Be with Me is Mr Eric Khoo's latest work. His previous work 12 storeys, was not exactly my cup of tea. I thought it was aimless and too pretentious. This new work from him though was sincere and touching, and he has Theresa Chan to thank for this. Most of the attention and marketing coverage of this film was for the lesbian part of the story, which ironically, was not the bane of the movie and is also the lesser tale. Another story is of a fat fellow who is secretly in love with a beautiful woman. And there's another story that is weaved into the movie was of an old man who lost his wife.
But the strength of the movie lies in Theresa Chan's tale, the woman who is both blind and deaf. The other 3 stories were there to offer different perspectives on the topic of love, but none were as compelling as Theresa's tale. I guess in that aspect, you could see the difference between a story inspired by a true story, and the stories that were made up. Theresa's life was inspiring, and the fact that she was basically communicating with touch and her senses from the nose, makes it even more incredible. This is a woman, who has accomplished much more than many abled people, but does not feel in anyway disadvantaged. There's a scene which described her visiting India, and being told that there are many people out there living on the streets with no foods. Then she mentioned how fortunate she is to have experienced so much more than most. We have much to learn from this woman.
Production value was good. It didn't drag and though it is an "art" movie, it managed pretty well without being too wannabe. This is a movie that found a nice balance between being artistic and also being commercial at the same time. The movie stands on its on and the topic is fresh and original. Kudos to Eric Khoo who really outdone himself. This has become one of my favorite Singaporean made movie, and considering that I am not a fan of his previous works, this says alot.
The movie ends its run this week. Don't miss it!
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