12 storeys (term 1_ october 2014) final lecture version
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Discerning the Stories in 12 Storeys:
Reading its Silences, Parallels and
Implicit Stories
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• A reminder that there are no tutorials this
week.
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Coffee drinking scene in CKE
• City space is heterogeneous
• Made up of different psychological zones
• Wong uses different rates of motion
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Eric Khoo’s films
• Mee ok Man !"##$%• "& 'toreys !"##(%
• )e With Me !&**$%
• My Magic !&**+%
• ,atsumi !&*""%
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• Eric Khoo’s upcoming film-
n the /oom !&*"$%
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• )oo 0unfeng 'andcastle !&*"*%
• Anthony Chen lo lo !&*"1%
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Approaches to "& 'toreys !a
summary slide%• ,he 2iewer is in2ited-
• !"% ,o e3plore parallels and contrasts
4etween different characters• !&% ,o engage with Khoo’s use of silence in
the film the silence may contain a
comple3 emotional reality• !1% ,o discern that there are other stories
4eyond what is represented
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'ection A- "& 'toreys
• 5ike CKE6 "& 'toreys depicts a few sets of
characters within a certain milieu
• 7ther films which contain a few stories
• aul ,homas Anderson Magnolia !"###%
• 'te2en 'oder4ergh ,raffic !&***%
• Ale8andro 9onz:lez ;:rritu )a4el !&**<%
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=our stories . . . ,wel2e
stories . . . nnumera4le stories>• ,he film’s title?is a pun intended> i.e. "&
stories> !@ot e3actly "& stories 4ut
innumera4le stories%
• ,he closing shots of an entire 4lock of B)
flats
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• Bow many stories are there>
• 1F stories>
•1 G stories>
• 1 stories>
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• What is the duration of Khoo’s film> When
does the film 4egin> When does it end>
• An inno2ati2e timeFscheme first used in
modernist no2els in the "#&*s !0ames
0oyce’s HlyssesI Jirginia Woolf’s Mrsalloway%
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• As with CKE6 the different sets of characters
in "& 'toreys ne2er interact with one another
• 5ike CKE6 "& 'toreys is also a4outrelationships in an ur4an conte3t>
D Bow6 in the city6 there can 4e pro3imity
without reciprocityL D ,hough li2ing in the same apartment 4lock
there is no significant interaction
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• A moment of meaningful or deep
connection>
• Kampung spirit>
• s there any significance in the use of the
playground as a setting>
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• B) 4lock
D 'ym4olizes 'ingapore’s successful
economic de2elopment
D A means of critiuing 'ingapore’s
economic de2elopment
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D 'pecifically6 the ur4an conte3t of the moderncityFstate of 'ingapore
D ,he B) 4lock as an icon or sym4ol of'ingaporean modernity
!B) N Bousing e2elopment )oard%
D ,he film is a criticism of 'ingapore as ha2ingmade great progress in terms of economicde2elopment 4ut lacking in the area ofrelationships> !and emotional de2elopment>%
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D Economic progress at the cost of other
2alues or priorities>
D ,he uniformity of the B) flats
D ,he case of 'pirit who is associated with
play and creati2ity
D ronic 8u3taposition of 'an 'an and the
B) 4lock
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• 7ne of film’s key concerns- the 4reakdown
of human relationships in ur4an 'ingapore
!in contrast to the pu4lic image of asuccessful and modern 'ingapore6 or
images propagated 4y the go2ernment and
the media%• All!>% the characters are alienated
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• E2en more important- an emphasis on
characters 4eing in pain
D n CKE6 characters too are alienated 4ut
emphasis is not on pain
• At its close6 "& 'toreys clima3es in a
crescendo of pain
presents successi2echaractersFFMeng6 5ili6 'an 'anFFin pain
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ainO
• Meng’s pain from repressing his own
desires !due to his morally upright image%
• 5ily’s relational pain
• 'an 'an’s silent pain
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'ection )- 1 methods Khoo uses• !"% arallels are implied 4etween the characters
• =ilm constantly in2ites the 2iewer to 8u3taposeand compare the characters
• =or e3ample6 parallels are indicated 4y- D ,he use of miseFenFscene !mirrors6 in this
case%
D Can you identify another prop that is common
to all the stories> D Characters doing the same thing !e.g. trying on
a dress%
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• 'an 'an6 Meng and 5ili look into the mirror
• What could 4e the significance of this act of
looking into the mirror>
• A pri2ate moment of selfFintrospection>
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Meng and the mirror
• ,he e3ternal image of the model citizen?he is
the character most fully shaped 4y the policies
of the 'ingapore go2ernment>• Also6 can he 4e read as a metaphor for the
'ingapore go2ernment>
• Bence6 what e2entually happens to him is ironic• n Meng6 we find a repressed se3uality
• And a dou4le life !suggested 4y the mirror%
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• Meng’s dark se3ual desires
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An aside- nterpreting Meng
• aternalistic6 like an o2er4earing father-
D 'eeking to regulate the li2es of his wards6
without respecting their indi2iduality!,ri3ie says- am what am.L%
D Bas pro2ided for his si4lings 4ut uses this
act to demand their conformity D /eflects the style of the 'ingapore
go2ernment>
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• !&% resenting a short snippet so that the
2iewer needs to read the implied story• ,here is another untold story.
• E3amples-
D 'pirit and his !physical>% pain
D /achel and her past marriage to an American man D 0oyce and the other =ilipino maid
• A passing reference to parentFchild separation
• /esonates with the other stories
• ,he fuller story 4ehind this snippet is left untold,hus6 the 2iewer is in2ited to imagine the untold
story 4ehind this snippet
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• !1% ,he use of silence
• ,he 2iewer has to read certain characters’
silence makes for more am4iguity andrichness>
• =or e3ample6 'an 'an’s silence !t contains
comple3 feelingsO%• 'pirit’s silence completely silent
throughout the film
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Many different languages are
used in the film• Englishes !Meng P,his is the Wong /esidenceLQFFand
Eddy Pinnocence relationsLQ%
•Chineses !5ili and Ah 9u% D Chinese dialects !Mandarin6 Cantonese6 Bokkien6
,eochew%
• Malay
• ,amil• ,agalog
• 'ilence
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'ection C More on the film’s
parallels and 8u3tapositions• As ha2e said6 one of the film’s methods is to
imply parallels and 8u3tapositions 4etween thecharacters. @ote how 2arious parallels and
8u3tapositions are impliedO
• 'an 'an and Meng'an 'an and 'pirit
'an 'an and /achel'an 'an and 5ili!We can 8u3tapose 'an 'an with characters ore2en more.%
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• Meng and 'an 'an
Meng and 'pirit
Meng and Ah 9u
Meng and Eddy
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,he film may effect direct
8u3tapositions within the same
shot
• !"% Meng and 'an 'an
D 5et’s comment on the use of miseFenF
scene in this shot
D Comment on the playground !i.e. the use
of setting%
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• !&% 'an 'an and the 'pirit man
D ,he wordless drama on the "&th storeyO
D ,he scene is silent?yet tur4ulent feelings
4eneath. Also we can only guess at these
unarticulated thoughts and feelings.
!'pirit’s moti2ations>% D What is the parallel 4etween them> What is
the difference 4etween them>
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• ,he use of silence?a more am4iguous and
richer scene.
• 'ilence as alienation 4ut also
communicationO
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'an 'an and 'pirit
• A chance encounter in the lift !like CKEO%
• 'pirit’s silent identification with 'an 'an>
• 'pirit kills himself to return to comfort her>>>
• An unlikely relationship 4etween a young man and anolder woman>
• ,he one redempti2e relationship in the film !conducted
entirely in silence%?someone cares6 and an unspoken
4ond 4etween themO• 'an 'an and 'pirit are one storyO
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,he film may simply suggest
implicit parallels• Jiewer in2ited to ponder numerous other implicit
parallels
• We can construct a parallel 4etween /achel and 'an'an’s mother and . . .>
D ,raditional 2ersus modern 2ersion
• /elationship 4etween a maid and the child she 4rings
up.
• Echoed in /achel’s maid !0oyce% who 4rings up
/achel’s son.
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• /achel and 5ili?the film doesn’t 8u3tapose
them directly6 they will ne2er meet each other.
,he comparison 4etween them is implicit.What similarity do we see 4etween them>
• s 5ili’s e3perience mirrored in /achel’s>• /achel as the 'ingapore 4rideL
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5ili and 'an 'an- Bow would you
compare them> What similarities do you
see 4etween them>
• Editing in2ites us to compare them
• 7ne character’s concern or situation 4ecomes mirrored in the
other
• )oth are 2ictims of physical appearances !the plight ofwomen>%
D =ilm ends with the pain of female e3istence• )oth ha2e relational and se3ual needs
• )oth e3perience displacement !as a 'ingaporean and as aforeigner%
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• 'an 'an and 5ili
• 'an 'an and /achel
• 5ili and /achel
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'ection ,he use of miseFenF
scene
• Costumes?any interesting e3amples>
• ,he use of mirrors
• ,he use of color>
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' i = M h Kh
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'ection = Moments where Khoo
departs from continuity editing
used in CBC
• nFclass e3ercise-
D CoffeeFshop seuence
D 'an 'an in her flat !with motherL%?
echoes of sycho> PComment on how
motherL is presented.Q