Come April 5, Amazon Video will have a new Singapore offering on its list – “Faeryville,” a young adult dystopian film by independent filmmaker Tzang Merwyn Tong. It will be available for $20.99. It joins the ranks of films like “Singapore Dreaming,” “Pleasure Factory,” and “Ilo Ilo,” which can be found on the video-on-demand site as well.
“Faeryville” will also see a limited release on Vimeo as well, for $21.99.
The 37-year-old screened “Faeryville” at Filmgarde last June, where it enjoyed eight screenings over three weeks. “There was a lot of positive reception to the film,” said Tong. “Now it’s a purely happy thing thing that I can get a worldwide release on Amazon and make it available for the first time to a mainstream audience.”
Tong had previously released “A Wicked Tale” on DVD in 2005.
Shared universe for his films
Tong revealed that “Faeryville” was set in the same universe as his previous film “e-Tzaintes,” which was released in 2003. “Faeryville” takes place after the events of “e-Tzaintes,” and revisits the themes of shootings, youthful idealism, and school terrorism.
“I wouldn’t call it a sequel, it’s quite a standalone film. They’re both from a world created in 1999,” said Tong.
A film that’s eight years in the making
“Faeryville” went through 14 script re-writes, with three major re-writes occurring the shoot itself. “We took a lot of scriptwriting risk with the story structure. It took me a while, after talking to several scriptwriters and script doctors, to get to the current script,” he revealed.
The production of the film had to be stopped four times due to funding issues.
“I don’t like to judge the value of a film by a number,” said Tong, who declined to reveal the budget for “Faeryville.”
Tong also shared that the Mother Saint, the statue in the poster (which is an important sculpture in the film) isn’t in CGI, but a physical prop. It was designed by him, and he collaborated with local sculptor Chua Boon Kee to have it made.
Release on Amazon Video
Tong managed to get the film released on Amazon Video when he was in Los Angeles. “I had a producer friend who helped secure a deal for me,” he shared.
“I’m currently writing for a new project now, a post-modern super hero film.”
“Faeryville” will be available on Amazon Video starting 15 April, for $20.99.
It will also be available on Vimeo on 15 April for a limited period of time as well, at this link, for $21.99.
Review: “Faeryville” is an ambitious undertaking
Running time: 97 minutes (~1.5 hours)
Secret ending? No.
“Faeryville” is a Singaporean young adult drama set in a dystopian world. It follows the adventures of a group of misfits in a college as events spiral out of control around them. It stars Lyon Sim (Poe), Aaron Samuel Yong (Laer), Farid Assalam (Taurus), CK (Jae Leung), Belle (Tanya Graham), Chloe (Jade Griffin), and Kris Moller (Mr Mathias). It is rated M-18.
“Faeryville” benefits from a setting that’s universal, yet localised (since the characters are clearly Singaporean). The raw cast adds a likeable authenticity to the story, with the characters themselves being the classic underdogs to root for.
However, the chief protagonist behaves more like one of the elite, rather than the underdogs, which dissuades you from rooting for him. The inconsistent accents are also distracting at times.
Still, “Faeryville” explores themes that are relevant to any era, with its messages about belonging and identity. It may be about rebelling, but they are rebels with a cause.
Score: 3.0/5
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