These are ten feature films you shouldn’t miss at the Singapore International Film Festival which will take place from November 30 until December 10, 2023 in Singapore.

A Normal Family by Hur Jin-ho – Korea | 2023 – 116 minutes

Brothers Jae-wan and Jae-gyu hold clashing values. One is a successful criminal lawyer who has no qualms defending murderers, and the other, a compassionate and loving surgeon. When they discover a dreadful secret of their two teenage children, their values are profoundly challenged. To what lengths will parents go to protect their children? (SGIFF 2023)

Trailer:

Dreaming & Dying by Nelson Yeo – Singapore, Indonesia | 2023 – 77 minutes

An unhappily married couple reunite with their former schoolmate Heng at a seaside chalet after a long time. Latent romantic longings are quietly awakened and a love triangle ensues, though emotions lay deathly submerged. As the couple wend their way through a forest to release a fish in a karmic-cleansing ritual, the edges of reality start to fray. Unable to act on her feelings, the woman finds an outlet for her dreams through a romance novel she is reading which involves a merman. (SGIFF 2023)

Trailer:

Evil Does Not Exist by Ryusuke Hamaguchi – Japan | 2023 – 106 minutes

Dwelling in a cabin deep in the woods of the mountainous Mizubiki Village close to Tokyo, single parent Takami and his eight-year-old daughter Hana revel in a life entwined with nature. Takami’s day entails juggling odd jobs and impromptu tasks: chopping wood, collecting water from an upstream rivulet, gathering natural finds in a forest roamed by pheasants and deer. (SGIFF 2023)

Trailer:

Green Night by Han Shuai – Hong Kong | 2023 – 92 minutes

Chinese immigrant Xia works as an airport security staff in South Korea. When she catches a spunky, green-haired drug smuggler on the job, Xia is unexpectedly beguiled by the wayward girl. Seeking freedom from the abusive men in their lives, the duo embark on an arduous night in Seoul’s drug underworld. But when blood spills, the women go on the run, with only each other to rely on. (SGIFF 2023)

Trailer:

My Endless Numbered Days by Shaun Neo – Japan, Singapore | 2023 – 77 minutes

Mitsue returns to Japan after the disillusionment of a work opportunity in Singapore. Resuming her past life, she treads between friendships with a former lover and a new co-worker, while finding her footing despite being constantly on the move. A sense of alienation follows her from city to city as the young urbanite looks for novelty and adventure, but struggles to find a place to call home. (SGIFF 2023)

Trailer:

Nowhere Near by Miko Revereza – Philippines, Mexico | 2023 – 96 minutes

Miko Revereza superimposes collaged filmic fragments with frank conversations with his mother, revealing uncertainty over his residency status—a precarity exacerbated by post-9/11 immigration policies. Disillusioned by the ‘American Dream’, Revereza sets forth on a psychogeographical journey that begins with his departure from the United States to his ancestral home of Pangasinan in the Philippines and eventually to Oaxaca in Mexico. (SGIFF 2023)

Trailer:

Snow in Midsummer by Chong Keat Aun – Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan | 2023 – 116 minutes

13 May 1969: Ah Eng’s life is forever altered by the deadly racial riots breaking out across Kuala Lumpur. 49 years after the fateful night when she sought shelter with migrants of The Injustice to Dou E Cantonese opera troupe, Ah Eng finds her life invariably intertwined with the heroine Dou E who is similarly unable to move on from the tragedy. (SGIFF 2023)

Trailer:

Sunday by Sean Ng – Singapore | 2023 – 94 minutes

Lily is a Filipino domestic worker for the Lees, an affluent couple. Amid the humdrum of her daily routine and the turbulence in her employers’ marriage, Lily finds solace in Minh, a Vietnamese busboy. With the house to herself, Lily starts to explore the limits of her connection with Minh, fostering a burgeoning romance. But their relationship takes a sharp turn when they are forced to make a difficult decision against their wishes. (SGIFF 2023)

Trailer:

Ten Years Myanmar by Thaiddhi, Nay Wunn Ni, Myo Thar Khin, Aung Min, Lamin Oo – Myanmar | 2023 – 104 minutes

Spanning sci-fi stories, slice-of-life tales, domestic dramas and humorous meta-commentary on filmmaking, this anthology features the works of five independent filmmakers from Myanmar. The speculative films envision the country’s future 10 years on, modelled after Hong Kong’s Ten Years (2015).

Collectively, the stories offer insight into the specifics of religion, politics and society in Myanmar as well as the universal experiences of romance, interpersonal relationships and the desire for a better life. Running through each narrative are recurring themes of justice and restoration—inevitable concerns for denizens of a country that has weathered sociopolitical upheaval in recent years. (SGIFF 2023)

Trailer:

Youth (Spring) by Wang Bing – France, Luxembourg, Netherlands | 2023 – 212 minutes

This documentary follows young textile workers in an industrial zone. They spend their days sewing fabric in windowless rooms, where one cannot tell night from day. But in these same rooms individual stories unfold. They befriend each other, fall in love, fight and break up, while relationships also become strained as they negotiate wages and bargain with employers. (SGIFF 2023)

Trailer:

More information: https://sgiff.com/