In the fourth season of the ciNE65 Short Film Competition, filmmakers were invited to share their take on the theme “Home • Truly” through a 3-minute film. Naturally, this theme would hardly be complete without a good dose of SAF-related films. Here are five we have picked out for you:
Unique feature: These NSFs are ready to fight... against a zombie apocalypse.
Strength(s): A fun genre spin on the usual NS fare, with convincing make-up/set design.
Weakness(es): A zombie fight scene gets overtaken by a propagandistic voiceover.
Action rating: 3/5. Relies on slow-mo and cutaways when the sh*t hits the fan.
REDCON status: REDCON-1. If zombies in your kopitiam don't motivate you to fight, nothing will.
Ang Ku Kueh (watch the film)
Unique feature: Maybe the only NS-related film set at the optometrist's.
Strength(s): The most colour-saturated film on this list, starting with the snack of the title!
Weakness(es): Do many NS enlistees worry about colour blindness?
Action rating: 0/5. Unless you count falling and scraping your elbow, in which case, 1/5.
REDCON status: REDCON-4. Eye exam only what. Fail also won't die.
Ang Teng Kee (watch the film)
Unique feature: A full-blown urban action sequence. People get shot in the head.
Strength(s): Sometimes you just want to see a military shoot-out. Here you go.
Weakness(es): The non-fight scenes are kinda draggy, and aren't composed dynamically.
Action rating: 4/5. People get shot. In the head.
REDCON status: REDCON-3. The action sequence also only in the protagonist's head.
Generations (watch the film)
Unique feature: A girl grows up wanting to be an Air Force pilot. Yay women!
Strength(s): Less testosterone-laden than your usual SAF promo film. Prettily shot.
Weakness(es): Still basically your usual SAF promo film.
Action rating: 0/5. Unless you count wake-boarding in a pond, in which case, 1/5.
REDCON status: REDCON-4. Pretty shots of wake-boarding guarantees minimum alert.
With My Life (watch the film)
Unique feature: Set in a dystopian Singapore at war in 2045.
Strength(s): Another fun genre spin on the usual NS fare. Again, nice make-up/set design!
Weakness(es): The family drama is a tad forced and overwrought.
Action rating: 3/5. A brief burst of artillery fire. Even worse: theme parks no longer exist.
REDCON status: REDCON-2. Still got time to lepak on the battlefield, look at family photos.
Watch the rest of the ciNE65 IV entries on the ciNE65 YouTube channel.
Written by Colin Low
For the full list of May 2017's 10 films under STOP10, click here.