Fridae

Royston Tan is one of the most gifted filmmakers in Singapore. In recent years, it seemed as if no other filmmaker on this island could compose shots with quite the same flair and precision that Royston could.

However his latest film, 12 Lotus, has turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments of the year. The shots look bland, the plot is draggy and the overall film feels rather pointless. Even the musical numbers lack the razzle-dazzle found in his previous getai film, 881.

Perhaps no one other than Royston could really know why the film turned out so badly � when almost all his previous efforts, including his short films, have been brilliant. All we know is that 12 Lotus is the first feature film produced by him without the support of his previous production company Zhao Wei. And these last months have been especially hard for Royston as he tried to make it on his own.

The story centres on a getai singer (Mindee Ong) who has led a live of misery and suffering for most of her life. Beaten by her father and abused by her lover, she turns into a sad recluse whose only joy in life is to munch on cream crackers...

Borrowing from several genres, the film frequently wanders into musical fantasy territory. Unfortunately, none of the musical numbers look particularly fantastic or well-staged. The acting is patchy, with actress Liu Ling Ling (who plays the older version of Mindee Ong) frequently overdoing her part. It's almost as if Royston was so fond of her that he didn't have the heart to rein in her exaggerated performance.

This isn't as awful as Jack Neo's last four movies, but it is far from good. Let's hope that Royston can find his footing again in the next year or two.