Shirkers (2018)

A woman explores the events surrounding a film she and her friends began making with a mysterious stranger decades ago.

Director:

Sandi Tan

Writer:

Sandi Tan (a film by)

Stars:

Sandi Tan, Jasmine Kin Kia Ng, Philip Cheah

8 wins & 31 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Sandi Tan	...	Self
Jasmine Kin Kia Ng	...	Self (as Jasmine Ng)
Philip Cheah	...	Self
Sophia Siddique Harvey	...	Self
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Georges Cardona	...	Self (archive footage)
Ben Harrison	...	Self
Grace Dane Mazur	...	Self
Stephen Tyler	...	Self

Storyline

In 1992, teenager Sandi Tan and her friends Sophie and Jasmine shot Singapore's first indie-a road movie called "Shirkers"-with their enigmatic American mentor, Georges Cardona. Sandi wrote the script and played the lead, a killer named S. After shooting wrapped, Georges vanished with all the footage! 20 years later, the 16mm cans are recovered in New Orleans, sending Sandi-now a novelist in Los Angeles-on a new personal odyssey across two continents and many media: 16mm, digital, Hi8, Super8, slides, animation and handwritten letters. A kaleidoscopic punk rock ghost story!

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Plot Keywords:

title directed by female | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2018, Sandi Tan premiered her film at the Sundance Film Festival and earned the World Cinema Documentary Directing Award. She was the second Singapore-born filmmaker to win. (The first went to another Tan: Kirsten Tan, for Pop Aye, the previous year.)

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Connections

References In the Mood for Love (2000)

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Soundtracks

Biff the Salesman
Written by Brad Dutz
Performed by Brad Dutz 4 Tet
Courtesy of Leakyspleen Music

User Reviews

A journey through Sandi Tan's Kaleidoscopic Memories

Rarely am I left in awe by a film. I'm trying to describe the emotions I feel after having watched it but I'm having trouble expressing myself. It's an accumulation of many feelings felt throughout the movie, feelings like joy, elation, devastation, sadness and anger - so jumbled up it's hard to untangle.

As Sandi recollects her past with her friends I am both invested in Shirkers the documentary and Shirkers the movie within the movie. The characters in the film could only be something imagined by a child: "Detergent Lady", "Disabled Sidekick Monster", "Monster's Mom" (in a nurse's costume). It's the childish nature of the film that makes film so beautiful. For me, it's the most relatable coming of age film I've ever experienced.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shirkers

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinereach, Doc Society, Shirkers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1