Singaporean Movies ~ "I Not Stupid" & "I Not Stupid Too"

*I Not Stupid* movie poster

"I Not Stupid", a Singaporean family-themed social satire, will make many people look at their own family, children and lifestyle in a whole new perspective.

Terry Khoo, Liu Kok-Pin and Ang Boon-Hock

It is about three Primary Six boys who are in the bottom class of their school, their struggles in their studies, their dislike for Mandarin and Math. Because they are deemed "stupid", they are looked down upon by other students in the top classes and society in general, until one of them attempted suicide.

The bottom class

They are also pressured by their parents to get good grades. In Singapore, only academically high achievers will make good, and students like Terry Khoo and his friends Liu Kok-Pin and Ang Boon-Hock have no place in society.

The movie's underlying message is criticism over Singapore's rigid education system and the over-obedience of its citizens.

This movie is full of emotions, and it even made me cry because it's so touching.

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*I Not Stupid Too* movie poster

In "I Not Stupid Too" or "I Not Stupid 2", Jack Neo brings back the new and improved magic formula of "I Not Stupid". It is seemingly a sequel to "I Not Stupid" and shares the same cast but the characters are different, and so is the storyline.

Jerry made her pregnant, or so he thought

"I Not Stupid Too" focuses more on misunderstood teens, miscommunication between parents and their children and those of teachers and students.

It's about generation gap, of how fathers and mothers in Singapore keep climbing the corporate ladder until they have no time for their children. All they know how to do is to spend their hard earned money to buy material things for the children without knowing that what the children really need, and want, is their time.

It's about how, due to lack of quality time spent together, parents have no clue how to express their love for the children.

The school principal

Teacher - Student fight

In school, the teachers also have problems communicating with the students. This movie teaches us to look at a person's positive points, his strengths, his talents, rather than focusing on and criticising his weaknesses.

Cheng Cai, the oft misunderstood teen

All children are born the same. It is just how they are brought up that makes the difference.

Jerry, the leading man in his school concert

"I Not Stupid Too" is funny yet emotional. It will leave you laughing one minute, and crying the next.

These two movies are highly recommended by me! Who says only Hollywood movies are good?

Note: The dialogue of these movies is in English, Mandarin and Hokkien.

Singaporean Movie ~ The Maid

The Maid movie poster

I watched Singapore's horror flick, The Maid, upon the recommendation of a friend. It is quite a predictable story, where a young girl leaves home to a strange country for the first time, and steps into a whole new world and foreign culture.

Rosa

Rosa, an 18-year-old Filipina, arrives in Singapore to work as a maid for Mr. and Mrs. Teo on the first day of the lunar seventh month.

By itself, the old rundown shop house where Rosa is going to work as a maid is spooky enough, with peeling plaster, cracked walls, creaking doors and dripping taps, without the lurking spirits. Granted, at first, there was no sense of spirits, but the tag line of this movie is: "What happens when the Hell gates open?" so what else can we expect?

Mr. Teo

Mr. Teo runs a Chinese opera troupe and Mrs. Teo is a seamstress who makes costumes for the opera shows. The hanging costumes and opera equipment lying around the house add to the spookiness of the household.

Mrs. Teo

In the first week of her arrival, Rosa, being young and ignorant of Chinese superstitions, broke a few rules but Mr. and Mrs. Teo treat her well and in her loneliness, she found a companion in the Teo's mentally underdeveloped son. All is well, or so it seems.

As days go by, Rosa begins to have visions of ghosts everywhere in the streets, shadows in the house and somehow, somewhere, someone is trying to convey a message to her. Sometimes, even spirits need the help of humans to carry out certain tasks which have to be done physically.

This movie scared the living daylights out of me; sometimes it was the ghosts, sometimes the sound effects. After thirty minutes into the 1.5 hour show, I was thinking, "Faster end, faster end!" because I watched the entire movie with goosebumps all over me!

Being Chinese, I know the superstitious rules that we have to adhere to, and when Rosa did something wrong, like stepping on the ashes after spiritual offerings, or taking a seat in the first row to watch the performance of Mr. Teo's Chinese opera troupe. And I think, "Oh, oh, this spells trouble for Rosa."

So as not to leak any crucial plot, I shall not write anymore. All I can say is, go watch The Maid if you like horror. Hopefully, you have someone to scream along with.

Note: The dialogue of this movie is in Teochiew, English, Filipino and Tagalog.