Everything slowly falls apart and deteriorates in the life of the Lim family. Anthony Chen’s “Ilo Ilo” follows the characters in their trying attempt at holding on to their middle-class stature in Singapore in the time of economic crisis. The family’s patriarch (Chen Tianwen) is made redundant; the mother (Yann Yann Yeo), and simultaneously the most tragic character, is few months into her pregnancy; whilst their son Jia Le (Jia Ler Koh) is a troublemaking brat who really struggles to behave in class.
“Jiseok” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The film is set during the economic crisis of 1997 that struck many Asian countries, Singapore included. One of the few elements that signal the timeframe is Tamagotchi, a handheld game that Jia Le plays. Apart from being a marker of the past, it becomes a symbol of the boy’s escapism. The depressed, overworked couple make for terrible parents,...
“Jiseok” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The film is set during the economic crisis of 1997 that struck many Asian countries, Singapore included. One of the few elements that signal the timeframe is Tamagotchi, a handheld game that Jia Le plays. Apart from being a marker of the past, it becomes a symbol of the boy’s escapism. The depressed, overworked couple make for terrible parents,...
- 3/4/2023
- by Olek Młyński
- AsianMoviePulse
"Can you please tell me what's going on here?" Strand Releasing has unveiled an official US trailer for an award-winning Singaporean drama titled Wet Season, the second feature film from filmmaker Anthony Chen (also of Ilo Ilo). This first premiered at the 2019 Toronto Film Festival, but is just now getting a VOD release this spring. A teacher and student at a Singapore high school form a special, self-affirming bond. Ling is a Chinese language teacher, whose marriage and school life are fraying apart because she is unable to bear a child. But an unlikely friendship with a student helps her reaffirm her identity as a woman. Starring Yann Yann Yeo and Jia Ler Koh, with Christopher Lee and Shi Bin Yang. This won a a few awards, including Best Screenplay in Torino and Best Actress at the Golden Horse Film Festival. It looks quite good. Here's the official US trailer...
- 3/10/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Fox’s free streaming service, Tubi, offers over 30,000 movies and TV shows from nearly every major studio and is available on over 25 devices including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Comcast Xfinity, and more. The service offers free movies to residents of Canada and the USA with intermittent commercials when streaming content.
With a huge collection of foreign-language film Tubi has plenty to offer for those who want watch a movie in honor of the Lunar New Year. You can browse the their collection of foreign titles over at Tubi.tv. We have highlighted a few titles currently available below.
Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013) by Herman Yau
“Ip Man : The Final Fight” is a kung-fu melodrama following Ip Man’s move to Hong Kong in 1949. The story is told in a series of vignettes, sketching out incidents and dramas of Ip Man’s time in Hong Kong, entwined with the stories of his students.
With a huge collection of foreign-language film Tubi has plenty to offer for those who want watch a movie in honor of the Lunar New Year. You can browse the their collection of foreign titles over at Tubi.tv. We have highlighted a few titles currently available below.
Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013) by Herman Yau
“Ip Man : The Final Fight” is a kung-fu melodrama following Ip Man’s move to Hong Kong in 1949. The story is told in a series of vignettes, sketching out incidents and dramas of Ip Man’s time in Hong Kong, entwined with the stories of his students.
- 2/11/2021
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Everything slowly falls apart and deteriorates in the life of the Lim family. Anthony Chen’s “Ilo Ilo” follows the characters in their trying attempt at holding on to their middle-class stature in Singapore in the time of economic crisis. The family’s patriarch (Chen Tianwen) is made redundant; the mother (Yann Yann Yeo), and simultaneously the most tragic character, is few months into her pregnancy; whilst their son Jia Le (Jia Ler Koh) is a troublemaking brat who really struggles to behave in class.
The film is set during the economic crisis of 1997 that struck many Asian countries, Singapore included. One of the few elements that signal the timeframe is Tamagotchi, a handheld game that Jia Le plays. Apart from being a marker of the past, it becomes a symbol of the boy’s escapism. The depressed, overworked couple make for terrible parents, and in an attempt at containing the ongoing crisis,...
The film is set during the economic crisis of 1997 that struck many Asian countries, Singapore included. One of the few elements that signal the timeframe is Tamagotchi, a handheld game that Jia Le plays. Apart from being a marker of the past, it becomes a symbol of the boy’s escapism. The depressed, overworked couple make for terrible parents, and in an attempt at containing the ongoing crisis,...
- 4/10/2020
- by Olek Młyński
- AsianMoviePulse
Gene Kelly likes to sing in it, Spider-Man is known to kiss in it, but moody old melodrama remains the most reliable companion to rain at the movies. This is at least evident in the new Singaporean film Wet Season, in which a foreigner who teaches Mandarin at a city high school strikes up an increasingly troublesome but mutually vital friendship with one of her students. It buckets down continuously.
Wet Season was directed by Anthony Chen, a Singaporean native who won the Camera d’Or (the award for best first feature) at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for Ilo Ilo, a movie in which a Filipino maid becomes unlikely friends with the unruly son of the family she has been hired to work for. Chen returns to that pseudo-mother-son relationship with Wet Season and once again uses it to cast an eye on the themes of class and social prejudice...
Wet Season was directed by Anthony Chen, a Singaporean native who won the Camera d’Or (the award for best first feature) at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for Ilo Ilo, a movie in which a Filipino maid becomes unlikely friends with the unruly son of the family she has been hired to work for. Chen returns to that pseudo-mother-son relationship with Wet Season and once again uses it to cast an eye on the themes of class and social prejudice...
- 11/9/2019
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
The tensions between a family and their Filipino maid make for an engaging film
Anthony Chen's portrait of a middle-class Singaporean family's struggle with financial, domestic and personal issues during the economic crisis of the late 90s picked up well-deserved awards for best debut feature at festivals in Cannes and London. Angeli Bayani excels as the Filipino maid/nanny whose presence becomes the focal point of tensions within the family. While the father, Teck (Tian Wen Chen), hides both his redundancy and his smoking from his pregnant wife Hwee (Yann Yann Yeo), troublesome son Jiale (Koh Jia Ler) finds growing solace in the presence of "auntie", a bond that threatens his increasingly frustrated mother.
Shot with extraordinary intimacy and naturalism, and boasting superbly unaffected performances from the core cast, this sympathetic and engaging drama is deceptively gentle in its insight compassionate yet unsentimental.
Continue reading...
Anthony Chen's portrait of a middle-class Singaporean family's struggle with financial, domestic and personal issues during the economic crisis of the late 90s picked up well-deserved awards for best debut feature at festivals in Cannes and London. Angeli Bayani excels as the Filipino maid/nanny whose presence becomes the focal point of tensions within the family. While the father, Teck (Tian Wen Chen), hides both his redundancy and his smoking from his pregnant wife Hwee (Yann Yann Yeo), troublesome son Jiale (Koh Jia Ler) finds growing solace in the presence of "auntie", a bond that threatens his increasingly frustrated mother.
Shot with extraordinary intimacy and naturalism, and boasting superbly unaffected performances from the core cast, this sympathetic and engaging drama is deceptively gentle in its insight compassionate yet unsentimental.
Continue reading...
- 5/3/2014
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Having been quite the hit on the festival circuit – picking up the Golden Camera award at Cannes last year, not to mention several other accolades in various cities across the world (London included), Anthony Chen’s debut feature film Ilo Ilo certainly has a lot to live up to in that regard – and this compelling study of friendship does little to disappoint.
Set in Singapore, in the latter end of the 1990s amidst the recession that sweeps over the region, we delve into the life of a family struggling to cope. The mother, Hwee Leng (Yann Yann Yeo) is heavily pregnant, and while her husband (Tian Wen Chen) has severe financial woes, they hire the Filipino nanny Teresa (Angeli Bayani) to come and look after their insubordinate son, Jiale (Koh Jia Ler). Though initially the troubled young boy bullies and intimidates his new carer, soon the pair strike up a strong bond,...
Set in Singapore, in the latter end of the 1990s amidst the recession that sweeps over the region, we delve into the life of a family struggling to cope. The mother, Hwee Leng (Yann Yann Yeo) is heavily pregnant, and while her husband (Tian Wen Chen) has severe financial woes, they hire the Filipino nanny Teresa (Angeli Bayani) to come and look after their insubordinate son, Jiale (Koh Jia Ler). Though initially the troubled young boy bullies and intimidates his new carer, soon the pair strike up a strong bond,...
- 5/2/2014
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
A lovely, intimate drama of family dynamics under stress, offering an intriguing peek into previously unseen Singaporean middle-class life. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Few films have come out of Singapore, which is only just now starting to develop a significant cinema, and most of those have been genre films. The lovely, intimate Ilo Ilo — Singapore’s official submission to the 2014 Oscars in the Foreign Language category — is part intriguing peek into middle-class life in that city-state, something most viewers will be unfamiliar with either firsthand or onscreen, and part illustration of the frustrations and indignities of foreign domestic workers that appear to be universal wherever women leave their own homes to go work in someone else’s. Here, Teresa (Angeli Bayani) has just arrived from the Philippines to take care of the Lim...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Few films have come out of Singapore, which is only just now starting to develop a significant cinema, and most of those have been genre films. The lovely, intimate Ilo Ilo — Singapore’s official submission to the 2014 Oscars in the Foreign Language category — is part intriguing peek into middle-class life in that city-state, something most viewers will be unfamiliar with either firsthand or onscreen, and part illustration of the frustrations and indignities of foreign domestic workers that appear to be universal wherever women leave their own homes to go work in someone else’s. Here, Teresa (Angeli Bayani) has just arrived from the Philippines to take care of the Lim...
- 5/2/2014
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Ilo Ilo, Singapore's Submission for the Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. U.S. : Film Movement. International Sales Agent: Memento Film International
On the subject of family dynamics there are various components to consider. The conflicts or connections between the members of a household emerge from the role each person plays in relation to one another. Breadwinners, for example, exert a certain authority onto others because of their inherent responsibility to provide. In a different manner, homemakers, earn the group’s respect because they oversee the correct functioning of the essential daily chores.
While the same person might exercise these two roles, each one teaches a different set of skills to the quietly receptive children. This power play is modified when it involves a servant, someone whose input is part of a business transaction, but who is still allowed into the privacy of the family’s home. Debutant feature director Anthony Chen exhibits his version of these interactions with a singular Singaporean flavor in his touchingly bittersweet film Ilo Ilo.
Enjoying a middleclass lifestyle during the late 90s, preteen troublemaker Jiale (Koh Jia Ler) and his parents live in a comfortable high-rise condo in the financial hub of Singapore. Teck (Tian Wen Chen) , the father, works at a stressful sales job in a time where the Asian economy was shaky. The boy’s mother, Hwee Leng (Yann Yann Yeo), is a proud office worker who is pregnant with her second child and can’t seem to catch a break. Responsible for giving her headaches, Jiale is a disobedient kid who appears to be acting rebellious since his grandfather passed away. He gets into fights with his teachers and ignores his mother’s pleas to behave. In desperate need of some help, Hwee Leng hires 28-year-old Filipino maid Teresa (Angeli Bayani), who instantly senses Jiale’s hostility toward her.
Fearful of how his wife might react, Teck suffers in silence by hiding the fact that he was a part of the numerous layoffs taking place all over the country as the economic crisis unfolded. In the meantime, Teresa or “Terry” as she likes to be called, becomes the victim of Jiale’s mischievous antics. Afraid of losing her job she is unable to express her discomfort to his parents. Ultimately, with his mother at the office all day, Jiale unwillingly accepts Terry’s help after breaking his arm.
Her patience and maternal instinct slowly win over the naughty kid. Being herself a mother apart from her son, caring for Jiale serves as a coping mechanism for Terry who feels like an outsider not only to the family, but also in the country. As the pair’s unlikely bond strengthens, Hwee Leng notices how important Terry has become for her son. Feeling replaced at home she becomes jealous of her loving maid, a situation that adds to the already existing distress. Eventually the financial uncertainty forces the family to make difficult decisions, which will sadly give Jiale another taste of heartbreak.
Delivered with remarkable chemistry by both Bayani and young Koh Jia Ler, their banter is humorously enchanting. They establish a relationship that transcends mere employer-employee status and is elevated to a genuine friendship. Terry’s duties are not limited to cooking and cleaning for him, but instead she takes it upon herself to truly care for the child. She gives him the love an attention his parents, being overly busy with work, have neglected to provide.
There is a profoundly moving quality to all four major performances in this character driven film. Their personal struggles come from trying to fulfill their specific roles in a world that is moving at such fast pace, it has forgotten to contemplate the simple joys of family. Unruly Jiale unconsciously refuses to get caught up in the system, thus he sincerely connects with Terry, who accepts him unconditionally even when he doesn’t live up to everyone’s expectations.
Through his superbly developed characters and nuanced storytelling, Chen successfully captures both the cultural pluralism of the Singaporean society and the preoccupations and wonders (Walkmans and Tamagotchis included), of a time which now seems strangely distant. Curiously enough, Ilo Ilo takes its name from Terry’s small hometown in the Philippines, and although he might never get to be there, through his friendship with Terry a part of Jiale will always live there. Pleasantly surprising Chen’s heartwarming debut is a subtly thoughtful and endearing work.
Ilo Ilo Opens in L.A. on April 11
Read more about all the 76 Best Foreign Language Film Submission for the 2014 Academy Awards...
On the subject of family dynamics there are various components to consider. The conflicts or connections between the members of a household emerge from the role each person plays in relation to one another. Breadwinners, for example, exert a certain authority onto others because of their inherent responsibility to provide. In a different manner, homemakers, earn the group’s respect because they oversee the correct functioning of the essential daily chores.
While the same person might exercise these two roles, each one teaches a different set of skills to the quietly receptive children. This power play is modified when it involves a servant, someone whose input is part of a business transaction, but who is still allowed into the privacy of the family’s home. Debutant feature director Anthony Chen exhibits his version of these interactions with a singular Singaporean flavor in his touchingly bittersweet film Ilo Ilo.
Enjoying a middleclass lifestyle during the late 90s, preteen troublemaker Jiale (Koh Jia Ler) and his parents live in a comfortable high-rise condo in the financial hub of Singapore. Teck (Tian Wen Chen) , the father, works at a stressful sales job in a time where the Asian economy was shaky. The boy’s mother, Hwee Leng (Yann Yann Yeo), is a proud office worker who is pregnant with her second child and can’t seem to catch a break. Responsible for giving her headaches, Jiale is a disobedient kid who appears to be acting rebellious since his grandfather passed away. He gets into fights with his teachers and ignores his mother’s pleas to behave. In desperate need of some help, Hwee Leng hires 28-year-old Filipino maid Teresa (Angeli Bayani), who instantly senses Jiale’s hostility toward her.
Fearful of how his wife might react, Teck suffers in silence by hiding the fact that he was a part of the numerous layoffs taking place all over the country as the economic crisis unfolded. In the meantime, Teresa or “Terry” as she likes to be called, becomes the victim of Jiale’s mischievous antics. Afraid of losing her job she is unable to express her discomfort to his parents. Ultimately, with his mother at the office all day, Jiale unwillingly accepts Terry’s help after breaking his arm.
Her patience and maternal instinct slowly win over the naughty kid. Being herself a mother apart from her son, caring for Jiale serves as a coping mechanism for Terry who feels like an outsider not only to the family, but also in the country. As the pair’s unlikely bond strengthens, Hwee Leng notices how important Terry has become for her son. Feeling replaced at home she becomes jealous of her loving maid, a situation that adds to the already existing distress. Eventually the financial uncertainty forces the family to make difficult decisions, which will sadly give Jiale another taste of heartbreak.
Delivered with remarkable chemistry by both Bayani and young Koh Jia Ler, their banter is humorously enchanting. They establish a relationship that transcends mere employer-employee status and is elevated to a genuine friendship. Terry’s duties are not limited to cooking and cleaning for him, but instead she takes it upon herself to truly care for the child. She gives him the love an attention his parents, being overly busy with work, have neglected to provide.
There is a profoundly moving quality to all four major performances in this character driven film. Their personal struggles come from trying to fulfill their specific roles in a world that is moving at such fast pace, it has forgotten to contemplate the simple joys of family. Unruly Jiale unconsciously refuses to get caught up in the system, thus he sincerely connects with Terry, who accepts him unconditionally even when he doesn’t live up to everyone’s expectations.
Through his superbly developed characters and nuanced storytelling, Chen successfully captures both the cultural pluralism of the Singaporean society and the preoccupations and wonders (Walkmans and Tamagotchis included), of a time which now seems strangely distant. Curiously enough, Ilo Ilo takes its name from Terry’s small hometown in the Philippines, and although he might never get to be there, through his friendship with Terry a part of Jiale will always live there. Pleasantly surprising Chen’s heartwarming debut is a subtly thoughtful and endearing work.
Ilo Ilo Opens in L.A. on April 11
Read more about all the 76 Best Foreign Language Film Submission for the 2014 Academy Awards...
- 4/11/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Singapore Slump: Economics Brushed Aside in Chen’s Gem Debut
In his autobiographical debut Ilo Ilo, young Singaporean helmer Anthony Chen delivers a beautifully simple story with hometown verve. Realism runs faithful to banal domestic life, but the low-key drama, set during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, comes alive with lighthearted humor. While there is a distinctive nineties aesthetic owed to lighting design, color sensitivity and an obligatory Tamagotchi cameo, the widely accessible narrative, through which racial and economic tensions are brilliantly woven, is far from passé.
Upon arriving at the middle-class family flat, Teresa (Angeli Bayani), a twenty-eight-year old Filipino domestic worker, hands over her passport to uneasy employers. Remaining silent, she is directed to a pathetic trundle bed in a room shared with a bratty nine-year-old boy. This could easily play out as a sob story about an overworked, helplessly timid, wholesome catholic immigrant, but such stereotypes of passivity are quickly pushed aside.
In his autobiographical debut Ilo Ilo, young Singaporean helmer Anthony Chen delivers a beautifully simple story with hometown verve. Realism runs faithful to banal domestic life, but the low-key drama, set during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, comes alive with lighthearted humor. While there is a distinctive nineties aesthetic owed to lighting design, color sensitivity and an obligatory Tamagotchi cameo, the widely accessible narrative, through which racial and economic tensions are brilliantly woven, is far from passé.
Upon arriving at the middle-class family flat, Teresa (Angeli Bayani), a twenty-eight-year old Filipino domestic worker, hands over her passport to uneasy employers. Remaining silent, she is directed to a pathetic trundle bed in a room shared with a bratty nine-year-old boy. This could easily play out as a sob story about an overworked, helplessly timid, wholesome catholic immigrant, but such stereotypes of passivity are quickly pushed aside.
- 4/4/2014
- by Caitlin Coder
- IONCINEMA.com
Ziyi Zhang: Best Actress at the 2013 Golden Horse Awards (photo: Ziyi Zhang in ‘The Grandmaster’) (See previous post: “Golden Horse Awards: Singaporean Movie ‘Ilo Ilo’ Is Surprising Best Picture Choice.”) Although Anthony Chen’s Ilo Ilo took home the top award at the 50th Golden Horse Awards, Wong Kar Wai’s Berlin Film Festival opening gala film The Grandmaster was this year’s big winner: six awards, including the Best Actress trophy for Ziyi Zhang. That marked Zhang’s first victory, after three previous nominations: Best Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000 and for 2046 in 2004; Best Supporting Actress for Forever Enthralled in 2009. "It was a very long and suffering journey making The Grandmaster, but now I’m very happy," Zhang said in her acceptance speech. In Wong’s Hong Kong-Chinese martial arts drama she plays the daughter of fighting master, who, so as to restore her family’s honor,...
- 11/29/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Golden Horse Awards 2013 winners: ‘Ilo Ilo,’ Singapore’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar submission, wins Best Picture (photo: Angeli Bayani and Koh Jia Ler in ‘Ilo Ilo’) Surprisingly, the 2013 Golden Horse Award for Best Picture was given to 29-year-old Singaporean director Anthony Chen’s feature film debut Ilo Ilo at a ceremony held Saturday night, November 23, in Taipei. Four rounds of voting were needed for jury members to reach their decision. (Golden Horse Awards 2013 winners and nominees.) "Singapore is a very little country and we made this film with a small budget," said the London-based Chen in his acceptance speech, "so we never dreamed of winning a Best Picture prize. The other nominees are the masters I learned from when I was in film school, so I’m very honored and thankful to them too." The directors of Ilo Ilo‘s fellow Best Picture contenders — and Anthony Chen’s "masters" — were Johnnie To,...
- 11/29/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Anthony Chen
F rom winning the Camera d’Or at Cannes Film Festival to being officially nominated from Singapore for the Oscars in the foreign language category, Anthony Chen has gone places with his debut feature Ilo Ilo. It recently won him the Best Director award at the Mumbai Film Festival.
Apart from being a poignant and touching film about the relationship between a young boy and his Filipino nanny in a Singaporean family coming to terms with economic recession; the semi-autobiographical Ilo Ilo is a special film in more than one way. Not only did it open a new gateway for an otherwise obscure Singaporean cinema, it also resulted in Chen re-uniting with his Filipino nanny from childhood when a radio station in the Philippines embarked on a frantic search to find Chen’s inspiration for the Cannes-winner.
Chen talks to DearCinema about his journey with Ilo Ilo:...
F rom winning the Camera d’Or at Cannes Film Festival to being officially nominated from Singapore for the Oscars in the foreign language category, Anthony Chen has gone places with his debut feature Ilo Ilo. It recently won him the Best Director award at the Mumbai Film Festival.
Apart from being a poignant and touching film about the relationship between a young boy and his Filipino nanny in a Singaporean family coming to terms with economic recession; the semi-autobiographical Ilo Ilo is a special film in more than one way. Not only did it open a new gateway for an otherwise obscure Singaporean cinema, it also resulted in Chen re-uniting with his Filipino nanny from childhood when a radio station in the Philippines embarked on a frantic search to find Chen’s inspiration for the Cannes-winner.
Chen talks to DearCinema about his journey with Ilo Ilo:...
- 11/11/2013
- by Nandita Dutta
- DearCinema.com
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