Film review: Shuttle Life – Malaysian family drama takes unflinching look at poverty and illness
Director Tan Seng Kiat’s powerful debut feature charts the daily struggles of a working class family trapped below the poverty line in Kuala Lumpur. It was named best film at last year’s Shanghai International Film Festival
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 23 January, 2018, 1:02pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 23 January, 2018, 2:54pm
Related topics
3.5/5 stars
Named best film at last year’s Shanghai International Film Festival, the debut feature from Malaysian filmmaker Tan Seng Kiat charts the struggles of a working class family struggling to cope with illness and loss.
Tan’s vision of present-day Kuala Lumpur is one of insurmountable social divides, where those living below the poverty line are trapped, the perpetual targets of ill fortune and fate. But the tough subject matter in Shuttle Life is counterbalanced by its strong performances.
Jack Tan – also a winner in Shanghai – plays 19-year-old Qiang, who is tasked with caring for both his six-year-old sister Hui Shan (newcomer Angel Chan), and their mother Li Jun (Sylvia Chang Ai-chia), whose debilitating mental condition threatens to break the family apart.
Scraping together a meagre living selling stolen bike parts, Qiang’s life is on the brink of tipping into full-blown delinquency, while a citywide drought exacerbates their already desperate struggle for survival.
Film review: Love Education – Sylvia Chang contemplates the meaning of love in multi-generational relationship drama
Pressures come to a head in the form of a deadly hit-and-run that pits Qiang against the city’s faceless bureaucracy. Penniless and without a reliable support network, Qiang seems destined to be consumed by a system only too eager to marginalise him.
Tan plays Qiang as a typical introvert, but beneath his stone-faced exterior, a palpable ocean of frustration and rage simmers. His only calming influence is Hui Shan, and their moments on screen together will melt the most cynical of viewers.
Still, the tenderness on display only compounds the piercing heartache when tragedy strikes.
Shuttle Life opens on January 25
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook
Most Popular
Viewed
- 1
![Chinese actress Li Bingbing attends the US premiere of “The Meg”at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood. Photo: EPA]( "Chinese actress Li Bingbing attends the US premiere of “The Meg”at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood. Photo: EPA")
- 2
![Malaysian actress can’t wait to see how her friends in Asia react to the film of Kevin Kwan’s novel about Asian high society, and says she worked hard to make her character relatable in a film that’s ‘very representative of who we are’]( "Malaysian actress can’t wait to see how her friends in Asia react to the film of Kevin Kwan’s novel about Asian high society, and says she worked hard to make her character relatable in a film that’s ‘very representative of who we are’")
- 3
![Walt Disney Studios tweeted the first image of Liu Yifei as the famed Chinese heroine for the live-action Mulan on Monday]( "Walt Disney Studios tweeted the first image of Liu Yifei as the famed Chinese heroine for the live-action Mulan on Monday")
- 4
![The mixed-race actor who plays the leading man in the big-screen adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s novel talks about his struggle with identity issues of the sort the film raises, and how losing his anonymity is a price he’s willing to pay for stardom]( "The mixed-race actor who plays the leading man in the big-screen adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s novel talks about his struggle with identity issues of the sort the film raises, and how losing his anonymity is a price he’s willing to pay for stardom")
- 5
![Music video director Kahn has accused K-pop superstars BTS of having plastic surgery.]( "Music video director Kahn has accused K-pop superstars BTS of having plastic surgery.")
Shared
- 1
![Malaysian actress can’t wait to see how her friends in Asia react to the film of Kevin Kwan’s novel about Asian high society, and says she worked hard to make her character relatable in a film that’s ‘very representative of who we are’]( "Malaysian actress can’t wait to see how her friends in Asia react to the film of Kevin Kwan’s novel about Asian high society, and says she worked hard to make her character relatable in a film that’s ‘very representative of who we are’")
- 2
![Chinese actress Li Bingbing attends the US premiere of “The Meg”at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood. Photo: EPA]( "Chinese actress Li Bingbing attends the US premiere of “The Meg”at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood. Photo: EPA")
- 3
![Walt Disney Studios tweeted the first image of Liu Yifei as the famed Chinese heroine for the live-action Mulan on Monday]( "Walt Disney Studios tweeted the first image of Liu Yifei as the famed Chinese heroine for the live-action Mulan on Monday")
- 4
![The mixed-race actor who plays the leading man in the big-screen adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s novel talks about his struggle with identity issues of the sort the film raises, and how losing his anonymity is a price he’s willing to pay for stardom]( "The mixed-race actor who plays the leading man in the big-screen adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s novel talks about his struggle with identity issues of the sort the film raises, and how losing his anonymity is a price he’s willing to pay for stardom")
- 5
![Music video director Kahn has accused K-pop superstars BTS of having plastic surgery.]( "Music video director Kahn has accused K-pop superstars BTS of having plastic surgery.")
Commented
- 1
![China and the US are currently locked in a tit-for-tat trade war. Photo: Reuters]( "China and the US are currently locked in a tit-for-tat trade war. Photo: Reuters")
- 2
![Redcore, which recently raised 250 million yuan (US$36 million) in funding, said on its website that its browser had ‘broken the American monopoly’]( "Redcore, which recently raised 250 million yuan (US$36 million) in funding, said on its website that its browser had ‘broken the American monopoly’")
- 3
![Sailors preapre FA-18 Hornet fighter jets for take off during a routine training aboard the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea on April 10. The carrier was on its way to the Philippines at the time. Photo: AFP]( "Sailors preapre FA-18 Hornet fighter jets for take off during a routine training aboard the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea on April 10. The carrier was on its way to the Philippines at the time. Photo: AFP")
- 4
![Pro-establishment legislator launches online petition urging Department of Justice to press charges against legal scholar]( "Pro-establishment legislator launches online petition urging Department of Justice to press charges against legal scholar")
- 5
![A model displays a Chinese passport and mainland ID card, similar to the one that will be issued to residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Photo: Weibo]( "A model displays a Chinese passport and mainland ID card, similar to the one that will be issued to residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Photo: Weibo")
You may also like
Highs and lows of out-of-this-world, deep-sea music performances
In partnership with: Leisure and Cultural Services Department
Frankfurt property boom not dependent on Brexit
Brought to you by JLL
Comments: