Singapore in the nineties we follow seven year old Ah Girl – Swee Swee as she goes about her everyday life, from school, and her sweet crush on Shawn, to looking after her younger sister Ah Tien. For her and her sister are pushed from pillar to post from home to home. You see Ah Girl`s parents have separated and Ah Girl and her younger sister live part time with their Pa and Grandmother in a small flat, and part time with their Mum. Both craving and struggling for attention from the adults in their life`s. Mum and Pa are selfish and it seems that their life`s are more important than giving love and understanding to the children that they brought into the world. As much as their granny tries to give them some sort of stability in their life`s. Their parents are caught up with their own agendas, not realising the impact it is having on their children. When Mommy suggests that Ah Girl moves in with her full time, and Pa suggests that Ah Tien moves and lives with an older couple in Australia, so he can pay off gambling debt. Ah Girl soon realises how harsh and how unstable the adults are in her life, in her small world, as seen through her far too young eyes. As she struggles with heart breaking decisions that no child should ever have to make!
Written and directed expertly by Ang Geck Geck Pricilla Ang, I read that she drew on her own childhood experiences from growing up in Singapore. Combine this with the performances from our two young leads Ong Xuan Jing (Ah girl) and Sydney Wong (Ah Tien) gives for one of the most powerful, moving and heart breaking family dramas that I have seen in a very long time. It is outstanding as to how much the director draws out of the children. Everything is told from Ah Girl`s point of view and her child perspective of all these chain of events that are set off by her parents. Unknowingly at times as it maybe, surely at some point you have to grow up as a parent and realise what you are doing to your kids. It is a very clever film, as yes as much as it is heartfelt moving; it also has a lighter side, as Ah Girl navigates not just her family politics but that of all adults.
Now, I am a projectionist, and I have had a passion for film that has been in me since I was a kid, I have my wonderful Dad to thank for that and introducing me to all manner of cinema. Cinematography really interests me, and in Ah Girl I think that cinematography by Teck Siang Lim is not just exceptional, but compliments the film and of course what the film is about. It is filmed in 1:37 or 4:3 and this gives you a sense of not just the small spaces of the flat etc. Also, it narrows down the prospective of Ah Girl, because you are watching the film through her delicate confident eyes, her view. She is the heart and soul of the film, and here it is. I think you will be hard pushed to find a better performance from either adult or child in any other film this year. Omg Xuan Jing is utterly compelling from start to finish and it is obvious that the director trusted her, as she let her carry the weight of the film all the way through, she let her shine a s I have to say the best child actor I have ever seen. Amazing the emotion, she can make you go through as the viewer. That takes both skill as a filmmaker and a trust of your casting. All the acting is top notch but the two young leads steal the film in every way. In the most important poignant family drama, you will see this year. For me it is a masterpiece of cinema. How it is subtly directed, never lingering hammering the point home to us the audience, to me crying at some of the scenes where Ah Girl`s understanding of what is going on pulls at your emotions. An emotional roller-coaster of a journey that packs a different kind of punch wallop to the heart strings.
