Mee Pok Man
1995 Singaporean film
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Mee Pok Man is a 1995 Singaporean film directed by Eric Khoo.
Michelle Goh
Lim Kay Tong
David Brazil
| Mee Pok Man | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Eric Khoo |
| Written by | Damien Sin (as Yu Lei Foong) |
| Produced by | Jacqueline Khoo |
| Starring | Joe Ng Michelle Goh Lim Kay Tong David Brazil |
| Music by | John David Kompa |
| Distributed by | Zhao Wei Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | Singapore |
| Languages | Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, English |
| Budget | $237,000 |
Background
The film is Eric Khoo's debut feature, released under his film production company, Zhao Wei Films, after making award-winning short films for years. It was entered into the 19th Moscow International Film Festival and showed at more than 30 film festivals worldwide, winning the FIPRESCI (The International Federation of Film Critics) Award.[1]
Plot
The film stars Joe Ng as the male protagonist Johnny, a Chinese seller of noodles (mee pok), and Michelle Goh, who plays a prostitute. The film was given an "R(A)" rating in Singapore, restricting the movie audience to adults aged 21 and above, but after the change in film ratings in 2004, it was re-rated "M18" (aged 18 and above).
Cast
- Joe Ng as Johnny
- Michelle Goh as Bunny
- Lim Kay Tong as Mike Kor
- David Brazil as Jonathan Reese
- George Chua
Production
The film's story was inspired by a story by Damien Sin, "One Last Cold Kiss", that appeared in Classic Singapore Horror Stories: Book 2 (1994). Khoo was supposed to illustrate the story about a mortuary attendant who falls in love with a fresh corpse, brings it back home, and has a relationship with it.[2][3] The film was produced under a meager $70,000 budget and a shooting schedule of 16 days. With little room for error, cinematographer Ho Yoke Weng recalled limiting himself to just three takes per scene.[4]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album was released under BMG and featured the film score by Kevin Mathews and music by Singaporean acts including The Padres (a band fronted by Joe Ng, the film's male lead actor), Opposition Party, Livonia, Etc and Sugarflies.
Reception
In November 2015, the film was restored by the Asian Film Archive and presented at the 26th Singapore International Film Festival.[5] The restored film also enjoyed a run at independent cinema The Projector, which also celebrated its legacy with talks.[6]
In 2019, the film was presented at the inaugural New York Asian Film Festival winter showcase.[7]
