Jack Neo is one Singapore’s Directors and like Abbas Kiarostami he tackles issues of the country we live in and children!
Like, TEN which explores Iranian mother and son relationships and provides and insight to the lives of the people in Iran through a series of conversations held in the taxi, with various other characters,
Jack Neo (to me) is a director who has his own unique way of tackling issues back home, straight to the point and hits the nail on the head like Kiarostami. Of course there is Eric Khoo who directed Mee Pok Man and Royston Tan who directed 15 both of who have become “famous in their own way” but to me not as “successful”.
I NOT STUPID by Jack Neo questioned the educational system which we as students (in singapore) are put into and though that may be a local issue, it covers universal problems that parents face with teenagers, education, marriage, divorce, smoking and so on…
and his other film The Best Bet
which tackles the stress of work life (in singapore) for adults, some who choose to shun away from society and indulge in gambling and how it affects their life, marriage and so fourth.
As mentioned in the lecture “Kiarostami’s film forces you to consider your theoretical, epistemic position, ie, what sets of institutional knowledges aesthetic positions, and concepts do you bring to bear when watching, engaging with, and analysing a film that falls under the rubric of “third world cinema?”
I feel that Jack Neo’s films which many have critcised as too local, not international enough and lacking in that X factor. It is all because people who watch it (even singaporeans themselves), watch it with the same rubric of “LOCAL cinema”.
To me it is a pity that his films were not given enough exposure and publicity. If someone wants a insight to life in Singapore, (some Singaporeans may disagree) but i think Jack Neo, like Abbas Kiarostami manages to hit the nail on the spot for the people of their country.
