15 (2003), dir. Royston Tan

From an outsider’s point of view, “15” is a fascinating film, depicting the alienated and dangerous lives of older boys in Singapore, who flock to gangs as a means of escaping loneliness and – it is implied – academic pressure. Perhaps every scene is not as fresh and shocking as it would have been, say, 15 years ago, but there are some brilliant moments, and the hyper-stylized nature of the whole production gets across an appropriate tone of alienation, to a certain point.

Through a blitz of jump cuts, bells and whistles, and music video-style editing, Royston Tan’s film follows the exploits of a handful of youths through three loosely-connected narratives: The first involves two gang “brothers,” one of whom is on the precipice of failing school. Out of loyalty, the other offers to help him cheat, promising that if one has to go down, the other will, too. A second thread involves a youth named Shaun (Shaun Tan), who had been a friend of the first two boys until one became jealous. Forced away from their bond of intimacy, he joins a rival gang, befriends another gang brother, and becomes involved in drug-dealing.

The latter storyline gets particularly harrowing, while a third thread mixes some dark humor with a similarly-bleak premise: Shaun and his new gang brother Vynn (Vynn Soh) meet Erick (Erick Chun), a wayward hood looking for a building to commit suicide from. In my opinion, this is the best of the three narratives, and not just because it gets the characters out and exploring the urban metropolis. On one level, it’s funny to watch Shaun and Vynn get every gang in Singapore involved helping stage this death spectacle; at the same time, it’s genuinely heartbreaking watching Erick march solemnly towards oblivion, seemingly unaware of the fact he has made new friends, which in theory, would cure his need to end it all.

Along with scenes of fighting, self-mutilation, menacing, gang songs, and quiet emoting, “15” keeps coming back to two themes: the alienation supposedly being felt by youth throughout Singapore, and how the bond between “brothers” is so intimate it veers close to homosexuality. Although Tan never says so explicitly, his film seems to argue the two are connected, that parental pressures to succeed, as well as either too strict or a non-existent home life are driving youth to either suicide or gangs, which provide the love and acceptance they aren’t getting anywhere else. Hence, the irony of Erick’s situation: initially, when Shaun asks Erick why he wants to kill himself, all he says is the equivalent of, “If you were in my shoes, you’d want to do it, too.” However, the film’s closing coda reveals the real reason is a girl dumped him.

Overall, the movie has a definite emotional impact, especially the middle and final thirds, in which the slick polish gives way to something more visceral, and the narrative takes the obsessive love between “brothers” to its most logical and tragic conclusion. But if “15” has any glaring weakness, it’s that the film is so overdone, it occasionally obscures whatever statement Tan is trying to make. There are too many scenes like the drug use sequence, which features a neat CGI-generated flower petal floating around characters’ heads, but goes on for so long that it starts feeling less like the perspective of the film’s disconnected protagonists, and more like the point-of-view of a director trying to be “cool.” Less style would have gone a long way toward making “15” a more effective eye-opener.

Overall rating: *** (out of ****)

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