Singapore's two entries at the Cannes Film Festival tackle gritty, contentious topics
The death penalty, poverty, incarceration, sex work—you know, NBD.
In case you've been living under a rock, for the first time since Ilo Ilo, Singapore will be represented at the Cannes Film Festival, with not one, but two films: Apprentice by Boo Junfeng and A Yellow Bird by K. Rajagopal. In compliance with festival rules, it will be the world premiere for both films, meaning only insider-y insiders have seen them anywhere. (So while the filmmakers are cavorting in the French Riviera as we speak, we're left watching the trailers.)
Judging from the trailers, both films tackle some pretty serious topics for Singapore. A Yellow Bird, an entry in the competitive International Critics' Week section of the festival, follows a man after he is released from prison as he struggles to get his life and family back together. Upon release of the trailer today, it's clear the film also deals with other touchy topics. The film depicts Singapore's "jungle brothels", the Little India Riots of 2013 and the poor living conditions of many of the characters in the film.
Boo's film, his second apperance at the festival, deals with Aiman, a young correctional officer who takes up a job at a maximum security prison and is taken under wing of a seasoned executioner, the same one who executed Aiman's father many years ago. The two engage in some serious psychological drama and some intense debates about the ethics of the death penalty, a practice the Singapore government has often had to defend.
Apprentice is set for a Jun 30 release in Singapore through Golden Village. No word yet on a general release for A Yellow Bird.
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