FILM REVIEW: Plague3 min read
Reading Time: 3 minutes
At the height of the global AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, Singapore received its first reported case of a HIV-positive patient in May 1985. Worried that the disease might be airborne, citizens took to extreme measures to avoid being infected.
Film: Plague
Director: Boo Junfeng
Cast: Jean Ng, Aden Tan
Year: 2018
Language: English and Hokkien with English subtitles
Run time: 12min
This film is part of the 15 Shorts project and can be watched online through their website or Facebook page.
Review by Jean Wong
Directed by Boo Junfeng, Plague is the first of the second batch of short films released under the 15 Shorts project. It tackles the issue of stigmatism surrounding AIDS through the retelling of a true event. The story follows a counselor by the name of Iris, who is one of the first health workers who fought against this stigmatism in the 1980s by stepping forth to help those infected. Her brave act was the first step in raising awareness of AIDS back in the 1980s when the world was still in pandemonia about this newly discovered contagion.
In the retelling of the story in Plague, Iris decides to conduct a house visit when one of her clients stops attending their counselling sessions. The client, Jamie, is one of those diagnosed with AIDS and faced blatant discrimination even from the nurses at the hospital, despite it being common knowledge that AIDS can spread neither through saliva nor air. The conscious decision to film Plague in one continuous shot forces the viewer to be a participant in the scene, albeit a passive one. This allows the viewer to experience first-hand the emotions simmering throughout the short. The discomfort of the whole scene is made even more acute when no one talks about the elephant in the room — ‘AIDS’ is never directly mentioned once in the film; only referenced to. As such, the short managed to do a wonderful job at conveying the stark emotions and trepidation that people were feeling in the midst of the AIDS scare during the 1980s.
Plague is a compelling short that showcases the experiences of those infected with AIDS in the 1980s. It is bound to bring up poignant sentiments for those who have lived through the AIDS scare themselves, and still have a strong emotional impact on those who did not, making it a heart-rending short for all.
About 15 Shorts
15 Shorts is a collaboration between the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) and Blue3Asia. Fifteen film directors provide an alternative perspective to the nation-building narratives of the era; their films tell true stories of Singaporeans who performed powerful acts of selflessness between the 1970s and 1990s. These are slice-of-life stories that reveal how this human, giving side has always been a part of us.
In the spirit of giving, each director will dedicate his or her film to a charity in Singapore. Working with NVPC, the directors have curated a list of charities that cover a spectrum of needs, including support for the elderly, people with autism, and migrant workers.
About the Director’s Chosen Organisation
AFA (Action For AIDS) is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to fighting AIDS and reducing the number of HIV-infection cases in Singapore, while at the same time to raise public awareness of the disease. It has also introduced various related projects, conducted testing services, and organised many support, welfare and educational programmes. If you would like to donate money to support AFA in its journey to eliminate AIDS in Singapore, please click here. If you would like to help in other ways such as volunteering for their programmes, please visit their website.
