July 7, 2008 06:20 PM | by 
“Gone Shopping,” written and directed by Li Lin Wee, will make its U.S. premiere at AAIFF on July 16. Films made in Singapore are a new, fast-growing addition to the Asian film market, and this one—an offbeat satire set in a shopping mall—has gotten some good buzz. But when I agreed to review this film, I didn’t know I had a personal connection to Singapore.
At my college class reunion, I ran into a girl from my old dorm, who now teaches English there. She described Singapore as a crossroads in Asia—a mix of cultures, languages, and food, with a populace hell-bent on making and spending money. Her take, as a white American looking in, rang true to Wee’s portrayal of her homeland. The dialogue of “Gone Shopping” hops among Cantonese, English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil, unified by English subtitles throughout. The characters reflect a variety of ethnicities and classes, yet they’re unified by their hunger for the glittering promises of the mall.
The main character, Clara Wong (Kym Ng), is a wealthy tai-tai (housewife) nearing forty. With no children, no career, and a husband usually gone on business, Clara’s life is empty save for the hours she whiles away shopping. She pretends the sales clerks are her girlfriends, and looks for happiness in the next purchase. Other characters travel parallel to Clara; their paths intersect with hers, but the viewer is left to wonder whether their lives will enmesh. Twenty-something Aaron (Aaron Kao) flirts with Haru-loving Hui Hui (Magdalene Tan). Renu, an Indian girl (Sonya Nair), struggles to build an emotional haven when her parents disappear. While looking for her car, Clara runs into Valentine (Adrian Pang), an old boyfriend now toiling at a department store.
The plot is solid, with some interesting twists, but “Gone Shopping” is more driven by the characters and their pathos. They grasp for material things and meaningful relationships, with mixed results. Wee intersperses moments of wry humor throughout. Jackie Ong’s cinematography captures the mall’s polished, sterile allure, and the traditional cultures that encroach on its new-world materialism. One criticism “Gone Shopping” might face is its choice of the well-worn “poor little rich girl” theme. But in bringing in so many interesting ancillary characters, and making the shopping mall a character in its own right, Wee brings something fresh to the table.
I can best encapsulate this film by saying, “It translates well.” I’ve not yet visited Singapore, but I can appreciate this film’s subtle messages about our human quest for what we lack—or, MasterCard’s cheap substitutes. Wee has created characters that you care about, and identify with—a skill honed by her prolific short films resume. Among first features, “Gone Shopping” is worth the walk to the parking garage.
To see “Gone Shopping” at AAIFF:
For more film info:
Directors’ website: