Film review: Ilo Ilo is a complex and humane drama, maid in Singapore
Yvonne Teh
Ilo Ilo
Starring: Koh Jia Ler, Angeli Bayani, Yeo Yann Yann, Chen Tian Wen
Director: Anthony Chen
Category: IIA (Putonghua, English, Tagalog, Hokkien and Cantonese)
Rating: 4/5
There are many ways in which Anthony Chen's can be looked upon as the Singaporean version of Ann Hui On-wah's . Both films are character-driven dramas focusing on a maid and the son of the household she works for.
Both of these lovingly crafted offerings were inspired by real-life individuals, and have done their home territories proud by garnering major awards at prestigious European film festivals.
But whereas the duo at the heart of are on the well-seasoned side age-wise, this year's winner of the Camera d'Or prize at Cannes focuses attention on the pre-teen son of a pregnant woman and her anxious husband, and the thirty-something Filipina mother who moves to Singapore to become the Lim household's live-in helper.
Ten-year-old Lim Jiale (Koh Jia Ler) is often in trouble at school and difficult to handle at home. The boy's white-collar parents, Hwee Leng (Yeo Yann Yann) and Keng Teck (Chen Tian Wen), are forced to engage the services of a maid, as their jobs require them to spend a lot of time away from home.
Despite his mother imploring him to "Please behave when [the maid] gets here, don't embarrass me," Jiale acts like an abusive brat towards Teresa (Angeli Bayani), with whom he's forced to share his room.
Small in stature and dutiful in demeanour, Teresa realises that she has to stand up against the boy - and make clear to him that, "I'm your maid but I didn't come to be bullied."
But after he hurts his arm in an accident and she takes care of him, their relationship warms up - and Jiale begins to appreciate the presence in his life of the woman he takes to calling Auntie Terry.
Still, this doesn't mean that troubles disappear from their world, especially when the impact of the Asian financial crisis makes itself felt.
At just 29 years of age, director-scriptwriter (and co-producer) Anthony Chen has, with his first feature-length film, made a domestic drama that is mature, emotionally complex and humane.
Admirably, its two main characters are multidimensional beings who grow more interesting as the story develops. Chen's attention to detail pays dividends.
The film is set in the late 1990s and there are some small but noticeable historical touches, such as a Tamagotchi, pagers, larger mobile phones and a Sony Walkman.
Despite being named after a province in the central Philippines, is firmly anchored in Singaporean society and culture. Its story, however, is capable of transcending place and time to connect with audiences, at Cannes, in Hong Kong and elsewhere.
opens on November 21
