#LookAtMe

How often do we get a Singaporean film that dares to take on religion, gay rights, privilege, prison conditions? No need to answer me. The censorship board already has. (Thanks, guys! Love you too.)

#LookAtMe is a necessary film for this age of crazy. I love how it tackles so many uncomfortable things about Singapore and Singaporeans, how it growls at all the rampant hypocrisy, how it weeps for it. Made me laugh and cry and hiss and want to throw rocks at people and people at rocks. Excellent cast wrung emotions from me I wasn't aware I still had.

I wish more people could see it! Yes, that deserved an exclamation point.

In #LookAtMe Ken Kwek covers dark issues in Singapore revolving around religion, LGBTQ+, social media and family, and the film allows the viewers to feel what it is to live in a country where living authentically can not only make someone's life very difficult but also destroy their family. The story takes dark turns and makes the viewers sad and shocked, but it's tied in with humor, family love and hope, which makes it a compelling watch. Among the stellar cast Yao plays both the twin brothers brilliantly, while Pam Oei delivers the most poignant performance as their mother. A very important film for Singapore and the world.

Apart from the LGBT theme, #lookatme reveals the danger and power of words in the internet age whereby words can as much elevate a person as it can destroy one. An impulsive vlog by the protagonist Sean has caused the whole family to suffer in extreme ways. Loosely based on events that happened in Singapore, Ken Kwek's #lookatme dealing with themes of LGBT, religion, effects of social media - is really not just about Singapore as these issues can happen anywhere in the world. Teetering between facts and fiction, #lookstme that is heartwarming, funny, and thought-provoking; it's a movie worth watching for Singaporeans and global audience alike!

If you need to get on an emotional rollercoaster for the kicks, there's no better way than to watch this film. Ken Kwek manages to rile you up first with righteous indignation, then lull you into complacency with impeccably timed comic spells, then shock you into gritting your teeth and gripping your seat.

#LookAtMe is storytelling mastery par excellence. Don't let the fact that it's been banned in its country of origin distract you from thoroughly enjoying this film. That meta fact acts as a teaser for some of the weirder things depicted in the film, which, if you live in Singapore with your eyes and ears open, you'd know to be fairly accurate.

Catch it or regret it!

Recently saw this film and felt very much like Ken Kwek had taken me on an emotional roller coaster. The film, aside from being incredibly well shot and written, covers a broad range of issues ripped from the news in Singapore-but which have implications for communities around the world: the (very real) hypocrisy of evangelical leaders, the fear of speaking out in countries that punish free speech, and the ways in which families will sacrifice everything they have for one another.

The cast is superb. Yao is an actor to watch for sure. He carries almost every scene in the film as twins caught in the gears of the world around them, and through them we're allowed to see how destructive the world we've created can be for people who just want to live their authentic lives. He really is a truly talented young actor. Pam Oei, a Singaporean actress often associated with her comedic chops, also shines here as a mom who not only unconditionally supports her children but will do anything for them. Her performance is heartbreakingly sincere.

The film ends perfectly, which is such a hard landing to stick in any movie-perhaps more so when a final emotional catharsis is needed. Kwek nails it.