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''Singapore Dreaming'' () is a 2006 film set in Singapore. The film follows the Loh family, a typical Singaporean working-class family, through their aspirations for a better life and the harsh reality that makes it difficult for them to fulfill these aspirations. The film is inspired by a 2000 essay, ''Paved with Good Intentions'', that the writers of the film had written for the Singapore International Foundation. A concatenation of e-mails Singaporeans sent to writers Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen on their life stories in relation to the Singaporean dream eventually led them to write, produce and direct ''Singapore Dreaming''.〔〔Ho Lian-Yi, "Are they heartlanders?", The New Paper, 2006-08-30.〕〔Ong Su Bin, "Singapore Dreaming is reality", The Straits Times, 2006-04-14.〕 The film stars Richard Low as Poh Huat, Alice Lim as Siew Luan, Serene Chen as Irene, Yeo Yann Yann as Mei, Lim Yu-Beng as CK and Dick Su as Seng.〔 The film was theatrically released on 7 September 2006,〔 and at one time ranked fifth on the Singapore box office.〔"top 10 movies", The Straits Times, 2006-09-13.〕 It won the Montblanc New Screenwriters Award at the 54th San Sebastián International Film Festival, and was the first Singaporean film to receive an IFFPA-recognised international feature film award.〔 Owing to its nature as a Singapore-produced film, ''Singapore Dreaming'' received much attention from local viewers, film critics and public figures alike. It has received great praise from some local critics and public figures, most notably from S.R. Nathan, the President of Singapore.〔Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen, "(Please Support SINGAPORE DREAMING! )"Singapore Dreaming blog, 2006-09-05. Archived from (the original ) on 2007-08-06.〕〔Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen, "(Singapore Dreaming )"Criticine, October 23, 2006. Retrieved 2012-12-17.〕 ==Plot summary== Poh Huat (Richard Low), the father of the Loh family, works as a lawyer's clerk. He is married to Siew Luan (Alice Lim), a housewife who likes to brew ''liang teh'' (herbal tea) for the family. Poh Huat has a habit of buying lottery tickets in hope of winning and enjoying a better life. He also keeps newspaper cuttings of car models and condominiums and stores them in a box in his room. The family has one son, Seng (Dick Su), and one daughter, Mei (Yeo Yann Yann). Despite Mei's superior academic performance, the family has consistently shown favouritism for Seng. Even though he was ostensibly the academically poorer sibling, dropping out of school in Secondary 3, his parents still chose to fund his overseas polytechnic education instead of furthering his sister's education. Seng is due to return after two years at Dubois Polytechnical University (at Idaho). To fund his overseas studies, he had to borrow extra money from his fiancée, Irene (Serene Chen), who stays with Seng's parents. Mei works as a secretary who maintains a friendly working relationship with her boss. She is due for delivery in two months' time, and for maternity leave in a month's time. Her husband, Chin Keong (Lim Yu-Beng), quit his job in the Singapore Armed Forces a month before and is now selling insurance, though unsuccessfully. He is therefore belittled by Mei. Even though they cannot afford it, they frequently go to a condominium showroom to take a look, revealing their aspirations for a more luxurious lifestyle. Seng returns from the United States. Tensions escalate in the family between Mei and Seng, due to the family's apparent favouritism for Seng. Seng goes for several job interviews, but is unsuccessful. He becomes immensely disappointed, and lies to his family about the sanguinity of his job prospects. Poh Huat strikes the Toto lottery, winning S$2 million, and the family is ecstatic. Seng decides that he wants to try starting a business. He gains his father's approval, who gives him effectively unlimited funding through a credit card. Seng also buys a car, without Irene's knowledge. Irene is infuriated when she learns Seng has been overspending without working first. Initially thrilled by his sudden elevation to the higher social class, Poh Huat dies suddenly of a heart attack while he was at a country club for a membership interview. Siew Luan goes into shock. At the funeral, Seng quarrels with Mei over the funeral expenses. Mei vents her anger on Chin Keong, who shows his displeasure by throwing the carton of drinks on the floor and storming off. Mei is called back to work one afternoon, even though she is still managing the funeral. Chin Keong expresses his outrage at this unreasonable request, but Mei says out of frustration, "Singapore is like that, everywhere is like that, do we have a choice?" and returns to work. At work, Mei's boss, frustrated at the incapable temporary secretary, vents his anger at Mei and demands her to photocopy a stack of documents and brew coffee for him. Mei flips at the triviality of the task. Back at the funeral, Mei realizes that S$500 has gone missing from the ''pek kim'', and wrongly accuses her Filipino maid, Pinky, of stealing the money. Chin Keong reveals shortly after that the money is actually with him. Pinky, indignant at the wrong accusation, spits at Mei. Chin Keong goes to a nearby coffee shop for a drink. A beer girl from Mainland China approaches him at his table to talk to him, and Chin Keong ends up confiding his worries about life. The girl notes, "You Singaporeans are always complaining. Do you think your life is tough?". During the funeral wake, Seng reveals to his family that he did not graduate. Initially unbeknownst to him, Irene is standing nearby at the door, and hears his confession. Irene is greatly disappointed with Seng, and resolves to leave him. A few months later, Chin Keong, Seng and Mei, with her newly-born son, are called to a lawyer's office. It is revealed that Poh Huat's will has been found (made before either of them are born): he had left all his assets to his wife Siew Luan. However, the family has chalked up a debt of S$800,000 in sending Seng overseas. Siew Luan is absent from the meeting, so the lawyer announces that, of the remaining S$1, 200,000, Mei is getting S$300,000, while Seng is getting S$1,000. At the movie's end, Siew Luan hands some money over to Poh Huat's mistress and illegitimate son in a show of benevolence, and leaves Seng to stay in rural Malaysia. Irene decides to go abroad to pursue a degree in photography. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Singapore Dreaming」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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