The last two movies I watched were Royston Tan's 881 and Pixar's Ratatouille.To me, these two films sing to two different groups of Singaporeans. Ratatouille's main guy, Remy (above), has a great gift: his keen sense of smell. It qualifies him to be a great chef, except that he's a rat! That didn't stop him, because he believe he can overcome that handicap. In 881, the Papaya sisters are talented Ge Tai singers, qualifying them to be the top act during the Chinese Seventh Month, except that one sister is destined to die of cancer. The similarity in the two movies is that both heroes/heroine shone despite their personal obstacles.
It's the difference between these two movies that I felt is most instructive in understanding Singaporeans. Now, this is just the crazy in me talking, but 881's hidden message is: "I am going to die soon, please let me hog the stage with my traditional act." Ratatouille's message? "We may look like little punks to you, but we're taking over the kitchen!"
Which ever movie you prefer after the viewing, don't miss either.
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