Review of 12 Storeys (1997) by Candy K — 12 Oct 2007

Watched 12 storeys in the nus library last friday, in an attempt to write a movie critique on it for my essay on singapore progress. decided not to in the end 'coz I can't think of what to write, but comments on the movie follow...

12 storeys is odd. it's arguably the least sentimental of all his films, but strangely enough I like his other films better... there're basically three plotlines - one about the conflict between control-freak meng and his rebellious younger sister, one about the problems between ah gu and his china bride, and one about san san's troubled relationship with her dead foster-mother.

Unlike his other films, the three stories here are utterly unconnected - the only thread linking them are the fact they take place in the same block of flats. there's also a detached observer iin the form of a ghost - someone who jumped to his death for no discernable reason (eric khoo seems to like ghosts...).

From the beginning, the film is an overt social commentary on singapore - on the dislocation between the generations and on the breakdown of relationships in general. meng embodies the ideal singaporean, even the singapore government itself - he does the great singapore workout every morning, speaks proper english, parrots official campaigns and is a sexual prude. he is also intrusively paternalistic, attempting to control his younger siblings' lives in the name of love even as he fails to achieve any real emotional contact with them. and his younger siblings are westernised brats who are only concerned with clubbing and hanging out with friends.

It's all cheap shots, really. singaporeans are portrayed as emotionally retarded, unable to forge meaningful bonds with one another. the older generation doesn't have a clue about what the younger generation's thinking, while the latter shows no affection for the former - the only time the suicide spoke to his parents was to ask to buy a flat, trixie and tee only see their brother as a filipino and atm, and ah gu sent his parents to an old folks' home. only san san still thinks of her foster mother, and that's only because the latter was so cruel towards her. lily, the china bride, criticises singaporeans as socially inconsiderate louts who pee in lifts, and ah gu and his drinking buddies joke about michael faye and that filipino maid who was sentenced to death for murder.

No neat links. no striking visual images. just three unrelated stories occurring in the same block of flats.