The film is called Shirkers, shot in Singapore in 1992. It was written by Sandi Tan, who also acted in the lead role.
Shirkers was never released.
Until now.
Sort of.
What was originally intended as a road movie is now a documentary about why the film was never released.
And this version premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, USA, on Sunday to some positive notices.
IndieWire gave it a B+:
“Shirkers” has the handmade delicacy of a scrapbook come to life, blending ample footage from the original production with candid modern-day interviews and photography. Equal parts travelogue and archival rescue mission, the ensuing drama becomes a microcosm of broader themes.The New Yorker called the film "gloriously, gleefully idiosyncratic".
I'm happy for Sandi.
Before she moved to California, where she now lives, she was a movie reviewer for The Straits Times for a while.
In 2012, she published her novel The Black Isle.
But back in 1994, when I was the editor of a magazine called Man Life & Style, I hired her to write an article for me.
The article was about Shirkers, of course.
So to commemorate the long overdue premiere of the film, here is that 24-year-old article by Sandi herself:
