Singapore movie 1965 wants to be “Important” but falls far short1 min read

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In films marking Singapore’s 50th anniversary, we have seen the sublime in the 7 Letters short film anthology. Now, for something else altogether.

The historical drama 1965 (PG13, 130 minutes, opens tomorrow, 1.5/5 stars) attempts to be a soul-stirring, flag-waving, sweeping epic of commemorative edutainment.

Most of all, it yearns to be taken seriously. It practically dares you to ignore the number of significant moments it strings together – here is veteran actor Lim Kay Tong doing an impression of the weeping Lee Kuan Yew, then come the race riots, now come songs played over a slow-motion montage of nation- building moments. It wants to be Important, with a capital I.

This grab at gravitas might be a bit more seemly, if only the fictionalised portions looked decent. But with a storytelling style riddled with the problems typical of checkbox-ticking works of art, the movie feels only slightly more relevant to the national birthday than a chicken bun with an SG50 sticker slapped on it.

Read the full article here >> via: The Strait Times
Image Credit: mm2 Entertainment