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It was the 1980s, Singapore was shifting towards bilingualism, and many citizens were having a hard time learning a new language: English.
For local director Jack Neo, who has a Chinese upbringing, the winds of change did not save him and he was discriminated against for not speaking English fluently.
As people slowly adopted English as their first language, it became increasingly difficult for them to communicate. It wasn’t just him, he said, but those who were ‘Chinese helicopters’ like him.
The phrase, used in the film, allegedly originated in the military, where the mispronunciation in English resulted in the words “educated in Chinese” sounding like “Chinese helicopter”.
Jack told AsiaOne in a recent interview: “The reason I went into more detail about the challenges of transitioning from Mandarin to English was because I myself, and those with Chinese education, really experienced it. I won’t say that I really we suffered, but there were some difficulties, especially at work. “
Jack, 60, shared that during the meetings (which were held in English), colleagues were quick to grimace or make sarcastic comments when he couldn’t communicate fluently in English.
“In the past, we didn’t know it was discrimination, but now we do,” he said, noting that these people “clearly looked at me with contempt.”
Some of the challenges are outlined in Jack’s new film, The Diam Diam Era, which is the third installment in the hit series Long Long Time Aug. Set in the 1980s, it explores social issues and iconic moments in Singaporean history. such as adapting to new government policies and shifting from kampung to HDB floors.
In the film, Mark Lee’s character Ah Kun is frustrated by new government policies, including the focus on English as a first language, and decides to create an opposition party.
During a fixed visit last year, Mark explained that while he understands that the policies were put in place to build and secure the future of the country, his character doesn’t see it that way. For Ah Kun, he only sees that the people who came from the kampung were not represented and chooses to step forward.
Jack echoed the same sentiment when he explained that the film, despite its politically charged trailer, is not intended to be political or a criticism of government. Rather, he wants people to understand that the reason we have a stable future now is because of the foresight of the country’s leaders in the 1980s.
He explained: “Some of the things in the movie that people see can make them nervous and question why it’s written like this. But they don’t understand that the things depicted in the movie have a huge influence on the lives we have now.
[[nid:510138]]“The reason I want to do The Diam Diam Era is because I want people to look back at our history, then compare it to the present and have the wisdom to understand the relationship between the two. For example, if the schools didn’t change to English back then, wouldn’t we be suffering now? “
Jack added that because English is our first language, we can “connect with the world” and these are “the good things that I really want people to think about.”
Unlike his other feel-good movies like I Not Stupid and Ah Boys to Men, this is not a “simple family story,” and he hopes viewers will take the time to look beneath the surface and realize the depth. and complexity of this movie. , which seeks to explore a chapter in Singapore’s past and how it has influenced the future.
ALSO READ: Suhaimi Yusof ‘relives’ his father’s life by acting in Jack Neo’s new film The Diam Diam Era
And yes, the director has the entire series planned and hopes to create four more films after Diam Diam Era and its sequel that will be released early next year.
He hopes to explore Singapore in the 1990s (under former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong), and from 2000 to the present (under Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong), with two films for each era.
However, he emphasized that fundamentally, the Long Long Time Ago franchise is not a historical documentary but rather a film that serves as a love letter to the country. Jack even hopes that foreigners can watch the film series and better understand how Singapore came to be the fortress that it is.
“Before I leave this world, I hope people have an eight episode Singapore story. People joked that I’m trying to make Harry Potter, but I’m not doing it. I want to film the Singapore story.”
The Diam Diam Era opens in theaters on November 26, 2020, and is rated PG13 for foul language. Click here for movie screening times
ALSO READ: Meixin, Tasha Low and Richie Koh on the physical ‘sacrifices’ for their roles in local film The Diam Diam Era
