re:mote voices

Title: 15 [Shiwu]
Cast: Melvin Chen, Erick Chun, Melvin Lee, Vynn Soh, Shaun Tan
Director: Royston Tan

Shiwu, or 15, is the extension of a short film by Singapore director Royston Tan. From descriptions of those who have seen both it is suggested that the short is superior to the full version, though it also seems that the first section of the film is pretty much just the short itself. Like so many films/books that come from this region, there is some controversy attached to this film – which depicts the lives of a group of 15 year old gang kids.

Shiwu is an episodic film, filled with clip scenes and detailed with special effects. The first section covers two 15 year old boys, who are following up on the idea to do a rap song for the school show. They reckon that they will be able to fill it full of swearing and their teacher will get into trouble because of their actions. Hence we see them playing truant, squaring up to other gang kids, getting fake tattoos, all of which is interspersed by these sudden and random rap sequences. There is something surreal to the way these pop interludes are added, the two topless gang kids, showing off their tattoos, while they rap to the camera in a dead pan fashion, all taking place in some one’s living room as though it were a big location.

Mixed in with that section there are also suggestions of how there used to be thee of them who would hang around together, but how their was a falling out. Presumably this is as far as things went in the short, but the next, long, chunk of Shiwu follows the third guy. Like the first section it concentrates on these two 15 year old gang kids, but we watch while these ones get real tattoos, and real piercings. As we follow these two we have sections where they beat up a guy, then they get beat up, then the first guy comes to help them. Clashes between the native speaking gang members, and the posh kids who go to the English speaking schools. The rise of suicide as a trendy thing to do, and their attempt to help a friend find the best location to commit his own suicide. Random drug taking, and selling. With hints creeping in of the effects their life style has, being thrown out of family homes, getting into arguments with regular people on buses.

Already mentioned are the rap scenes, which continue into these next sections, emphasising the sporadic and dislocated nature of the film. But added to that there are all sorts of other effects, scenes running backwards with filtered colours, an animated sequence about the best methods of suicide, and fight sequences delivered as computer game re-enactments. The result is that while Shiwu has a certain disjointedness it is also memorable from the bright colours, the striking and messed up effects and its general high impact approach. With this there is a lot of humour, despite the darkness which comes in at a certain level, but there is also a gross out factor that will make sure that Shiwu remains with you – the piercing scene is quite graphic, but there is a certain scene with a condom which really stands out. In the end I can’t say how Shiwu compares to the short, which might be just as well, but personally I really enjoyed this film, and it was easily one of the highlights of the second annual Glasgow’s Chinese Overseas Film Festival.