15 (film)
Encyclopedia
15: The Movie, also known simply as 15, is a 2003 Singapore
an film about teenage gangsters in the Singapore suburbs. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Royston Tan
, the film is an expanded version of Tan's 2002 award-winning short film, also titled 15. It is one of the few Singaporean films to feature brief full-frontal male nudity (in its uncensored version), together with the Singapore-Thailand film Pleasure Factory
and the Singapore-Hong Kong film Bugis Steet.
s, all aged 15, giving an accurate depiction of Chinese teenage gang-life in the Singapore
suburbs. The 2003 film features two more gangsters as characters as well as a fight sequence with more affluent English-educated Singapore youths. Rather than scripting the movie or employing professional actors, Tan attempted to capture the troubled lives of his characters in realistic fashion, apparently without much prior scripting.
.
In 2003, it premiered in Canada during the Montreal World Film Festival
, and in Britain during the London Film Festival
. In 2004, it premiered in the US during the Sundance Film Festival
, and in Australia during the Sydney Film Festival
. The film also saw its first US theatrical release in New York City
on 13 April 2005.
In Singapore, the film is distributed by Zhao Wei Films. In North America, it is distributed by Picture This! Entertainment
.
(BFC) later ruled that the film should be rated R(A). Under pressure from the BFC, Royston Tan ended up making 27 cuts to the film. Opposition was also raised against the heavy use of the Hokkien
language in the film, which is discouraged by the Singapore government in favour of Mandarin and English
. These restrictions infuriated Tan, and would later lead him to create his satirical short film Cut.
, it earned ratings of 50% based on 10 reviews and 20% based on 5 top critics. In Metacritic
, the film earned a metascore of 47% based on 6 reviews.
The film has been advertised outside of Singapore in gay
publications, due to the heavy homoerotic tension between the characters. However, in an interview segment of the DVD Royston's Shorts
, a collection of Tan's short films, Tan affirms that the boys whose lives he portrayed do not identify as gay.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an film about teenage gangsters in the Singapore suburbs. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Royston Tan
Royston Tan
Royston Tan is a Singaporean filmmaker.Tan is a graduate from Temasek Polytechnic, where he took a course in Visual Communication. He first came into prominence through his short films: Sons , Hock Hiap Leong , 48 on AIDS , Mother and 15...
, the film is an expanded version of Tan's 2002 award-winning short film, also titled 15. It is one of the few Singaporean films to feature brief full-frontal male nudity (in its uncensored version), together with the Singapore-Thailand film Pleasure Factory
Pleasure Factory
Pleasure Factory is a 2007 docudrama film set in Geylang, the red-light district of Singapore. Directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, the film was selected for the Un Certain Regard competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival....
and the Singapore-Hong Kong film Bugis Steet.
Plot
The film stars three real-life juvenile gangsterGangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
s, all aged 15, giving an accurate depiction of Chinese teenage gang-life in the Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
suburbs. The 2003 film features two more gangsters as characters as well as a fight sequence with more affluent English-educated Singapore youths. Rather than scripting the movie or employing professional actors, Tan attempted to capture the troubled lives of his characters in realistic fashion, apparently without much prior scripting.
Distribution
In Singapore, the film premiered during the 2003 Singapore International Film FestivalSingapore International Film Festival
The Singapore International Film Festival was launched in 1987. The festival is an annual film event, held around April/May each year, and screens about 300 films from over 45 countries...
.
In 2003, it premiered in Canada during the Montreal World Film Festival
Montreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
, and in Britain during the London Film Festival
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
. In 2004, it premiered in the US during the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, and in Australia during the Sydney Film Festival
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney and is held over 12 days in June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre and includes features,...
. The film also saw its first US theatrical release in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 13 April 2005.
In Singapore, the film is distributed by Zhao Wei Films. In North America, it is distributed by Picture This! Entertainment
Picture This! Entertainment
Picture This! Entertainment was a home video distributor. They specialized in coming of age movies, often with gay or lesbian themes. Much of their catalogue came from Europe...
.
Censorship
While 15: The Movie was initially banned in Singapore, the Singapore Board of Film CensorsCensorship in Singapore
Censorship in Singapore mainly targets sexual, political, racial and religious issues, as defined by out-of-bounds markers.-Implementation:The Media Development Authority approves publications, issues arts entertainment licences and enforces the Free-to-air TV Programme Code, Cable TV Programme...
(BFC) later ruled that the film should be rated R(A). Under pressure from the BFC, Royston Tan ended up making 27 cuts to the film. Opposition was also raised against the heavy use of the Hokkien
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
language in the film, which is discouraged by the Singapore government in favour of Mandarin and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. These restrictions infuriated Tan, and would later lead him to create his satirical short film Cut.
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from film critics. In Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, it earned ratings of 50% based on 10 reviews and 20% based on 5 top critics. In Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the film earned a metascore of 47% based on 6 reviews.
The film has been advertised outside of Singapore in gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
publications, due to the heavy homoerotic tension between the characters. However, in an interview segment of the DVD Royston's Shorts
Royston's Shorts
Royston's Shorts is a compilation of acclaimed short films by Singaporean filmmaker Royston Tan....
, a collection of Tan's short films, Tan affirms that the boys whose lives he portrayed do not identify as gay.
Awards
- FIPRESCI/NETPAC Award, Singapore International Film FestivalSingapore International Film FestivalThe Singapore International Film Festival was launched in 1987. The festival is an annual film event, held around April/May each year, and screens about 300 films from over 45 countries...
(2003) - Best Fiction, Tampere International Short Film FestivalTampere Film FestivalThe Tampere Film Festival is a short film festival held every March in the Finnish town of Tampere. It is accredited by the film producers' society FIAPF, and together with the short film festivals in Oberhausen and Clermont-Ferrand, it is among the most important European short film festivals.The...
(2003) - Prize of the Youth Film Competition (Special Mention), Oberhausen International Short Film FestivalInternational Short Film Festival OberhausenThe International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, founded in 1954, is one of the oldest short film festivals in the world and one of the major international platforms for the short form...
(2003) - Grand Prix Asturias (nominated), Gijón International Film FestivalGijón International Film FestivalGijón International Film Festival was created in 1963. It was born as an initiative of the local authority and it was sponsored mainly by Gijón City Council and the then Caja de Ahorros de Asturias ; both institutions are still the main organisers of the festival, along with funding from the...
(2003) - Best Director, Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent CinemaBuenos Aires International Festival of Independent CinemaThe Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente is an international festival of independent films organized each year in the month of April, in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.The festival is managed by the Ministerio de Cultura del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, it is not...
(2004)
Reviews
- Bradshaw, PeterPeter BradshawPeter Bradshaw is a British writer and film critic. He was educated at Cambridge University, where he was President of Footlights.Bradshaw is a film critic for The Guardian...
. Review. The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. 4 February 2005. - Dawson, Tom. Review. BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. 1 February 2005. - Elley, Derek. Sundance 2004 review. VarietyVariety (magazine)Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
. 30 September 2003. - Fox, Ken. Review. TV GuideTV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
. 15 April 2005. - French, PhilipPhilip FrenchPhilip French is a British film critic and former radio producer.French, the son of an insurance salesman, was educated at the direct grant Bristol Grammar School, read Law at Oxford University. and post graduate study in Journalism at Indiana University, Bloomington on a scholarship.He has been...
. Review. The ObserverThe ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
. 6 February 2005. - Johnson, G. Allen. Review. San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
. 10 June 2005. - Ng, David. "Thirteen+2: Aimless Singaporean rebels in directionless youth flick." The Village VoiceThe Village VoiceThe Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
. 5 April 2005. - Smith, Matthew. Review. Film Journal InternationalFilm Journal InternationalFilm Journal International is a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It is a sister publication of Adweek, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and other periodicals....
. 27 October 2005. - Stevens, Dana. "Young and Adrift in Singapore." The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. 13 April 2005. - Walsh, Brian. "Street Survivors". TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
. 1 September 2003.