29 Aug 2006

Rice Rhapsody

Original Title: Hainan Ji Fan

Director: Kenneth Bi

Language: Chinese, English and French with English subtitles

Starring: Sylvia Chang, Martin Yan, Tan Lepham, Mlanie Laurent, Alvin Chiang, Craig Toh, Andy Mok, Maggie Q

Awards: In Competition, Tokyo International Film Festival Official Selection, Pusan Film Festival Nomination for Best Actress and Best Original Soundtrack, Golden Horse Awards Outstanding Screenplay Award, Taiwan Government Information Office

Screening: 2005-02-22

A gay film set in Singapore? You bet!


Written and directed by Kenneth Bi, who was born in Hong Kong and
raised in Canada, it stars the gay-friendly actress Sylvia Chang
as a single mother of three boys. Her first two sons are professedly
gay and the youngest teenage boy might possibly be gay as well.


Concerned that she may not have a grandchild at all, she tries
to "make him straight" by bringing in a pretty French exchange student
to live with them. In the meantime, the single mother struggles
to support her family through her restaurant business.


Artistically, this film may well be the weakest of the five opening
this week. But the fact that it is a film frank with gay themes,
set in Singapore and co-produced by the Singapore Film Commission
and Singaporean production company Ground Glass Images — talking
about the country opening up — make this the first film you
should catch.


You boys would also like to note that the sons are played by three
very dishy Singaporean models: Alvin Chiang, Craig Toh and Tan Lepham.


You can't call yourself a gay Singaporean if you don't see this.