Bugis Street, about a transsexual brothel, and disco-set Forever Fever – Singapore films you’d think were made elsewhere
- Hong Kong director Yonfan’s 1995 film named after a former Singapore red-light area featured real transsexuals, nudity and plenty of sex
- Forever Fever was a wild retelling of Saturday Night Fever made by a former ‘disco kid’ who hoped it would give Singapore’s staid image a facelift
A film about a transsexual brothel that starred real transsexuals would probably not raise eyebrows in Hong Kong. But in staid Singapore? Surely not. Likewise, a wild and flamboyant retelling of the disco classic Saturday Night Fever, complete with a John Travolta lookalike gyrating on the dance floor as the watching crowd go crazy for his funky footwork. South Korea, maybe … but Singapore?
Yes, indeed. Although not representative of the city state’s limited cinematic output, the above descriptions do apply to a couple of Singaporean films of the 1990s.
Bugis Street, a 1995 film named after Singapore’s one-time red-light area, which was closed down in 1984, is a coming-of-age story set inside a transsexual house of pleasure. Provocative and feisty, it features performers such as the sophisticated Drago, the ice-cool blonde Dr Du, and Lola, the hooker with a heart of gold.
Forever Fever, a 1998 movie sometimes known as That’s the Way I Like It, follows the adventures of a young man who enters the Galaxy Disco dance competition in the hope of winning enough cash to buy a new motorbike. Think gull-wing collars, white suits, and lots of wiggling around.
Bugis Street focuses on the lives of transsexual prostitutes who inhabit the aptly named Sin Hotel. Directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Yonfan, it is essentially an excuse to take a peek at some flamboyant lifestyles.