7 Letters is a 2015 Singaporean anthology drama film directed by seven different directors. It comprises seven short stories celebrating Singapore's 50th anniversary.[2] The film was selected as the Singaporean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.[3]
| 7 Letters | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by |
|
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Karen Khoo-Toohey |
| Cinematography | Michael Zaw (segment "GPS (Grandma Positioning System)") Hideoho Urata (segment "Parting" and "The Flame") Brian McDairmant (segment "Pineapple Town") Alan Yap (segment "Bunga Sayang") Harris Hue (segment "That Girl") |
| Edited by | Yim Mun Chong (segment "GPS (Grandma Positioning System)") Christopher Datugan (segment "GPS (Grandma Positioning System)") Tammy Quah (segment "Bunga Sayang") Fran Borgia (segment "The Flame") Brian Gothong Tan (segment "Cinema") |
| Music by | Ricky Ho Ting Si Hao and Joe Ng (segment "GPS (Grandma Positioning System)") Matt Kelly (segment "Parting") Dick Lee (segment "Bunga Sayang") |
Production company | Chuan Pictures |
| Distributed by | Golden Village Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | Singapore |
| Languages | Malay Hokkien Mandarin Tamil English |
| Box office | US$$232,027 (Singapore)[1] |
Cast
edit"Cinema"
edit- Nadiah M.Din as The Actress
- David Chua as Fan Fan Law
- Aric Hidir Amin as Slim Villager
- Faizal Abdullah as Round Villager
- Hamidah Jalil as Older Actress
- Lim Poh Huat as Pontianak
- Juliette Binoche as Lady at Cavenagh Bridge (special appearance)
"That Girl"
edit- Yan Li Xuan as Caiyun
- Josmen Lum as Ah Shun
- Brien Lee as Ah Fa
- Sebastian Ng as Ah Cai
"The Flame"
edit- T. Sasitharan as Father
- Nithiyia Rao as Leela
- N. Vighnesh as Mani
- Fatin Amira as Helper
"Bunga Sayang"
edit- Ray Tan Liang Yu as Little Boy
- J. Rosmini as Makcik
- Faith Denning as Teacher
"Pineapple Town"
edit- Lydia Look as Ning
- Nickson Cheng as Kang
- Rexy Tong as Michelle (Baby)
- Rianne Lee as Michelle (6 Years Old)
- Anne James as Sumathi
- Yoo Ah Min as Ah Gek
- Karen Lim as Kim Leng
- Rachel Tay as Birth Mum
"Parting"
edit- J.A. Halim as Ismail
- Cheryl Tan as Swee Choo
- Khalid Omar as Train Conductor
- Jonathan Sim as Immigration Officer
- Nickson Cheng as Duty Officer
- Desmond Tay Thong Nam as Taxi Driver
- Angel Yeung as Woman on Bus
- Ashmi Roslan as Young Ismail
- Daryl Toh as Flag-day Boy
- Vivian Lim as Shop Assistant
"GPS (Grandma Positioning System)"
edit- Zhang Jin Hua as Grandma
- Zheng Geping as Son
- Hong Huifang as Daughter-in-law
- Hazelle Teo as Granddaughter
- Rey Phua as Grandson
- Mok Tye Par as Grandpa
Source :[4]
Reception
editMaggie Lee of Variety called the film "uneven but mostly poignant".[4] Joanne Soh of The New Paper rated it 4/5 stars and wrote that it "truly is a passion project that will strike a chord with the older generation".[5] John Lui of My Paper rated it 4.5/5 stars and wrote that the film's quality is good enough to call for a reassessment of assumptions about government-funded art.[6]
Time Out Singapore selected it as the best Singaporean film of 2015.[7]
Controversy
editIn January 2016, the film was flagged by Malaysian censors before it was due to screen at the Titian Budaya Festival. A successful appeal was made by the organiser, CultureLink, against the cuts for the vulgar phrase in Cantonese, "curse your whole family", in Jack Neo’s segment of the omnibus.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "7 Letters". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ Chan, Boon (8 October 2015). "One film for Singapore's 50th year from seven top local directors, including Eric Khoo and Jack Neo". Straits Times. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ Chan, Boon (8 October 2015). "7 Letters is Singapore's entry to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category". Straits Times. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ a b Lee, Maggie (30 September 2015). "Film Review: '7 Letters'". Variety. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ Soh, Joanne (5 August 2015). "7 Letters (PG)". The New Paper. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ Lui, John (23 July 2015). "7 beautiful stories, 1 little red dot". My Paper. Archived from the original on 4 August 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ Lee, Benita; Pew, Gwen (25 November 2015). "Best of the arts 2015". Time Out. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ Chua, Genevieve (4 January 2016). "Malaysian censors take issue with Singapore films". MediaCorp. TODAY. Retrieved 6 January 2016.