樸運_The Keeper

I sometimes believe finding materials that may resonate with a filmmaker coming from a different cultural background can be daunting from the start, especially for a young director like myself, who is at the early stage of their formation. It is ultimately in the screenplay 樸運 (The Keeper), predominantly a Chinese drama, scripted and based in a language that is entirely foreign to mine, I find the subject explored to be extremely relevant to my own culture in my own country. India, just as any former colony countries such as Singapore, has had both positive, and as well negative impacts on its social-economic landscape even long after the colonization has ended. Having been raised by strong-willed grandparents myself, I find the story to be universal and yet personal; the writer has managed to enchant by its beautiful tapestry of relatable human behaviors and experience set in a very simple premise in a family. This has given me the confidence to trust and work with the material other than my own. Although the film was made with very limited resources and locations, we were moved to be able to explore another facet of life in contemporary Singapore told from the point-of-view of a man who is trying to keep his family together. While making the film has also reaffirmed in me that filmmaking as a medium for communication, it truly has the ability to transcend the barriers of language, for we are constantly fraught with similar circumstances--it really does not matter where we are or who we are.