12 Storeys (Term 1_ October 2014) Final Lecture Version

8/9/2019 12 Storeys (Term 1_ October 2014) Final Lecture Version

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Discerning the Stories in 12 Storeys:

Reading its Silences, Parallels and

Implicit Stories



• A reminder that there are no tutorials this

week.



Coffee drinking scene in CKE

• City space is heterogeneous

• Made up of different psychological zones

• Wong uses different rates of motion



Eric Khoo’s films

• Mee ok Man !"##$%• "& 'toreys !"##(%

• )e With Me !&**$%

• My Magic !&**+%

• ,atsumi !&*""%



• Eric Khoo’s upcoming film-

n the /oom !&*"$%

http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/movies/2014/09/03/eric-khoos-new-movie-feature-sex-nudity-and-japanese-porn-star





• )oo 0unfeng 'andcastle !&*"*%

• Anthony Chen lo lo !&*"1%



Approaches to "& 'toreys !a

summary slide%• ,he 2iewer is in2ited-

• !"% ,o e3plore parallels and contrasts

4etween different characters• !&% ,o engage with Khoo’s use of silence in

the film the silence may contain a

comple3 emotional reality• !1% ,o discern that there are other stories

4eyond what is represented



'ection A- "& 'toreys

• 5ike CKE6 "& 'toreys depicts a few sets of

characters within a certain milieu

• 7ther films which contain a few stories

• aul ,homas Anderson Magnolia !"###%

• 'te2en 'oder4ergh ,raffic !&***%

• Ale8andro 9onz:lez ;:rritu )a4el !&**<%



=our stories . . . ,wel2e

stories . . . nnumera4le stories>• ,he film’s title?is a pun intended> i.e. "&

stories> !@ot e3actly "& stories 4ut

innumera4le stories%

• ,he closing shots of an entire 4lock of B)

flats



• Bow many stories are there>

• 1F stories>

•1 G stories>

• 1 stories>



• What is the duration of Khoo’s film> When

does the film 4egin> When does it end>

• An inno2ati2e timeFscheme first used in

modernist no2els in the "#&*s !0ames

0oyce’s HlyssesI Jirginia Woolf’s Mrsalloway%



• As with CKE6 the different sets of characters

in "& 'toreys ne2er interact with one another

• 5ike CKE6 "& 'toreys is also a4outrelationships in an ur4an conte3t>

D Bow6 in the city6 there can 4e pro3imity

without reciprocityL D ,hough li2ing in the same apartment 4lock

there is no significant interaction



• A moment of meaningful or deep

connection>

• Kampung spirit>

• s there any significance in the use of the

playground as a setting>



• B) 4lock

D 'ym4olizes 'ingapore’s successful

economic de2elopment

D A means of critiuing 'ingapore’s

economic de2elopment



D 'pecifically6 the ur4an conte3t of the moderncityFstate of 'ingapore

D ,he B) 4lock as an icon or sym4ol of'ingaporean modernity

!B) N Bousing e2elopment )oard%

D ,he film is a criticism of 'ingapore as ha2ingmade great progress in terms of economicde2elopment 4ut lacking in the area ofrelationships> !and emotional de2elopment>%



D Economic progress at the cost of other

2alues or priorities>

D ,he uniformity of the B) flats

D ,he case of 'pirit who is associated with

play and creati2ity

D ronic 8u3taposition of 'an 'an and the

B) 4lock



• 7ne of film’s key concerns- the 4reakdown

of human relationships in ur4an 'ingapore

!in contrast to the pu4lic image of asuccessful and modern 'ingapore6 or

images propagated 4y the go2ernment and

the media%• All!>% the characters are alienated



• E2en more important- an emphasis on

characters 4eing in pain

D n CKE6 characters too are alienated 4ut

emphasis is not on pain

• At its close6 "& 'toreys clima3es in a

crescendo of pain

presents successi2echaractersFFMeng6 5ili6 'an 'anFFin pain



ainO

• Meng’s pain from repressing his own

desires !due to his morally upright image%

• 5ily’s relational pain

• 'an 'an’s silent pain



'ection )- 1 methods Khoo uses• !"% arallels are implied 4etween the characters

• =ilm constantly in2ites the 2iewer to 8u3taposeand compare the characters

• =or e3ample6 parallels are indicated 4y- D ,he use of miseFenFscene !mirrors6 in this

case%

D Can you identify another prop that is common

to all the stories> D Characters doing the same thing !e.g. trying on

a dress%



• 'an 'an6 Meng and 5ili look into the mirror

• What could 4e the significance of this act of

looking into the mirror>

• A pri2ate moment of selfFintrospection>



Meng and the mirror

• ,he e3ternal image of the model citizen?he is

the character most fully shaped 4y the policies

of the 'ingapore go2ernment>• Also6 can he 4e read as a metaphor for the

'ingapore go2ernment>

• Bence6 what e2entually happens to him is ironic• n Meng6 we find a repressed se3uality

• And a dou4le life !suggested 4y the mirror%



• Meng’s dark se3ual desires



An aside- nterpreting Meng

• aternalistic6 like an o2er4earing father-

D 'eeking to regulate the li2es of his wards6

without respecting their indi2iduality!,ri3ie says- am what am.L%

D Bas pro2ided for his si4lings 4ut uses this

act to demand their conformity D /eflects the style of the 'ingapore

go2ernment>



• !&% resenting a short snippet so that the

2iewer needs to read the implied story• ,here is another untold story.

• E3amples-

D 'pirit and his !physical>% pain

D /achel and her past marriage to an American man D 0oyce and the other =ilipino maid

• A passing reference to parentFchild separation

• /esonates with the other stories

• ,he fuller story 4ehind this snippet is left untold,hus6 the 2iewer is in2ited to imagine the untold

story 4ehind this snippet



• !1% ,he use of silence

• ,he 2iewer has to read certain characters’

silence makes for more am4iguity andrichness>

• =or e3ample6 'an 'an’s silence !t contains

comple3 feelingsO%• 'pirit’s silence completely silent

throughout the film



Many different languages are

used in the film• Englishes !Meng P,his is the Wong /esidenceLQFFand

Eddy Pinnocence relationsLQ%

•Chineses !5ili and Ah 9u% D Chinese dialects !Mandarin6 Cantonese6 Bokkien6

,eochew%

• Malay

• ,amil• ,agalog

• 'ilence



'ection C More on the film’s

parallels and 8u3tapositions• As ha2e said6 one of the film’s methods is to

imply parallels and 8u3tapositions 4etween thecharacters. @ote how 2arious parallels and

8u3tapositions are impliedO

• 'an 'an and Meng'an 'an and 'pirit

'an 'an and /achel'an 'an and 5ili!We can 8u3tapose 'an 'an with characters ore2en more.%



• Meng and 'an 'an

Meng and 'pirit

Meng and Ah 9u

Meng and Eddy



,he film may effect direct

8u3tapositions within the same

shot

• !"% Meng and 'an 'an

D 5et’s comment on the use of miseFenF

scene in this shot

D Comment on the playground !i.e. the use

of setting%



• !&% 'an 'an and the 'pirit man

D ,he wordless drama on the "&th storeyO

D ,he scene is silent?yet tur4ulent feelings

4eneath. Also we can only guess at these

unarticulated thoughts and feelings.

!'pirit’s moti2ations>% D What is the parallel 4etween them> What is

the difference 4etween them>



• ,he use of silence?a more am4iguous and

richer scene.

• 'ilence as alienation 4ut also

communicationO



'an 'an and 'pirit

• A chance encounter in the lift !like CKEO%

• 'pirit’s silent identification with 'an 'an>

• 'pirit kills himself to return to comfort her>>>

• An unlikely relationship 4etween a young man and anolder woman>

• ,he one redempti2e relationship in the film !conducted

entirely in silence%?someone cares6 and an unspoken

4ond 4etween themO• 'an 'an and 'pirit are one storyO



,he film may simply suggest

implicit parallels• Jiewer in2ited to ponder numerous other implicit

parallels

• We can construct a parallel 4etween /achel and 'an'an’s mother and . . .>

D ,raditional 2ersus modern 2ersion

• /elationship 4etween a maid and the child she 4rings

up.

• Echoed in /achel’s maid !0oyce% who 4rings up

/achel’s son.



• /achel and 5ili?the film doesn’t 8u3tapose

them directly6 they will ne2er meet each other.

,he comparison 4etween them is implicit.What similarity do we see 4etween them>

• s 5ili’s e3perience mirrored in /achel’s>• /achel as the 'ingapore 4rideL



5ili and 'an 'an- Bow would you

compare them> What similarities do you

see 4etween them>

• Editing in2ites us to compare them

• 7ne character’s concern or situation 4ecomes mirrored in the

other

• )oth are 2ictims of physical appearances !the plight ofwomen>%

D =ilm ends with the pain of female e3istence• )oth ha2e relational and se3ual needs

• )oth e3perience displacement !as a 'ingaporean and as aforeigner%



• 'an 'an and 5ili

• 'an 'an and /achel

• 5ili and /achel



'ection ,he use of miseFenF

scene

• Costumes?any interesting e3amples>

• ,he use of mirrors

• ,he use of color>



' i = M h Kh



'ection = Moments where Khoo

departs from continuity editing

used in CBC

• nFclass e3ercise-

D CoffeeFshop seuence

D 'an 'an in her flat !with motherL%?

echoes of sycho> PComment on how

motherL is presented.Q



• f there is time6 will screen what think is

one of the 4est 'ingapore short films ha2e

e2er seen

• aniel Bui reams of Routh !&1 minutes%

12 Storeys (Term 1_ October 2014) Final Lecture Version

Documents

Transcript of 12 Storeys (Term 1_ October 2014) Final Lecture Version