A Little Closer – Student Short Film

Logline:

A stay-home caller must bring a lost dementia-stricken elderly home, or else he will be putting her life at risk during a pandemic in Singapore.

Genre:

Drama

Synopsis:

"A Little Closer" follows Ashton, a culturally Indian individual, who works as a Stay-Home Caller to confirm that individuals under Stay-Home Notice (SHN) are at home. As the job market declines, the uncertainty he feels is overbearing, made worse by the retrenchment of his Father. He takes on this job as a Stay-Home Caller, he encounters and forges a bond with a wandering dementia-stricken Chinese elderly lady who is in search of her husband. But there’s a problem – the Police are catching up with this elderly lady to bring her home and Ashton wants to fulfil her wish. But in order to uphold the responsibility that stems from his job, he must stay at home. What will Ashton choose, and will he be able to fulfil this elderly lady’s wish?

A film about chasing time – paired with intergenerational, cultural differences, and dealing with a dementia patient.

In the end, Ashton's eyes are opened - where a twist is revealed, and he has learned values that he never used to believe in through his journey with this elderly lady.

Why we are making this film:

We want to create a story that helps us learn the importance of Tradition and Family, and how it shapes our identities. This story reminds us of the Merdeka and Pioneer generations, reflecting their hardship and nation-building efforts to make Singapore what it is today. These experiences have shaped them in ways where the younger generations would never be able to understand.

With the ongoing pandemic, many of us are thrown off guard and are experiencing lots of anxiety. In such uncertain times, family members are able to witness the already existing cracks in their family - now magnified. Such crises can help us shape the way we meet new challenges. We also want to convey that perhaps the solution to this isn't to run away, but to adapt and survive as the world around us changes.

In our story, our protagonist, Ashton, learns the importance of resilience during tough times and that traditions can be used as a catalyst to bring families together. This story will shed light on cultural dilution faced in Singapore and the strong fighting-spirit in Singaporeans that is slowly withering away.