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where is my singaporean coming of age movie ugh
i’m not a director but like....god. singapores public schools can REALLY be mined for aesthetic. the Culture is right there. plz take it
like??? protag is ur Regular Ah Lian holding a giant neon folder that’s too big for her kanken backpack, messy ponytail, illegal ankle socks, skirt folded at the waistband,
masc character design is all abt tapered pants, messily tucked shirts, ridiculous watches, bad haircuts, chunky glasses
theyre 16-18 and overly invested in schoolwork and cca and like, theres One Shot which Perfectly Captures how they explicitly attach grades to self worth
tuition classes! fake desks and flimsy chairs, rollable whiteboards, the Bad Lighting, the suspicious carpeting, the persistent smell of old dry erase markers
anyway if i had to have a storyline it would be this: main character girl is a Hardworking Student sitting for a national exam this year. she doesnt do so well on a test and is upset about it. her friends do better than her and awkwardly comfort her about it+
but theres One friend who makes a comment that i can only rlly describe as a microaggression, which leaves mc feeling worse
anyway cut to cca. at cca we develop a bit more complexity, shes in some kind of Band or Ensemble or maybe even a UG? idk. anyway it’s nice cos she vibes w some people and has a good time but after cca when they go get bbt the politicking starts
theres a party invite. someone’s turning 18 and parents are throwing a chalet party over the long weekend after block tests end. mc is invited but on the fence about whether she should go bc shes thinking about her grades
anyway she takes her bbt and goes to Tuition. zones out during tuition class a bit but drags her focus back to whatever is going on because Remember, she did badly for tests
anyway then she meets her mum at the coffeeshop near her house at 8pm to dabao dinner and eat at home. both parents have just gotten off work and r pretty tired but make an effort to talk to her kid over dinner. mc is about as responsive as u wld expect a teenager to be
she tells parents about the bad grades. parents, to their credit, are not total dicks about it and theyre not like, angry. but they do nag her about it + ask her if she wants tuition. bc she is a troubled teen she storms off
she goes off to finish her hw, theres a Fluorescent white lamp on a laminated wooden desk. her notes are detailed, covered in highlighter and postits and u get a sense of the amount of work shes putting in. Really putting in. shes gg thru exam paper when mum comes in w hot drink
they reconcile. it’s tender. maybe they go thru the exam paper together idk. The Point is that family is a comfort i guess like. They Rlly Do just want the best for u while also being complicit in a system designed to crush u.
anyway after than exposition u sort of just see a montage of cuts from day in, day out. assembly-classes-recess-cca-tuition-dinner-study, maybe theres a Vague romantic subplot but i’m not Particularly invested in that
anyway. CUT TO PARTY. she decided to go. theres the application of Makeup, probably eyeliner thats too thick and disappears, a shade of lip tint, brow gel, etc
it’s like, theres a Barbecue and ppl are genuinely having a good time, someone is cooking, theres like a frisbee thing gg on, smth like that. lychee beers all around
after dark they all huddle inside the chalet, beer tipsy, and do some kind of drinking game or truth or dare shots, and like theres a lot of 2am nonsense screaming?? the Point is that this is the first time u see them not giving a fuck
also theres a sequinned crop top involved. it’s supposed to be in stark contrast w the uniform. it’s clear ppl have put Some effort into dressing up but they also have no idea what theyre doing out of sheer lack of practice
anyway theres some kind of climax point where they go to the old changi hospital on a dare or SOMETHING equally dumb. theres also a deep moment where idk theyre standing by the beach listening to the waves and someones like “do u think we will regret this when we are old”
it is quickly shut down by someone going “diam la, no need so cheem, not like we have any choice at this point Anyway”, everyone nods in agreement, and then the original tempo of the convo resumes
nobody dwells on the brevity of youth or any of that lame shit they are all live fast die young teens, this moment is supposed to radiate precociousness and cynicism
camera pans not upward to the stars, but to the lights at pulau ubin/indonesia/wherever to the sound of noisy banter and cicadas, fading out
cut very sharply to an aerial view of the classroom, with all the students seated the teacher is giving out block test marks. paper is placed face down on main character’s desk, she picks it up to check her marks, and we don’t see her expression.
roll credits
roll credits
also if uve read through all this and are now yearning to feel deeply Seen and Represented watch Girls Girls Girls by NSFTV. if u went to a girls’ school it is truly So Much https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL01vDajOmCyvcxaQfEMBEy1D4tc71deql
