Film Picks: A New Old Play, Children Of Men, Everything Everywhere All At Once – Extended Version

A New Old Play follows the story of a Sichuan Opera clown as he travels through the underworld, reliving his life's most important moments. PHOTO: THE PROJECTOR

A New Old Play (NC16)

179 minutes

Chinese artist and film-maker Qiu Jiongjiong’s first fiction feature in 2021 won acclaim at the Locarno International Film Festival (Special Jury Prize) and at the Hong Kong International Film Festival (Firebird Award).

Set in the 1980s, in a China still dealing with the upheavals of the previous two decades, a man relives a life filled with trauma and triumph.

Qiu Fu (Yi Sicheng) is a clown with the Sichuan Opera. Upon his death, his soul moves through the underworld, where he recalls formative experiences, including his brushes with war and revolution and the choices he made to survive.

This screening includes a virtual post-show question-and-answer session with the director.

Where: Projector X: Picturehouse, 05-01 The Cathay, 2 Handy Road
MRT: Dhoby Ghaut/Bras Basah
When: March 4, 1.20pm
Admission: $15 (standard) and $13 (concession)
Info: str.sg/wvDa


Children Of Men (NC16)

Children Of Men is set in 2027, when humanity has been afflicted with sterility for some time. PHOTO: UIP

109 minutes, Netflix

5 stars

Just added to Netflix is this evocation of a ruined Earth that, for realism and excitement value, has yet to be topped in cinema. While it might be based on a 1992 P.D. James novel, Mexican film-maker Alfonso Cuaron took liberties with the story, making it eerily prescient.

Released in 2006, this dystopian thriller predicted Brexit and the rise of right-wing populism, all seen through the eyes of a man who has given up on life. Its action set pieces are as intricate as they are astonishing.

It is 2027 and humanity has been afflicted with sterility for some time. Theo (Clive Owen) is a jaded civil servant dragged into a conspiracy. He gets caught between a British government that milks the fear of foreigners and a terrorist organisation holding hostage the first woman to become pregnant in 18 years.


Everything Everywhere All At Once – Extended Version (M18)

Michelle Yeoh (left) and Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything Everywhere All At Once. PHOTO: MM2 ENTERTAINMENT

151 minutes

4 stars

Brought back to Singapore cinemas for awards season is the movie that defies description – it has gongfu, drama and science-fiction, as well as the goofiest comedy aesthetics seen in a work that is not a cartoon. At the upcoming Oscars in March, the 2022 film is in the running for major awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh.

This cut features an introduction by writers-directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, as well as eight minutes of out-takes after the end credits.

Evelyn (Yeoh) is a laundromat owner worn down by everyday problems, which in turn sours her relationship with husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) and daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu). A multidimensional portal opens, giving the Chinese-American immigrant a chance to see herself living different lives.

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