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A story about a sado-masochistic young man who tortures and then kills
another won both the Best Director and Special Achievement awards
at the 1994 Singapore International Film Festival.
It
also participated at other film festivals such
as the Toronto International Film Festival, 13th
Vancouver International Film Festival, Festival
International Du Film D'Amiens (For Competition),
Calcutta International Film Festival, Olympia Film
Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival,
Mondial De La Video/Festival, International Du
Film (For Competition), Hong Kong International
Film Festival (1995), San Francisco International
Film Festival (1995), Asian Film Festival/ Asian-American
Federation of Florida Inc.(1995), Fukuoka Asian
Film Festival.
SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 1995
'PAIN' IS A NIGHTMARE OF SADOMASOCHISM: IT HURTS
Aptly titled. This black-and-white nightmare vision
focuses on an alienated young Singaporean who acts out his sadomasochistic
impulses, first on himself and then on the friendly chap who sells him
cigarettes.
The depiction of torture is graphic, so much so that my critical objectivity
went out the window. I made it through the scene where the central figure
pushes a pin into his finger. I held on when he snuffed a candle flame
with his bare hand. But when he brought out the razor blade and the bowl
of salt, I slumped down in my seat and shut my eyes.
Still, there's a method to this madness. Director Eric Khoo is presenting
a response to life in rigidly authoritarian, widely capitalistic society
: -i.e., Singapore. One of the film's few characters is a young out-of-work
policeman. He also seems unduly fond of violent comics popular in Asian
nations. Beyond that, viewer, you're on your own.
"Pain" will be shown with another Khoo short, Symphony 92.4 ," described
by the festival as portraying " one simple day in the life of a middle-aged
man living alone...(the day) ends in a most complex and aching manner. Walter
V. Addiego
THE
STRAITS TIMES, WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 1994
CRTICS LAVISH PRAISE ON BANNED FILM
An International jury of filmmakers
and critics have lavished praise on
Pain, a Singapore short film which
has been banned by the Board of Film
Censors for excessive violence.
In fact, the five judges liked it so
much that they gave the filmmaker,
Eric Khoo, two prizes during last Saturday's
presentation of the Best Singapore
Short Film awards.
Pain, a gruesome story about a sado-masochistic
young man who tortures and then kills
another man, won Khoo the Best Director
and Special Achievement awards.
Despite an appeal by the Singapore
Film Festival committee, Pain was banned
from public exhibition.
The BFC felt that the film was objectionable
because it was a "portrayal of
a person who committed a hideous crime
of brutality and torture".
Mr Ronald Ranvaud, a Briton who is
on the panel of judges fir the Best
Singapore Short Film competition, said,"The
jury abhors any form of censorship,
but that is not the reason why we picked
Pain."
"We find Pain a film of great integrity from an artistic point of view.
It sets out to say something and articulated it very well," added Mr Ranvaud,
who is also a journalist and the associate producer of Chen Kaige's Farewell
To My Concubine.
Although he did not particularly enjoy
watching the violence, he said he appreciated
Khoo's brave determination to say what
he wants to say in Pain.
Said Mr Ranvaud, "I've never seen
anything like it. We're not trying
to make Khoo a martyr but his movie
does stand heads and shoulders above
the other entries in the competition."
Another judge, Mr U-wei Haji Shaari
from Malaysia said, "He obviously
has talent. I think he should not be
discouraged by the ban; he should keep
at his craft."
Mr U-wei is the director of Perempuan,
Isteri Dan....... (Woman, Wife and
Whore), which is the longest-running
Malay movie in Singapore after it was
screened for more that two months last
year.
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