Separated through never explained circumstances, and yet living in the same monstrosity of a complex building in Kuala Lumpur that has seen much better days, a mother (the newcomer Ta Thi Diu) and a daughter (Aster Yeow Ee) meet in secrecy as often as they can. The endless labyrinth of possibilities that the place built to give housing to as many people as possible offers, make their meetings easier – a shed below the staircase, a silent corner on the stairwell on the very top that barely anyone climbs to, a meeting point down on the patio… They play with stones, or go though the girl's homework, communicating in Mandarin and Malay. There is a sense of strong longing, with the girl sometimes showing disapproval of the state of things, but her protest is silent. Each time they meet, the awareness of the limited time of togetherness is heavily present.
Oasis of Now is screening at Berlin International Film Festival
As she is spending time alone between her multiple jobs as a cleaner and baby sitter for families in the settlement, the woman is silently sitting in front of her apartment reached by sounds from the surrounding households. The passers by are speaking different languages; we gradually get to understand that people living there are migrants who came to the Malaysian capital to seek a better life. With many of them residing in the country illegally, their peaceful community is sometimes visited by the police asking for papers.
Check also this interview
The story of Chia Chee Sum's feature film debut “Oasis Of Now” is based on his personal connection to the old apartment complex that he lived in. By using static shots, he lets the unspoken reveal itself slowly, in a contemplative manner. Slow-paced and calm in portrayal of relationships between the woman and the different tenants she crosses her paths with, the film delves into the complex structure of a multi-cultural microcosm which is not only divided by class, but also by problems in communication. Loneliness is another great aspect of the story that centers around the mother whose only moments of verbal exchange with others happen at work, or when meeting her daughter.
Chia Chee Sum's story is built on a visual rather than a verbal level, with the attention on the building's architecture that bears witness of the passing of time. Once upon a time probably glorious to look at and live in, its peeling facade and chipped concrete walls and floors speak of many generations that have passed through, and the new ones who mainly keep themselves indoors. “It is dangerous here”, warns the real life Malay village chief from the filming location Abd Manaf Bin Rejab our female lead, who sits in a corner waiting for her daughter. He then teaches her a local game with stones, aware that she is not in the best place psychologically. This small gesture of bonding is the first genuine she is met with, and the only one she is not expected to give something in return for. The script is full with such seemingly trivial details, but it is exactly those that make it rock solid. By eavesdropping and observing this place and its people, we get a full glimpse of a mundane life that plays in the exact same way day after day.
The most beautiful aspect of the movie is its ability to bring close one of the nakedest truths of life – that we can never know what the others feel or how they really are, if we do not get the full picture, just like in the case of the lead character who had to take a difficult decision and give her child into other people's care. But we do sense that her heart is in the right place, and that she must have had very good reasons to part from her beloved daughter.
“Oasis of Now” is a little cinematic gem that after its world premiere in Busan and the recent European premiere at Berlinale's Forum section is likely to travel to further international festivals.
