Cinema
12 Storeys
Eric Khoo · 1997
Synopsis
At dawn, in a public housing block in Singapore, a young man throws himself from the twelfth floor. Over twenty-four hours, the film follows three households in the building: San San, a woman living alone whom the ghost of her adoptive mother keeps scolding; Ah Gu, a tofu soup seller, in conflict with Lily, his wife from China who dreams of another life; and Meng, a moralising elder brother who, with their parents away, keeps a close watch on his sister Trixie.
Context
This is its director's second feature film, which he wrote with James Toh; the screenplay took nine months, the shoot fourteen days, with a degree of improvisation. The film was shown at Cannes on 16 May 1997, in the Un certain regard section, then released in Singapore on 12 June. The dialogue shifts between English, Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay and Tagalog. It takes up the setting of the public housing towers and sets the country's official image against a darker reality, in a satirical tone. Jack Neo plays one of the leading roles.
Who it is for
One hundred and five minutes, in several languages of Singapore, with subtitles; the film was released in France under its English title.
Prizes and reception
First Singaporean film selected at Cannes; International Critics' Prize and Young Cinema Prize at the Singapore festival, best film at the Hawaii festival.