Innocents

Wong Chen-hsi : 2012

Ah Huat leads a harsh life and studies at a very strict school where they still use outmoded forms of punishment. He is misunderstood by his teacher and is constantly humiliated and punished. His father is an alcoholic and he must care for his sister, who has Down's syndrome. Syafiqah, a girl going through her parents' divorce, goes to live with her grandfather for a while. The children become classmates and start to bond. Misunderstood and bullied, the two outcasts sneak off into the jungles and monsoon canals behind their school to carve out a private world of fantasy and freedom. But as they hatch a plan to escape from Singapore in search of a better life, the monsoon rains intensify and a vow of secrecy forces Syafiqah to embark on a quest for independence well beyond her years. Wong Chen-hsi's feature directorial debut, an exquisite and atmospheric depiction of the worlds shared by children, premiered in competition in the Alice nella Città section at Rome Film Festival 2012.