KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Thehibikiew Not even bad in a good way

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Qrobur Set at the end of the 20th century during the onset of a major Asian economic depression, Ilo Ilo depicts Teck, his wife Leng, their disruptive young boy Jiale and the maid, Teresa, whom they have hired to help look after them. The growing external pressure of the economic depression to which Teck and Leng are subjected is combined with the internal psychological pressures generated as Jiale's initial hostility towards Teresa mutates into a close friendship.Singapore is a wealthy but rigid society where status is regarded as important. As well as being a subtle depiction of the interplay between family and an outsider it also reflects the society within which it is set. It makes for absorbing watching.

tharun270 Amongst the rather dry, sappy cine-scape of Singapore, Ilo Ilo sticks out like a sore thumb of talent, great acting and brilliant camera-work on the part of Anthony Chen.Nevertheless, it's a flawed film. The story is loose-hinged - which suits the atmosphere which the film is trying to create. It engages us with the enigmatic character of Terry, the maid, who stumbles her way into the Lim family only to encounter a world of foreign hostility and bizarre drama. The influences are easy to catch on. Ozu's pillow shots - Terrence Malick's bright light set-ups and atmospheric shots - Ingmar Bergman's face shots and chamber quartet direction - as well as Kurosawa. (The easiest way to note Kurosawa's influence is through Chen's use of door- shots - mainly popularized through Ikiru by Kurosawa)But Ilo Ilo picks up too much and plays too little. It explores the maid's psyche to some extent but her character nevertheless feels like it was tossed in and thrown out of a washing machine without much thought put into it. We see her come in fine - and somehow go away fine with no change whatsoever in terms of her personality and views towards her life in Singapore.Thematically it is confused. It plays with many different "dramas" at once - trying to handle the numerous strings pulled by the script - only to be let go of them halfheartedly through the film. Anthony Chen brings up the idea of smoke and alcohol addiction and subsequent marital tension - but just leaves it hanging in the air without much resolution. Furthermore he adds the concept of deceptive appearances and prejudices against the maid - but none of these blossom into completion. The theme of pregnancy is weaved into the film's script - yet the film's only reference to the gestation is the physical presence of large belly. What we get in the end is a half-film, thematically. Furthermore, plot-wise it is weak and incomplete as well. What happens to the maid's job as a hair-dresser? What does she do there? Does she simply ditch the job? What was up with the sleeping pills? What about the money she had? What of her child and the problem with the Sister she was grumbling about over the phone? What happens to Jia Le after he is caned? There are so many unresolved plot lines - only simply hidden by a conscious attention to speeding up time, thereby streaming away from the incomplete parts of the script. It seems absurdly unfinished.The characters also are weak. At her fundamentals, the Mother of the house-hold seems to have a bipolar disorder. At one point she hates the maid's presence in the house and doubts her - and yet all of a sudden cares about her and is grateful to her. The Father from time to time is upset, and temperamental - yet is gentle and calm towards his family occasionally. The characters possess uneven, odd personalities that only weaken their on-screen potency. Nevertheless, the film does boast some solid acting, pushing my rating for it up to a 6. Angeli Bayani does a tremendous job as the maid struggling to survive in Singapore - and I would like to specially acknowledge her for I believe that her performance is a master-class in indie-acting for females. Never does Bayani condescend to her role - always treating the character of the Maid with elegance and eloquent motion. "Yes ma'am, good ma'am".I am impressed - don't get me wrong. Despite the numerous flaws, Chen's sensitive direction makes the flaws forgettable and the film otherwise. So is it worth a DVD? Yes. Theatre? Perhaps - maybe not.

evancyl Ilo Ilo did an excellent job of portraying the life of a middle-class Singaporean family. Set during the 1997 financial crisis, it revolves around one family's everyday struggles and their uneasy relationship with their newly hired maid. With both parents busy working, naughty 10- year-old Jia Ler is left to the maid's care. His antics get her into trouble, but they gradually form a close bond. Pregnant with a second child, the mother struggles to cope with the demands of work and family. The father is retrenched and despite all his efforts, is unable to find a job with comparable pay, forcing the family to cut back significantly.Although there was no proper storyline, the movie was engaging throughout and zoomed in on the struggles that each character faced. Everything was so real. The problems people face haven't changed, even though this was some 15 years ago. Singapore is known globally as a prosperous and affluent city, but few foreigners (even those living in our midst) know what life is like for the average Singaporean family. This movie is the perfect introduction.

amit agarwal Ilo Ilo tells a deceptively simple story with a lot of care and heart.The film is roughly set in the middle of the Asian financial crisis which also affected this small island nation.It tells of a friendship which grows between a young and rebellious boy who has just lost his beloved grandfather and his maid who arrives from Philippines to help his pregnant mother with her hectic schedule. The boys father loses his job and his mother juggles the tantrums of the brat and the increasing demands of her job which she needs to retain at all cost.Ilo Ilo demonstrates that the role of a nanny and domestic servant is very special.The tightrope that both employer and employee walk in balancing "you are a paid servant" and " you are a part of the family" can be so tight and the casualties so subtle that we don't notice the injuries until much later.In a dramatic scene, the school bully teases Jialer that his maid does not actually love him, she is just doing a job for which she is paid.This infuriates Jailer who lunges at the bully in a fit of rage. The director says the film was based on his personal experiences and how he felt that its very cruel for parents to allow maids to become like surrogate mothers and suddenly sack the maid for some reason.This can be a huge emotional trauma for the child who is unable to appreciate the reasons.While the film does not indict the system of foreign domestic helpers, it frames its argument for considering the human cost involved in a gentle way.The character of Teresa reminds us that those of us who were raised by nannies owe so much to them, and we often never acknowledge the debt fully.I completely admired the performance by Yan Yan Yeo who played Jailan's mother as the slightly humorless but ultimately kind woman.She navigates the role with the responsibility that the character must have felt, with her world crumbling around her in trying circumstances. Her performance is pitch perfect and I was amazed to know that her character was not conceived as being pregnant but after she was cast she became pregnant.She managed to convince the director to rewrite the role.Angela Bayani as the diminutive maid Teresa also delivers a stellar performance in a role that requires her to be vulnerable, strong, emotional, stoic and pragmatic at different points.Her chemistry with Jialer played by a very natural Koh Jia Ler is excellent and completely believable.The beauty of this film emerges when we juxtapose its sombre sepia images with the glitz and glamour of present day Singapore.Needless to say the intimate and de-glamorized cinematography by French lensman Benoit Soler plays a big role in creating this magic.The humour is one of the strengths of the film and although I may not have understood all the jokes about growing up in Singapore, going by the reaction of the audience Mr Chen has been successful in his efforts.Yes I did go in with very high expectations and the film did not meet all of them but that should not take anything away from this sweet and intimate film.The quality of the craft is impeccable and there are no rough edges in the film which is remarkable for a debutant director.I recently saw another period Singapore film – That Girl in Pinafore, which although not as elegant as Ilo Ilo tells an equally touching and boisterous tale of a group of teens being typical teens against the backdrop in xinyao music.These are the only two Singaporean films I have seen so far, but we foreigners who live in Singapore need to discover Singaporean cinema, which offers a window into its unique culture.Anthony Chen is the new poster boy of the fledgling film industry of Singapore after winning the Camera d'or at Cannes this year.This is his first full length feature after making eight highly acclaimed short films. Ilo Ilo is certainly a glittering debut film and hopefully the first in a long and interesting career.It may be Singapore's first Cannes winner but there must have been better films which have not garnered this kind of limelight.One hopes that Ilo Ilo is a watershed moment in Singapore cinema.