12 Storeys

1997 film

Eric Khoo
James Toh

Produced byBrian HongStarringJack NeoCinematographyYoke Weng HoEdited byJasmine Ng Kin KiaMusic byKevin Mathews

Release date

12 June 1997 (1997-06-12)

Running time

105 minutesCountrySingaporeLanguagesEnglish
Mandarin

12 Storeys (十二樓 or Shí'èr lóu in Mandarin) is a 1997 Singaporean drama film written and directed by Eric Khoo. It features an ensemble cast of Jack Neo, Koh Boon Pin and Quan Yi Fong. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.^[1]

Plot

The film follows a day in the lives of several households living within the same HDB block.

A soup vendor called Ah Gu is having a hard time dealing with his Mainland Chinese wife, Lily. San San, an overweight loner, is haunted by her feelings of isolation and the memory of her deceased mother. Meng, Trixie and Tee are siblings left to their own devices when their parents go on holiday.

Cast

Jack Neo as Ah Gu^[2]
Koh Boon Pin as Meng
Quan Yi Fong (credited as Chuang Yi Fong) as Lily
Lum May Yee as Trixie
Lucilla Teoh as San San
Ritz Lim as Spirit
Roderick Lim as Tee
Ronald Toh Chee Kong as Eddy
Loy Lok Yee as Mother
Tan Kheng Hua as Spirit's Mother
Neo Swee Lin as Rachel
Lim Kay Siu as Hawker
Lim Kay Tong as Mark

Reception

Derek Elley of Variety wrote that the film's has "genuinely funny" moments, but its slow pacing "blunts the humor".^[3] Time Out called it "witty and sophisticated stuff".^[4]

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it "is widely regarded to have contributed to the revitalisation of local cinema".^[5]

References

^ "Festival de Cannes: 12 Storeys". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
^ "Grasping at Singaporean Malaise, '12 Storeys' Is an Outstanding Family Drama Still Relevant 20 Years On". Sinema.SG. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
^ Elley, Derek (13 June 1997). "Review: '12 Storeys'". Variety. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
^ "12 Storeys". Time Out. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
^ Heng, Janice (21 December 2015). "Diplomatic missions screening Singapore films in cultural push". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2 April 2016.