Tickets for the 4^th Singapore Short Cuts were snapped up within three hours of its distribution five days before the opening day. The series of five highly anticipated short films by local directors Eva Teng, Jacen Tan and Sun Koh opened to a full house of 250 on Aug. 11.

Each of the films scrutinised typical Singaporeans neurotic existence within the confines of their own apartments. Using scenes of HDB flats as their backdrop, the films bring viewers into the layers of voyeurism, confinement and futility in the heartlands.

When seen as individual films, the truth of the Singaporean culture is exposed as a continuum constantly redefining itself and understood in light of her development.

Flat Dreams: Eva Tang 14:50 mins

Comprising of 3 short stories that span 3 generations – Flat, Neighbourhood watch and Void Deck - the protagonists of opening film, Flat Dreams escape from the drudges of their reality by looking out only to watch glimpses of their freedom reverberate through the actions of others. In Flat, a middle-aged man ogles at the ideal female figure on his flat screen television while lamenting at the sight of his flat-chested wife. Following the voyeuristic pleasure, in Neighbourhood watch, a lonely boy left alone in his apartment finds joy in pretending to interact with his neighbours through his binoculars. The final story then features a jobless middle-aged lady reminiscing on her lost youth in her void deck. The films safely scrape the surface of individual lives without becoming overly personal. 

Zo Gang: Jacen Tan 9:00 min

Following the usual fashion of Tan’s previous films (Tak Giu and Zo Peng), Zo Gang’s simple yet brutally honest mix of colloquial English and Mandarin connects Singaporean audiences with the protagonist, Ah-Tan, a film-maker wannabe. Being in his mundane job (as a lawyer), Ah-Tan laments about and satirizes the state of Art and film making in Singapore, emphasizing how unsupportive Singaporeans are towards locally made works until they have gained international recognition. The film draws references to works of renowned film makers, Tan Pin Pin and Roystan Tan. 

Bedroom Dancing : Sun Koh 20:00 min

The lighthearted humour was interrupted by a sudden transition into a scene of a bedroom where a copulating couple is seen in various sex positions. Audiences are made the voyeurs in Sun Koh’s “reaction” film towards a criminal case in March 2006 where a man was arrested and fined $6,500 for masturbating while naked in his own flat. Koh’s film brought out intimate truths about individual lives that are kept to the privacy of our homes, making some audiences shift in their seats as they intrude on the couple’s privacy. 

Two additional films also premiered at the screening. Ryan Tan’s Yesterday’s Play and Deng Kaile’s A Suicide Symphony showcased the budding directors take on estranged relationships. 

Tan’s film about a nagging mother and her teenage son is best described as short and direct. But the plot could not unravel itself fast enough within a short film context and it whisked past the audience. 

Deng, on the other hand, provided a ‘Hannibal’ twist at the end of his 23-minute film about a couple contemplating suicide. His film also suffered from the short duration as it did not leave room for further discourse when the story was left hanging in its warped humour.

What did audiences think about the most provocative issue portrayed in the films? Here’s their take on sexuality from two fellow NUS students.

Second-year theatre studies and new media major, Isaac Sim, said that Koh’s film about sexuality “wasn't explicit without a purpose” and that the discomfort was a good one.

He said, “Nobody likes reality in your face.” 

Calling the film “porn with a lesson”, Sim believes that masturbation is a common among his peers and it is a truth that Singaporeans are uncomfortable admitting. 

Short films of these sorts are edgier than the usual local commercial movies served in cinemas. 

He also said, “We've grown very accustomed to ‘safe’ Singapore films and thus the discomfort.” 

Fourth-year political science major, Alene Tay, said that watching foreign films keeps us at a safe distance from the protagonists but watching local actors perform such acts on screen bridges that distance and makes the film disturbingly personal. 

The provocative exploration of sexuality in Koh’s film reversed the conventional idea that the criminal offence is committed by the male offender. In this case, the audience is guilty of voyeurism. 

She said, “Having Singaporeans play the part (as voyeurs) thrust us into the reality that we don’t want to confront.”

Admission is free for all screenings. Tickets are available every Monday from the National Museum of Singapore.