composed tightly (this is a rom-com after all, with 95% of the action happening within apartments). That is enough I think for me to give the film a 7-star rating. The art direction and the cinematography is certainly credible enough for a film on this low a budget. Even though at the end of the day detractors may say the film is lightweight and even somewhat pat in its ending, one must be reminded this is a comedy after all, although Han tries to temper the comedy with his own observations on marriage.

Han is a talented writer. As a writer he is above Royston Tan's class and as a director he is much less art-house than Tan or Eric Khoo. It's a pity so few local people have caught his films as he may well be a talent to watch; even if he might not be the finished product "18 Grams of Love" is a worthy entry in the Singapore filmography if you can take its rather light-hearted abstraction on marriage and love.