"The Chinese title of Invisible City (备忘录) loosely translates into 'a record for fear that it will be forgotten,' and this is probably a more accurate title for the documentary."
Tan Pin Pin tells how her latest film is more of a meditative one that would hopefully cause the audience to leave the screenings in deep thoughts about the fragility of memory, and the desire to leave traces of their lives behind.
This film reflects more strongly about herself than any of her other films, since she shares the same interest and passion as the characters in the stories of Singapore, featured in Invisible City.
The central theme of memory runs throughout the entire screening of the documentary, even though Tan's original intention was to produce a film about spaces that are commonly overlooked, as well as the relationships that people have with and within spaces.
The interviews share a common thread, even if they are of different characters and different facets of time. Memory collides with history, as interviewees scroll down memory lane trying to recall the past, and leave their own versions of history behind.
Tan weaves in both themes of memory and space as she pieces together the various interviews.
Han Tan Yuan, a former correspondent for Lianhe Zaobao, best exemplifies this as the experiences he lived through are played out as he visits the spaces and places that the Chinese Middle Schools riots took place.
The presentation of the uncut interviews includes pauses, as we see the interviewees struggle to recall the feelings evoked during their past experiences, highlighting the difficulty of remembrance.
Each of the interviewees struggle to go through old photographs and footages to present their personal take on the past. It is these little silences, when they are trying to articulate their thoughts and feelings, that make this documentary significant. Every little pause reminds us of the difficulty in putting everything down in words.
The subtext that runs parallel to the main theme of the film, tells how this desire to put down our memories is being aided by the use of technology - such as picture and film footages - to freeze time.
However, Tan also shows how this is futile as it is inherently a misrepresentation, since the past can never be told in the same way as it had played out. Asahi Shimbun journalist Izumi Ogura and Han both show how stories that are told to them are received differently, from those that they tell.
The characters illuminate the discontentment of representation, as the way stories are articulated are dissimilar from what they have perceived, thereby showing the futility of resurrecting these memories and freezing them in time.
As the documentary runs, we are confronted with the fear that these stories would go unheard due to memory loss, old age and perhaps, a lack of interest.
The essence of the various lives lived, provides a far more enriching take on the history of Singapore than what viewers have been used to. These are the voices of the regular people, the unadulterated voices.
Although you feel as though personal stories are slightly biased, it emphasizes on how no one would ever have an unbiased opinion of anything. By the end of the documentary, viewers are left with questions and myriad of interpretations of the film.
"Subtlety is really the whole point of [this] film."
Tan does not expect everyone to take to it since it targets a niche audience, yet it tells the unheard stories about the common lives that contribute to The Singapore Story. HOOKED
Screening [exclusively at The Arts House]:
22 July 2007 - 12 August 2007
Tickets: $8 (Adults) and $6 (Students with ID)
Available at The Arts House Box Office, 1 Old Parliament Lane, Singapore 179429
Ticketing Hot-line: +65 63326919
(Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 11am-8pm)
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