areatw 'Ilo Ilo' is a raw drama set in recession hit Singapore as one family feels the pressure and increased strain as they are hit hard by the economic crisis. The film centers around the relationship between Jiale, the son, and the family's maid, Terry, who is tasked with looking after Jiale.The storyline is a very simple but very real one, following the family through their struggles during challenging economic times. There's no music, no special effects, no fake drama, just a real, raw story with an excellent script and strong performances. It's not for everyone, but it you enjoy stripped back, simple films, then I would recommend Illo Illo.

gradyharp A film from Singapore that looks deeply into family relationships may not be what we expect, but Anthony Chen's screenplay and direction bring this sensitive little story alive. The time is 1997 (during the Asian Financial Crisis) in Singapore. Jaile Lim is a young boy whose strained home life affects his behavior patterns at school and at play. His parents are overworked and do not cope with Jiale's problems well, and with another baby on the way they hire live in maid and nanny Teresa, a Filipino girl searching for a better life. The friendship between the maid Teresa and young boy Jiale at first causes the mother's jealousy, while the Asian recession hits the region: the bond between Jaile and Teresa actually weakens the strained relationship within the family unit until Teresa manages to calm Jaile's temperament and the result is a an extended family, one that no longer is family and maid. What begins as a strange relationship between a young boy, lonely as his parents are busy making money to support their family, and a maid, who left her young boy to her sister in another country to come to Singapore for earning, becomes a permutation of a true family.The cinematography by Benoit Soler heightens the drama. The acting is high quality – Yann Yan Yeo as the mother, Tianwen Chen, the father, Angeli Bayani as Teresa and Jailer Koh as Jaile. The film is in Mandarin, Tagalog, and Hokkien with English subtitles.

dy158 It is a film which has gone down a path no other Singapore film has gone down before, by winning an award at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. It is an achievement of the highest order when the Prime Minister of Singapore had publicly commented on the win at Cannes. It is just a story of an ordinary Singaporean family and their Pilipino domestic helper in the midst of Singapore being hit by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, but it is the film which has make big in its own way.Jia Le has always manage to find himself in trouble at school, leading to his pregnant mother Swee Leng (Yeo Yann Yann) needing to go to school to pick up the pieces for him. There is also the stoic head of the household Teck (Chen Tian Wen) who is a salesman but would find himself out of a job as the 1997 Asian financial crisis hit Singapore. He would try to become a trader, but would lose heavily on the stock market.But before the Lims' financial problems reared its ugly head, the family would hire a domestic helper from the Philippines, Teresa (Angeli Bayani) to help out with the household chores. Aunty Terry as she would like to be known, would come to find her hands full with her employers' son. As the unlikely bond between Terry and Jia Le develop in the subtle of ways, both Teck and Swee Leng find that they also have to deal with the effects of the financial crisis in their own ways.For any Singaporean who had lived through the 90s, one cannot help but notice the imagery from the era. The computers which was used at where Swee Leng work, the rows of HDB flats (public housing for the international audience), the presidential portraits being hung at the school hall at where Jia Le went to school, and the Tamagotchi which Jia Le is always fond of playing. While images like these are obvious on the surface, there are also the subtle ones as anyone living through 90s Singapore will be able to resonate with. This film does not use special effects to tell its story across an audience; it is as truthful as it is of a portrayal of the Singapore society of the 90s where the domestic helper is being relegated to the background.In this film, it is as much as the story of the Lim family and Terry's, who has come to Singapore in search of a better life. Bayani's role as Terry really does make one feel at times that it is actually not an actress playing the role of a domestic helper at all, but a real domestic helper. There is also Yann Yann as the pregnant mother Swee Leng who is caught between dealing with Terry and her own family members including her husband. Anyone expecting something fanciful in the film will be disappointed, where it is a reminder that it can be as enjoyable and heart-warming with its occasional dash of humour without the special effects. As much as it is a very Singapore story with its Singapore setting, it is a story which is able to pull the heartstrings.

evancyl Ilo Ilo did an excellent job of portraying the life of a middle-class Singaporean family. Set during the 1997 financial crisis, it revolves around one family's everyday struggles and their uneasy relationship with their newly hired maid. With both parents busy working, naughty 10- year-old Jia Ler is left to the maid's care. His antics get her into trouble, but they gradually form a close bond. Pregnant with a second child, the mother struggles to cope with the demands of work and family. The father is retrenched and despite all his efforts, is unable to find a job with comparable pay, forcing the family to cut back significantly.Although there was no proper storyline, the movie was engaging throughout and zoomed in on the struggles that each character faced. Everything was so real. The problems people face haven't changed, even though this was some 15 years ago. Singapore is known globally as a prosperous and affluent city, but few foreigners (even those living in our midst) know what life is like for the average Singaporean family. This movie is the perfect introduction.