Be With Me

I finally could bear the pain and made my way to the nearest, most accessible film hall - GV at Plaza Singapura.

I'll start with the grouses. There are few, so just get over them.

1. Two teenagers (I thought it was M18??!!) were behind making inappropriate noises to accompany the movie. Like slurping noises when the movie was showing people eating or mimicking Theresa Chan's speech, it was frustrating. And the guy's bloody phone rang. I would have told him off if not for the fact that I chickened out it would have created a scene and spoiled the movie for everyone.

2. The SMS speed was unbelievable. How can you insert symbols like : and ) without accessing the symbols screen or scrolling through the symbols?

3. Ineffective use of the "she-is-actually-dead" subtle hints. It worked for 12-Storeys but not this time around. Astute viewers would have inferred that when the old man did not open his Guan Hin Provision Shop. Eh, wait, then it was effective then? Shit. Duh.

4. Samantha's boobs

How do I even begin to appraise the movie?
This was the latest local film after Djinn's Perth. I enjoyed that.
But Be With Me is something else. It has more universal appeal. It takes something really complex, like love, hope, destiny, determination, and translates them into film. Without simplifying things. Into moving pictures, with frugal use of words, minimal touches of sounds and lots of humanity and soul. What is it I am talking about, I don't know. I feel that having Wong Kim Hoh onboard was a great move. Many should be familiar with his articles in Sunday Times.

The food theme was evident. Perhaps gratuitous. But the lovelorn gentle giant needed the input it seems. Maybe it was to counter the often asked question about 爱情 and 面包. Which is more important? Maybe not.

The internet lesbian love story was not actually necessary I thought. It would have had the same effect if dumbangel was played by a guy. the homosexual relationship could also have been heterosexual to the same effect. But hey, two birds instead of one, yes please!

I am excited by how much the local directors seemed to like the locations where I grew up in. Perth has several scenes around the Whampoa/Balestier area which was where I went gallivanting when I was in primary school. And the Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital is just about two bus stops before mine when I return home from town. Lovely modernist buliding. With a chinese pavilion inside. It's like living a stone's throw from these places that were seen by millions of other people overseas.

I dunno why am I excited.




So is there true love?
Yes. If you warm heart is.