Soya's New World!: *When Hainan meets Teochew* & *Love in a Cab*

*Ok, confession time! I am a sucker for good local productions.... good means Good... Cannes fest calibre. No the annual Jack Neo kind - though they are educational in their own manner... but they are just a tad too crude for my liking.... dun get me wrong! I still watch them... those cheesy che-na movies usually during CNY period.... where they mock/"bring attention" to the govt's policy, 小人物的心声 (local's heart felt feelings).

Movies like *Sandcastle* kind are more to my liking - Catch the trailer here..
Did u miss this one? Try to catch it!

Read abt this new one in the newspaper. It's by Director/Writer: Han Yew Kwang.

*When Hainan Meets Teochew*

A romantic comedy usually involves a handsome man and a pretty lady.

But what happens when it’s a 'manly' woman, and a 'womanly' man?

One day, a brassiere drops on Teochew. He immediately wins the lottery and decides to keep it. Hainan begins an arduous search for her precious underwear, distributing hundreds of missing posters around her neighbourhood.

Teochew sees one of the posters, and his curiosity is piqued. Bumping into Hainan one day, he asks about the brassiere, although he has no intention of returning it.

Unfortunately, he lets slip more than he should, and Hainan becomes suspicious…

“When Hainan Meet Teochew” - the third feature length film from homegrown director Han Yew Kwang pokes fun at the romantic comedy genre by featuring two leads who are neither famous not good-looking.

Hainanese men are said to make the best husbands, while Teochew wives are said to be the prettiest. In this film, a lost bra brings two strangers together. A potential romance sparks between the two.

They seem like a perfect match – as one is a ʻmanlyʼ Hainanese and the other is a ʻwomanlyʼ Teochew. However, the Hainanese is a woman, while the Teochew is a man. Can the two of them still be together?

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What impresses me the most is the inspiration behind this story...

Director Han Yew Kwang's Statement

In 1990, I was 15 when I watched “Pretty Woman”. Richard Gere was good-looking, and Julia Roberts was gorgeous. All the images in the film were beautiful. I thought to myself – this was what a romantic comedy should be.

In 2000, at the age of 25, I had been through a couple of relationships. My girlfriends and I were average looking. I realized then that love is 50% romantic and 50% unromantic. Sometimes, a couple drives around a beautiful lake under the sweet moonlight in a convertible. Sometimes, a couple drives around a busy road under the hot sun in a second hand car without air-con.

Last year, I spoke to two friends, one is a ʻmanlyʼ woman and the other is a ʻwomanlyʼ man. They are both in their 40s and single. They told me that they want to fall in love someday, but will be contented to just settle down with a partner for company instead of romance. At that moment, I realized that love is 5% romantic, 5% unromantic and 90% getting used to and tolerating each other.

So I asked them, why donʼt they fall in love with each other? They look at each other blankly. Then I ask them again if they will ever fall in love with each other? After a long pause, they told me there is only a 1% possibility. Just so that they can register for marriage, apply for a HDB flat, and then live and rot with each other.

I look at them and realized that love can be 100% non-romantic, yet at the same time 100% funny. So I decide to make this film. No beautiful sets, no pretty faces and no lyrical dialogue. Since one of them is a Hainanese and the other is a Teochew, this truly unromantic comedy is called “When Hainan Meets Teochew”.

The meaning of love changes as we age.

This year, Iʼd be 35. Perhaps, at this stage of my life, love is not “Pretty Woman” but “When Hainan Meets Teochew”.

Read all abt it here!
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This probably the type of movie that even before u watch it, u know it's gonna blow ur mind away.... I rushed to book the tickets and other than muscials and air tkts, these will probably be the only tickets that I have booked in advance - more than 3 weeks to be exact!

My advice if u havent do anything meaning or funny lately - support a local production, get a good laugh. Book the tickets now!! Btw, it's free seating lor!! *faint! *
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Btw, Director Yew Kwang also directed the latest Channel U series of Telemovie...
*Love in a cab 等一等爱情 * starring Joanne Peh n Julian Hee.

Love in a Cab is a light hearted romance that spans more than 10 years. Trying to find acab is like trying to find love. When you donʼt need one, there are always a lot around. Butwhen you need one, you can never find any around.