Fridae

In recent years, there've been quite few American directors coming to Singapore and making films about the country. There was Graham Streeter who made Cages with Tan Kheng Hua, as well as Tony Kern who made the documentary A Month of Hungry Ghosts.

And now there's Marc X Grigoroff who's made a drama about race relations in Singapore � a sensitive topic that perhaps even a Singaporean director wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. Salawati tells the story of a young girl (Aisyah Masgot) who witnesses her brother drowning in a river. Crying for help, her pleas were ignored by most � save for a man whose identity remains a secret towards the end.

The film examines how Malays, Indians and Chinese view each other and themselves, and boldly attempts to delve into the psyche and cultures of each community. Marc employs a slow Ozu-like pacing and directorial style. But the plot is too thin and the dialogue too wordy to make this film good.