Perth

Harry Lee is only just fifty, but already dreaming of his retirement. He is dreaming of Perth, that quietest of quiet cities in Australia, but his financial situation does not permit him to leave Singapore. Right at the start of the film, he loses his job as security guard. He also bears a past shrouded in mist with him. And he lives separated from his wife, whom he is said to have abused. His son, who did succeed in life, is really ashamed of his father and wants nothing to do with him. There is more in the past, but that remains under the surface. It has something to do with the war, with Vietnam, Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge. But you only catch a glimpse of it in his occasionally uncontrolled bouts of anger. Lee becomes a taxi driver to save for his dream. He drives call girls to their clients. The confrontation with a shady world, with violence, brings old traumas to the surface. His unpredictable behaviour repeatedly gets him into trouble. The film is carried by the actor Lim Kay Tong, who has a wonderful poker face and a disturbing way of moving. Standing absolutely still, he makes it clear that you can expect anything of him, that he can explode at any moment. The film has been described as a Singaporean remake of Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, but that does not do justice to this film. You could call it a homage, but the film has a story all its own to tell. (GjZ)