Film review: Ilo Ilo is a complex and humane drama, maid in Singapore

Ilo Ilo
Starring: Koh Jia Ler, Angeli Bayani, Yeo Yann Yann, Chen Tian Wen
Director: Anthony Chen
Category: IIA (Putonghua, English, Tagalog, Hokkien and Cantonese)
Rating: 4/5

There are many ways in which Anthony Chen's can be looked upon as the Singaporean version of Ann Hui On-wah's . Both films are character-driven dramas focusing on a maid and the son of the household she works for.

Both of these lovingly crafted offerings were inspired by real-life individuals, and have done their home territories proud by garnering major awards at prestigious European film festivals.

But whereas the duo at the heart of are on the well-seasoned side age-wise, this year's winner of the Camera d'Or prize at Cannes focuses attention on the pre-teen son of a pregnant woman and her anxious husband, and the thirty-something Filipina mother who moves to Singapore to become the Lim household's live-in helper.

Ten-year-old Lim Jiale (Koh Jia Ler) is often in trouble at school and difficult to handle at home. The boy's white-collar parents, Hwee Leng (Yeo Yann Yann) and Keng Teck (Chen Tian Wen), are forced to engage the services of a maid, as their jobs require them to spend a lot of time away from home.

Despite his mother imploring him to "Please behave when [the maid] gets here, don't embarrass me," Jiale acts like an abusive brat towards Teresa (Angeli Bayani), with whom he's forced to share his room.