Fridae

By now, every serious Singaporean film buff knows who Royston Tan
is. He is the young hotshot director who came out of nowhere to
mesmerize us with his dazzling short films and his incendiary debut
feature about teenage gangsterism and male bonding, 15.

Without a doubt, Royston is a gifted visual stylist who can compose
images (with the help of his regular cinematographer Lim Chin Leong)
better than any filmmaker in Singapore. The distinctive use of colors,
the hyperkinetic MTV-style editing and the bold choice of subject
matter make him works refreshingly urgent and youthful.

His new film, however, sees him moving away from the hip and brash
aesthetics which he's become known for. 4:30 is quiet and contemplative
film about a lonely young boy (Xiao Li Yuan) who develops an obsession
for the handsome Korean man (Kim Young Jun) who shares the same
apartment. The boy often breaks into the man's room to watch him
sleep or rummage through his personal belongings. Over time, however,
the man develops a tacit bond with the boy...

Compared to 15, 4:30 is much slower and gentler, but no less hypnotic
to watch. There is very little dialogue in the entire movie, but
the long passages of silence lyrically convey the pain and loneliness
of the two characters. In fact, words will only get in the way here.
Slowly, inexorably, the film seems to take on the dimensions of
a ghost fairy tale. The characters seem to drift in a world enclosed
in dreams, and you are never quite sure whether these characters
really exist or not. They seem to inhabit a world beyond, one that
is situated a few feet away from the usual doors of perception.

For sure, general audiences may find it difficult to understand
and appreciate this enigmatic little gem. But for critics, filmmakers
and cineastes, 4:30 will only give them more reasons to revere Royston
Tan.