It was an unusual 21st birthday party. For one, celebrities such as familiar TV face Nick Shen were mingling among the guests. For another, the party was held in a movie theatre (Sinema, to be exact). And instead of the usual door gift, I received a press kit.

Catching my eye was the star of the day, Timothy J. Alvin, who hurried over excitedly to welcome Youth.SG's Jasmine and me. It was the fledging director's birthday party last Fri, as well as the press conference and private screening of his first movie, The Release, since graduating from Republic Polytechnic with a diploma in new media.

When everyone was seated comfortably on bright red sofas, local indie rock band PostBox  serenaded us with 'Miss Sunshine', the theme song to his mentee's (yes, he is 21 and has a mentee!) short, Summer of Impermanence. Then, in a very encouraging gesture, this very short—about the futility of negativism and on how happiness is all up to the individual—was screened next.

Then finally, The Release! The 40-minute Hokkien film revolves around the lives of a mother (Lin Liyun) and her son Jia Hao (Nick Shen). Handicapped in the same car accident that killed Jia Hao's father, life is tough for the duo. Jia Hao faces unemployment woes, yet has to take care of his wheelchair-bound mother. Things change when Jia Hao meets his rich girlfriend (Priscelia Chan) who takes a strong dislike to his mother and tempts him to desert his mother for a better life with her. Will Jia Hao choose love or kin?

The short film is based on a true story of a woman who practised mercy release on her mother-in-law. Mercy release is the practice of freeing a caged animal, and has in recent years received flak as an act of cruelty (one example here).


Timothy said, “After hearing the story, I was very disturbed. The emotion I was first drawn to was the loneliness experienced by the mother. I thought, when I grow old, I would really want someone to talk to me. Hokkien was chosen (as the language) because it’s a common dialect among the Chinese and it’s more authentic for Jia Hao to converse in dialect rather than Chinese. Dialects are also closer to the hearts of old people.”

Timothy made brilliant use of long scenes to convey the silence of the house and estrangement of the mother from the outside world. Vibrant colours and a quicker pace were introduced with Jia Hao's girlfriend in the picture. This reminded me of what my science teacher used to say—beware of brightly coloured animals and plants. They are often dangerous.

An interesting character in the movie is Jia Hao’s neighbour (Alice Ho), who helps to obtain meals for his mother while the son looks for jobs. Though her role is relatively minor, the character's presence serves as a powerful one on the obligations of external parties. Very often, we do what we can to help, and leave thinking that we have helped. But have we really? Can we?

I was touched by the film and even teared.

The message shown at the end of the short really hit home: “When you choose to give up your loved ones, don’t expect to find them back again.” Timothy shared that many people asked him on the whereabouts of the mother but his answer is, “It’s not important anymore, really. The moment you make the choice, there’s no more turning back.”

With a thought-provoking storyline, strong cast and an ambitious young director, The Release is a must-watch short film that explores life’s contradictions. Youth.SG understands that the film crew is in talks to bring the short film to schools, while there are plans for a public screening and DVD release this year. SY

PHOTOS FROM PRESS CONFERENCE: JASMINE CHAN

Want The Release to come to your school? Drop a quick email to media[a]thereleasemovie.com with your name, contact, the name of your school, as well as the name and contact of a relevant school teacher who can help.

Sim Yee is an optimist and believes that everything is okay in the end (if it is not okay, it is not the end). She also dreams of owning all the fairytale-like paintings of Thomas Kinkade someday.

THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF Oct 19-25 :: The Passion Issue