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4:30 (2007)
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Theatrical Release: 23-11-2007
Synopsis: "4:30" traces the relationship between Xiao Wu, an eleven year old Chinese Boy and his tenant Jung, a thirty-something Korean man. Told entirely from the perspective of the boy, Xiao Wu, this story of two very different characters is less about friendship than about a shared experience and... "4:30" traces the relationship between Xiao Wu, an eleven year old Chinese Boy and his tenant Jung, a thirty-something Korean man. Told entirely from the perspective of the boy, Xiao Wu, this story of two very different characters is less about friendship than about a shared experience and appreciation of solitude. "4:30" starts with Xiao sneaking to the room of Jung in the early hours of the morning, and stealing from the Korean man. Just as getting intoxicated is a habit for Jung, who only staggers back to his rented room when drunk, soon stealing for Xiao Wu becomes equally as compulsive. We soon realize that Jung's true intention for staying in Singapore is suicide. It is only through Xiao's encounter with Jung failing in his bid to die that he begins to understand his true fascination with Jung. [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Kim Young-Jun
Reviews
This long, all-but-wordless piece is good on the endless boredom of unsupervised childhood.
Somewhat ironically for a film about insomnia, 4:30 manages to send its audience to sleep. A lack of plot and an ill-judged belief in its own importance make it a disappointment for Tan fans.
Nicely shot but too wilfully obscure for many tastes, it's to Xiao Li Yuan's credit that he carries a movie whose unrequited love theme doesn't merit this length.
A melancholic treatise on isolation and our failure to connect with those closest to us.
Royston Tan's film comes alive in the green hued semi-darkness of the flat, using long takes and infinite silences to show two troubled souls connecting through their mutual loneliness.
With this production (a natural progression from his previous work, notably 15) director Royston Tan most assuredly moves from the category of filmmaker to artist.


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