Ilo Ilo (2013)

I'm quite certain that I'd never seen a Singaporean feature before. I'm less certain how I came to put it on my list. But when my DVD player stopped working and I saw fit to pick something of a modest length to stream, this looked different enough to try.

In 1997, Filipina migrant Terry starts work as a maid for a family of four (if you count the unborn). She must be quite desperate for money, because she has left behind a baby son whom she misses dearly, and she'll take a lousy second job. The recession clearly goes farther than the Philippines; neither parent has much job security or satisfaction, and they take gambles like the lottery seriously. Ten-year-old boy Jiale is troubled less by finances and more by a highly contrary demeanor. Nevertheless, his initial coldness to Terry gives way to an affection that makes his mom jealous.

I'm guessing that most of the dialog is in Tamil, since Mom indicates that they don't speak Malay and it doesn't sound like Mandarin to me. Like in many a Bollywood flick, there's a smattering of English, most of which appears slightly paraphrased in the subtitles. Perhaps the family speaks it a little more in conversations with Terry.

The family woes, economic or otherwise, are rather relentless but not improbable. I don't easily feel sorry for Jiale, tho we come to develop some idea of what prompts him to be a brat. (Yes, he gets caned, and we see his injured buttocks in uncomfortable detail.) His parents, while generally decent, have their own sins on their heads. Truly, Terry must be the most sympathetic character.

The movie actually reminds me a little of A Separation, insofar as it carries a dismal air that never strays from credibility. I don't recall much background music not provided by characters, either, so maybe it matches AS that way too. My research suggests that the director had something semi-autobiographical in mind.

Unless you know someone from Southeast Asia, you probably won't find II handy as a conversation piece. It's not like it made the cut for Academy Best Foreign Language Film nominations. But if you don't mind this type of drama, it makes for a worthy viewing.