REPOSSESSION (2019)

Genre: Drama
Director: Ming Siu Goh, Scott C. Hillyard
Cast: Gerald Chew, Amy J Cheng, Sivakumar Palakrishnan, Rachel Wan, Matthew Loo
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Coarse Language and Violence)
Released By: The Projector
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 20 December 2020

Synopsis: 50-year-old Jim (Gerald Chew, "Apprentice", Cannes Film Festival 2016 Un Certain Regard) loses his high-flying job in status-conscious Singapore, but his ego and pride compel him to hide this from his wife (Amy J Cheng, "Crazy Rich Asians") and daughter. His only confidante is his best friend (Sivakumar Palakrishnan, "A Yellow Bird", Cannes Film Festival 2016 Critics' Week). Desperately clinging onto the material symbols of his past success, he unlocks a hibernating malevolent force, with sinister roots in long-buried secrets. As his dream life crumbles around him, worlds collide, the lines between then and now become increasingly blurred, and Jim descends into a waking nightmare… REPOSSESSION is a bold, genre-bending film, with an ever-evolving, haunting soundscape from Golden Horse Award-winning composer Teo Wei Yong (“A Land Imagined”).

Movie Review:

It is convenient to label this local film as a horror flick. The title suggests some sort of paranormal activity, and the poster is drenched in blood red. The trailer is moody and there are sequences where characters go bonkers as if they are, well, possessed.

But this production isn’t what you’d expect from a horror movie from Singapore. What we are familiar with are productions that are littered with jump scares, gory make up and even slapstick humour. This film digs deeper into the darker side of cosmopolitan Singapore and exposes the repressed souls who are facing another dimension of horror on a daily basis.

When the film begins, we see the protagonist is Jim (a painfully relatable performance by Gerald Chew), a middle aged businessman, getting fired from his high paying job. Things aren’t going to be rosy, especially when he is staying in a luxurious apartment with his beautiful wife and smart daughter (Amy Cheng and Rachel Wan). He also has an expensive car which has brought him much convenience over the years.

The only person Jim tells about his plight is his pal (Sivakumar Palakrishnan), who keeps giving him sound advice. But pride has it that Jim stubbornly (and to a certain extent, foolishly) keeps making bad decisions, which lead to one strange (and unfortunate) incident after another.

The 96 minute film explores what’s beneath the façade of success most of us have been seemingly enjoying. Is there a price to be paid, or have we already paid our dues? While it won’t the most enjoyable film to sit through, the experience is a worthy one as the movie may challenge your perspectives on things.

Packaged as a psychological horror movie, there are some plot twists which fans of the genre won’t find too surprising. It is still a notable effort though, considering the overarching theme of the screenplay. Viewers also shouldn’t be expecting a typical Hollywood style of storytelling, or high budget effects that pop out at you from the screen. This is an independent production that scores high on concepts instead of popcorn entertainment.

The ensemble cast delivers commendable performances, and what stands out is the score composed by Golden Horse Award winner Teo Wei Yong (A Land Imagined). The atmospheric soundscape created is especially apt for the film.

Kudos to director Goh Ming Siu for helming the project with co director Scott C Hillyard. The two of them are also writers and producers for the film, which has been screened at various international film festivals and recognised with a handful of accolades. This is quite a feat and honour for local filmmakers during the current pandemic. 

Movie Rating:

(An atmospheric psychological horror that questions the price of success in cosmopolitan Singapore)

Review by John Li