Time Flows in Strange Ways on Sunday – Short Film

Hello.

We are a team of final year students from LASALLE College of the Arts’ Puttnam School of Film and Animation. We are in the midst of production for our thesis film, a deliverable which contributes to the credit requirements needed for us to graduate with a Ba(Hon) Degree in Film.

We have been deep in development and pre-production for our short film titled Time Flows in Strange Ways on Sunday since early 2020 and our principal photography will commence in January of 2021.

The film is a melancholic and bittersweet look into the life of Sarah, an independent but lonely woman. Having lost their son a few years prior, Sarah and her husband Philip have grown apart trying to deal with their loss. While Philip seems to be able to slowly continue on with life, Sarah has found solace in the comfort and routine of her grief and longing. Everything changes when Ruth, the childhood church friend and lover of Sarah’s dead son, announces her impending marriage to someone else from the church. Sarah is made to confront her grief.

Director’s Statement

I have always been intrigued by films of memory, ambiguous loss and grief. When I first read Kafka on The Shore by Haruki Murakami, a line that always stuck with me was “Memories warm you up inside, but they also tear you apart.” This quote exemplifies the duality of memories and how quixotic they can be, and as a director, I have always wanted to tell stories about memory’s trickle down effect on people through a passage of time, and the bittersweet melancholy only it can bring, in the tragic but everyday circumstance of grief.

Especially so, as we started writing for this film during the height of the pandemic. This need to express grief through our film stemmed from one central observation: that this has been a painful time for everyone. People have been grieving many things; a job, a life, an event, who they are/thought they were, loved ones, the list goes on. It feels right to centre our film around this universal emotion. I too, went through unimaginable grief during lockdown, grief that was vast, overwhelming, and all encompassing. It was difficult to function. I knew I made the right choices that led me to that emotion, but the quote from Murakami’s novel rang true all the same, the memories still tore me up inside.

I took this photo a long time ago, and I don't remember much about that day but I do remember being in awe of the vastness I captured on film. Quarantined in my room in my sea of grief, I realised that not all seas were made of water. I hope the audience feels for Sarah’s pain and struggles, and see a bit of themselves in her, the good and the bad.

What We Need

Due to the pandemic, government funding for student short films have been cut. While devastating, we are determined to make the best film we can with what we have. However, we still need $2000 to supplement the funds we have raised within our group and funds from the school. We believe in full transparency for where the funds raised will go to. No amount is too small as it would contribute greatly to important aspects of our film, such as:

• Cast fees to bring the stories of Sarah and Phillip to life
• Location rental fees for Sarah’s home and the church.
• Production design props and wardrobe for our cast
• Transportation fees
• Welfare, food and craft services to feed and support our hardworking cast and crew

Our Commitment to You

To show our utmost gratitude to all those who have supported us, we will be committed to credit every single person who has donated to us within our special thanks credits at the end of our film. For bigger contributions, we will be more than happy to organize a private screening of the film upon completion.

Once again, we would like to thank you. This film would not be possible without you! We are excited and thrilled for our film, and any contribution in any shape of form will help us make this film a reality!

Thank you for supporting the next generation of Singaporean filmmakers.