FILM REVIEW: Hello Pa1 min read
Reading Time: 2 minutes
A son gives his father a call one day. However as the conversation develops, the father realises that the call isn’t a casual one.
Director: Nivash Joyvin Xavier
Year: 2017
Cast: Thum Kim, Hazique Hibri, Bernard Lim
Language: Mandarin, English, Malay
Runtime: 3min
Rating: G
Review by Jean Wong
As its apt title suggests, Hello Pa (2017) begins with a simple phone call a son makes to his father and slowly develops the story from there. It was submitted for the CiNE65 short film competition, and won Best Screenplay under the student category. With the impressive achievement in mind, the film does not disappoint.
Hello Pa starts out with a simple and innocent-sounding phone call that a son makes to his father. The phone conversation builds our understanding of the context as it plays in the background, while we watch Pa (Thum Kim) go about his daily routine. As it transitions from scene to scene effortlessly, it becomes increasingly clear why Hello Pa won Best Screenplay. When the seemingly casual conversation turns into a disagreement, we see Pa in the moment of the call as the tension crescendos. After Pa abruptly ends the call, the silence echoes louder in contrast to the squabble before and drives the impact of the scene home.
Hello Pa resonates with us easily as it deals with a topic familiar to us in a local context that we are able to connect with. Amidst the themes of family and compassion is the theme of loss and disappointment that peeks through. However, Hello Pa is not a completely dispiriting film overall as the ending leaves viewers with an optimistic and hopeful sentiment.
Click here to watch Hello Pa (2017).
