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15
2004
The adventure of five fifteen year old boys in Singapore: estranged to every social reference, except for that of appearance and close friendships, they live their lives distant from their families and school, passing their days in a complete state of indolence in the search of experiences, at times even physically painful (.. Read more
| Starring | Melvin Chen, Erick Chun, Melvin Lee, Vynn Soh |
|---|---|
| Director | Royston Tan |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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15
The adventure of five fifteen year old boys in Singapore: estranged to every social reference, except for that of appearance and close friendships, they live their lives distant from their families and school, passing their days in a complete state of indolence in the search of experiences, at times even physically painful (tattoos, piercing, wounds). Their imaginary is completely colonized by MTV, cartoons, electronic jingles, publicity and comics.
| Starring | Melvin Chen, Erick Chun, Melvin Lee, Vynn Soh, Shaun Tan |
|---|---|
| Director | Royston Tan |
| Studio | PECCADILLO PICTURES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 36 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | Mandarin |
| Subtitles | English |
| Released | DVD: 16 May 2005 Production year: 2004 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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Director Royston Tan's uncompromising take on teenage ennui caused outrage in its native Singapore. The story of five young friends living on the fringes of society is played out by actual street kids, who re-enact their own experiences of drug abuse, promiscuity and violence. Sequences containing an animated guide to suicide and a rap tribute to the Lion City's most feared street gangs reveal the director's outspoken support for these nonconformists. However, Tan's background in music videos lends the film a self-consciously modish look, which, coupled with the fractured editing style, somewhat swamps the fragile feelings of these young rebels whose only cause is to be accepted on their own terms.
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Singaporean wunderkind Tan reckons that in the 80s he would have been jailed for his anti-consensual punk film... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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11 out of 13 people found this review helpful
singapore kids?
this has so far only made limited release in the uk. its alot more hard hitting than larry clark's kids, with less of a plot and much jumping around. that said it is fascinating. a good portrayal of disaffected youth, definitely worth seeing.
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Most recent members' review
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5 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Singaporean angst
Royston Tan first directed '15' as a short film - just 18 minutes duration. This was widely praised on the film festival circuit a year or so back. I'm not sure that stretching the material to 90 minutes has been completely successful, however there are a number of moments in this film which are poignant and stay in the mind. There are also scenes that are quite stomach-churning - swallowing condoms full of ecstasy pills; graphic scenes of self-piercing and a deeply sad scene of self-mutilation.
But for me the most affecting section of the film was the second half which focussed on the relationship between Shaun and Erick. Theirs is a non-sexual loving relationship. Their mutual utter loneliness is the glue which holds these two young boys together. But you know somehow that these are lives already lost. They are outside the rigid Singaporean system and will inevitably fall foul of the law. A fact born out by the end captions. See this film, but not if you're feeling depressed. -
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