April 2017 - Fresh from the box office success of local erotic thriller Siew Mai, about a girl who murdered a plastic surgeon for a boob job gone wrong, Singaporean director Sam Sung is turning the steam up again with a new film based on the story of fallen American Qigong instructor, Jojo Robinson, who was convicted for having sex with underaged women and keeping a collection of child porn. Titled Goreng Pisang, the film is the last of Sam Sung’s trilogy of erotic thrillers titled around familiar food items in Singapore. Prior to Siew Mai, Wanton Soup, about a human-flesh-eating Church pastor, rocked the box office as Singapore’s first erotic thriller in 2015.
In March this year, the news of Jojo Robinson stirred up an online storm when he received a four-year sentence on nine charges of sexual misconduct brought against him. Most netizens bemoaned the fact that the sentence was too light and there was no judicial caning imposed. Many compared his case to sentences meted out to other offenders of sexual misconduct, which involved longer prison stays and caning. Some also compared Robinson’s case to that of Michael Fei who was caned for graffiti, widely perceived to be a less serious crime.
Director Sam Sung said, ”My trilogy of films all carry a common message of empowerment. If you are bullied, harassed, violated, do not take things sitting down. Do it standing up. Take control of matters in your own hands and find your own light at the end of the tunnel. Especially when the law fails to achieve the right outcomes.’’
Goreng Pisang follows the life of Jojo Robinson, an American who came to Singapore as a computer animation artist. His exposure as a public figure in Singapore had an early start when ContactMe Singapore chose him as a poster boy to attract more foreigners to work in Singapore. A few years later, his fascination with kungfu led to a career switch to become a Qigong practitioner. However, the practice of Qigong unlocked new energies in him, steering him towards a preference for women much younger than him. Hookup after hookup, his dates became younger and younger, to a point beyond control. One day, a girl named Latifah noticed her twin sister Leticia going out with Jojo and upon stalking the couple, discovered her sister had been coerced into sexual activities with Jojo. Growing up with her hawker mother who used to sell goreng pisang, Latifah decided to put her banana-frying skills to good use. This leads to a final showdown between Latifah and Jojo Robinson.
After an arduous two-month casting process in which director Sam Sung met over 1,000 auditionees on a casting couch, the final cast was confirmed. The role of Jojo Robinson will be played by Bobbi Linguini, a Mediacorpse actor, famed for playing almost all ‘Ang Moh’ on Mediacorpse’s Channel 5. Local comedienne and stage actress Siti Khalifah will play both twin sisters, Leticia the victim and Latifah the heroine. The film will also feature 30 child actors from Joo Koon Primary School.
With a budget of close to S$5 million, filming will start next month in May, with locations spread between Singapore and the United States to depict Jojo’s early life. In Singapore, filming activities will be concentrated in Yishun.
The film will also feature a specially-commissioned theme song sung by local indie-music artiste Six-Inch Chua, titled ‘Goreng Your Pisang’. According to Six-Inch Chua, ‘Goreng Your Pisang’ is a feisty fast-beat song that sings of courage and standing up for what’s right. The song is already available for download on Bi-Tunes from next week onwards.
When asked whether he is worried that the film may eventually be banned given its choice of a highly-sensitive topic, director Sam Sung said,”Even though my previous erotic thrillers featured nudity and many sex scenes, I believe the censors saw the underlying message my films were trying to convey. If it is banned, even better for the film.’’
- Doomberg News