2013 film
| Ilo Ilo |
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 Film poster |
| Directed by | Anthony Chen |
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| Written by | Anthony Chen |
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| Produced by | Ang Hwee Sim
Anthony Chen
Wahyuni A. Hadi |
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| Starring | Chen Tianwen
Yeo Yann Yann
Angeli Bayani
Koh Jia Ler |
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| Cinematography | Benoit Soler |
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| Edited by | Hoping Chen
Joanne Cheong |
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Production
companies | |
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| Distributed by | Golden Village Pictures |
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Release dates |
- May 19, 2013 (2013-05-19) (Cannes)
- August 29, 2013 (2013-08-29) (Singapore)
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Running time | 99 minutes |
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| Country | Singapore |
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| Languages | Hokkien
English
Tagalog
Hiligaynon
Mandarin |
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| Budget | S$700,000[1][2] |
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| Box office | Singapore (S$1.2 million) |
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Ilo Ilo (Chinese: 爸媽不在家; literally: "Mom and Dad Are Not Home"[3]) is a 2013 Singaporean drama film. The debut feature of director Anthony Chen, the film features an international cast, including Singaporean actor Chen Tianwen, Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann, Filipino actress Angeli Bayani, and debut of child actor Koh Jia Ler.[4]
Ilo Ilo premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors' Fortnight on 19 May 2013.[5] At the festival, the film was awarded the Caméra d'Or award, thus becoming the first Singaporean feature film to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival.[6] The film was selected as the Singaporean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards but was not nominated.[7]
Plot
In Singapore during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the Lim family welcomes their Filipina domestic helper, Teresa (colloquially Terry), who like many other Filipinas has come in search of a better life. The father, Teck, works in sales for a glass company; the pregnant mother, Hwee Leng, works as a secretary in a downsizing shipping company; and the ten-year-old son, Jiale, is a troubled delinquent. At first, Jiale and Terry exhibit a troubled relationship. Tensions between them rise, resulting in Jiale one day climbing over the school fence at dismissal time just to avoid his maid, who comes every day to fetch him.
When Teck loses his sales job, he conceals it from his wife. Desperate, he accepts a temporary job as a security guard monitoring an egg farm. As he continues to lose money in the stock market, he acknowledges their losses to his wife, who lambastes him. As the family's finances begin to descend deeper, Jiale and Terry begin to kindle a relationship, sparking his mother's jealousy and feelings of emotional neglect by her son. Hwee Leng attends a motivational seminar, where she is moved by the optimistic words of the speaker and purchases his motivational books and CDs. He turned out to be a fraud, causing her to break down amidst their crippling economy.
Jiale shows high intellect and cunning in his obsessive calculation of past winning lottery numbers, which he catalogues in his schoolbook. One day, after being taunted by another boy that Terry only loves him as a job, he pushes the boy into the bathroom wall, hospitalizing him. Threatened with expulsion and the school's administration unable to contact his parents, Terry arrives to plead for mercy on his behalf. Hwee Leng shows up, reminding Terry that she is Jiale's mother. Later, Jiale is caned in front of the school assembly while Terry watches concernedly.
After the family car is sold for scrap and Teck is recently fired from his job for committing a mistake, the Lim family acknowledges they can no longer afford to keep Terry employed. Desperate to keep her, Jiale uses his savings to purchase lottery tickets but loses. He becomes despondent, cutting a lock of Terry's hair during a tense farewell. Holding onto his cassette player, Jiale listens to Terry's favorite song, "Kahapon at Pag-ibig" by Asin, with his father in the hospital as Hwee Leng gives birth to a baby girl.
Production
Partially funded by Ngee Ann Polytechnic and the Singapore Film Commission, the film's budget is estimated to be around S$700,000.[1]
Child actor Jia Ler Koh was caned for real several times in two takes while shooting a scene.[8]
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 8.0/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Quietly compassionate and rich in detail, Ilo Ilo is a strikingly mature debut from writer-director Anthony Chen."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[10]
Ilo Ilo received positive reviews at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was later awarded the Camera d'Or award, an award which recognizes the best debut feature film in the competition.[6] It received six nominations at the Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards[11] and won four: Best Film, Best New Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Yeo Yann Yann.[12]
