Fridae

Gone Shopping is the debut feature of Singapore filmmaker Wee Li Lin, who's more famous for her award-winning short films like Autograph Book (2003) and Norman on the Air (1997).

Shot almost entirely in the popular shopping malls of Singapore, Gone Shopping is an ambitious satire of Singaporeans' obsession with shopping. Every Singaporean, it seems, is trying to find the meaning of their lives in shopping malls � from the lonely disillusioned tai tai (Kym Ng) to the bored office worker (Aaron Kao) to the cross-dressing crook (Rizman Putra).

Yet despite its intriguing and original premise, Gone Shopping is simply not engaging enough to carry its message across. Oftentimes, it is neither dramatic nor insightful � just slow-paced and boring. None of the characters is appealing enough for us to care about them.

Certain parts of the movie are strong (such as the sex talk among the shop assistants and the climactic conclusion), as is the terrific score by musician Joe Ng. Director Wee Li Lin, however, certainly has ambition and potential, and we look forward to her sophomore effort