7th Singapore Short Cuts - 'The Rescuer Hero' by Christopher Broe

Jeremy: A kooky film about an obssession with a happy ending, glazed with undertones of sweetness. If you want me to be more analytical, it is a film that exposes foreign eyes on everyday HDB living - the premises, the corners and the escapes. I guess this film will have its lovers and haters. Lovers will love it for its innocence while haters will hate it for its orchestrated cutesiness. Strangely enough, this film has been making it rounds in the Singapore indie film screenings, testifying to some fans it's got. Raymond, I know you are one. What's in it for you?
Raymond: My favourite film among Saturday's lineup!

First off, I feel very much like the dork in the movie, so I'm naturally biased towards this one haha. I know in recent years there have been many Hollywood films to feature a geeky man-child with arrested development as its lead character who eventually meets this way cooler girl and gets together with her. The geek movement is in full flight. This film rides on that cultural zeitgeist. But don't go hating on it for that! I think it's so cool to transpose that premise onto a Singaporean setting. I love how the cuteness and innocence can work even in the very Singaporean setting of a HDB estate. Usually, the HDB estate is a locus for family-oriented drama. However, for what is commonly believed to be a representative of the heartland, the dreams of the community are seldom worked into the setting of HDB estate. This film is one of the rare few that focuses on a character's dreams - being a hero by rescuing somebody. I like how this film manages to bring a sort of lightness to the heartland, where dreams - however seemingly juvenile or silly they may be - can be lived out and realized. Sometimes we forget that dreams are a very central theme to the heartland, so I'm glad this film touches on that.

Of course, the stuffed monkey is SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE. + points for that!

Check out the trailer here.