Baby Boy

I was determined from the onset of this filming process to produce a documentary that is socially-engaged. There are still many stories of youth in-risk in a local Singaporean context that have yet to be properly represented in the media. Sadly, portraying lives so afflicted by the conditions of social inequality easily becomes a spectacle of poverty, reductive “turning-a-new-leaf” narratives. It is crucial that filmmakers/ journalists try to understand the entire network of influences that (dis)empower these youth.

Its heavily impact his decision-making ability. Every instability in these relationships weighs on his ability to make the necessary steps into adulthood and maturity, despite his earnest attempts to improve himself. Yet, a sliver of hope can be scrounged through Zaki’s accounting for his life, as his latent self awareness stands testament to a growing sense of ownership over his actions.

While my team aims to document Zaki’s life as realistically as possible, there are many aspects of his future that are obscured, and we hope that our planned animation sequences will sensitively capture the emotional tenor of Zaki’s aspirations and fears.

I hope you feel and connect with Zaki’s unique charisma through these vignettes of his life, and that in his story you will be confronted to reflect upon the mantras deeply embedded within every individual’s inability to overcome their inertia.