अपनी भाषा में प्लॉट जोड़ेंPerth is the journey into the heart of Harry Lee, a 51-year-old part-time security guard and taxi driver. He belongs to a redundant generation, eclipsed by a fast-paced, elitist society that... सभी पढ़ेंPerth is the journey into the heart of Harry Lee, a 51-year-old part-time security guard and taxi driver. He belongs to a redundant generation, eclipsed by a fast-paced, elitist society that is mesmerized with education and status. Harry desires to leave the antiseptic streets of... सभी पढ़ेंPerth is the journey into the heart of Harry Lee, a 51-year-old part-time security guard and taxi driver. He belongs to a redundant generation, eclipsed by a fast-paced, elitist society that is mesmerized with education and status. Harry desires to leave the antiseptic streets of Singapore for his paradise on earth in Western Australia. His attempt to migrate is compl... सभी पढ़ें
- पुरस्कार
- 2 कुल नामांकन
- Neighbor's Maid
- (as Stephanie Budiman)
फ़ीचर्ड समीक्षाएं
Having spent some years out in Singapore working and being familiar with the seedier side of the city, I was shocked and surprised that such a film could ever come of such a straight jacket society! The characters in the film were very real and raw. The masturbation sequence was a haiku to loneliness.
I heard rumors that the film is yet to be release in Singapore by the distributor's because of the violence and its setting in the 'non-existent' sex industry! Somethings don't seem to have changed after all!
When retrenched, he seeks employment as a taxi driver, but ever looking for that break in life to earn more cash to achieve his objective. However, things turn out more complicated for Harry. When sober, we see the empty facade Harry exudes to others, but we learn of the true state of his life when in drunkenness, pouring out his woes to his friends - he's separated from his cheating, gambling wife, and his son refuses to acknowledge him.
His is a lonely sad life, and this movie takes a look at the life of the forgotten pioneers of Singapore's materialistic success. We follow his path to the seedier side of the Lion City, into the world of pimps and prostitutes, where he has a lucrative job to ferry the girls to their customers, no questions asked. A depression-proof job, says his friend Angry Boy Lee.
Somehow, coffeeshops feature prominently in Singapore movies of late, and Perth is no different, where characters sit around and rant about the authorities, give subtle jibes on the army, and the eventuality of army regulars after their retirement from the uniformed services. They go on about how a better life in Singapore equates first to having a good education, how materialism has crept into society's moral fiber, and the greener pastures available abroad for the lowly skilled. The jibes on the ang-moh's are not subtle though, them being cursed at and assaulted.
We know Harry is a violent man from his inner thoughts, but early in the film, it's like his bark is deadlier than his bite. The occasional rant aside, Harry is a man who values faithfulness and loyalty. He fails to see that though his family might not exhibit these values (probably due to his inner violent nature which led to domestic violence), his friends like Angry Boy and Selvam, actually do.
The subplot on love and his budding relationship with a Vietnamese call girl at times drags the movie, but it is necessary to lead the movie to its extremely violent finale. The language used throughout is colourful, and I could not think of a local Hokkien expletive not spewed in this film.
Perth looks like a one man show from its trailer and poster, with Lim Kay Tong putting in a wonderful performance in shouldering the movie, but gladly, a cast of familiar (and perhaps stereotypical) supporting characters help add some depth and sometimes, dark humour. You'll see familiar faces from local TV productions too, like Channel 8's Liu Qiu Lian as Harry's wife. From the laughter amongst the audience, Angry Boy Lee and Selvam are easily favourite characters of some.
It's a dark and gritty film, some might consider a local adaptation of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver. But perhaps expectations will be set too high if benchmarked against that classic. This is story of Harry Lee, not Travis Bickle, so put the comparisons aside, and enjoy the ride.
My only complaint is that the DVD is not (that I can find) multi region so I can buy copies for my friends back home in the States. However, I will settle for the VCD release for the time being.
Lets hope this goes into wider release soon. It is a film that needs to be shared, and is yet another example of the need to eliminate region specific coding.
Man, was I ever wrong.
The parallels to Taxi Driver are so obvious its almost ridiculous. Its not an homage to Taxi Driver, its not inspired by Taxi Driver, it simply copied from Taxi Driver.
The protagonist is in no way a likable character and he has no redeeming qualities. A character study of rage? If that involves extreme intoxication maybe. Regret? It's hinted at, but never really explained. Redemption? Hardly, if anything, he only ruins things for all the people around him.
I was really excited about this movie. For me, the most exciting part was the previews for the other movies put out by Tartan Asia Extreme. Either Singapore just has really weak movies, or I missed something major in this movie.
It is interesting at times, but the slow pace is a killer, and its blatant rip-offs of scenes from much more distinguished movies really brings it down.
क्या आपको पता है
- ट्रिवियाLim Kay tong's character Harry Lee is named after Singapore's founding Prime minister Lee Kuan Yew who was born Harry Lee Kuan Yew.
टॉप पसंद
विवरण
बॉक्स ऑफ़िस
- बजट
- SGD 3,50,000(अनुमानित)
- चलने की अवधि1 घंटा 47 मिनट
- रंग