REVIEWS
'03-FLATS is a challenge to rethinking architectural research in three typical public housing units in Singapore. It has successfully conveyed the day to day lifestyles and complex usage of their spaces by the occupiers. There is no storyline, no ideological hang up, and no attempt to provide an architectural explanation. The film has made an important contribution with its enlightened academic framework to the discourse and understanding of domesticity for the majority living in Singapore's public housing. It has succeeded in registering a memorable experience, and repositions the frontier of such research.'
Prof William Lim, Architect, Author & Professor of Architecture, RMIT
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'Without intrusiveness, 03-FLATS observes lives of individuals in their intimacy. By way of subtle contrasts - propaganda v.s. reality, the occupied/space v.s. the unoccupied/being - the film triggers a strong sense of loneliness which inevitably leads to the questioning of urbanization. The film does not only show negative side of urbanization, but also the individuals’ attempt to adapt themselves into urbanisation.'
Jury of the 5th Salaya International Documentary Film Festival 2015:
Chinlin Hsieh, Programmer, Rotterdam International Film Festival and Director, Flower of Taipei
Waraluck Hiransrettawat Every, Director, Y/OUR Music
Apinan Thammasena, Anthropologist, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre
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'The Singapore "family unit" qualifying for public housing has changed dramatically over the five decades though the authorities have only just woken themselves to that fact. This film gently nudges the authorities not to forget this demographic'.
Tan Pin Pin, Director, To Singapore With Love, Singapore GaGa and Invisible City
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‘… the film seems to be about singlehood, ageing, public housing and the female experience. But slowly, mesmerisingly, a more complex and interesting picture emerges’.
John Lui, 'Singapore International Film Festival: Film Picks', Straits Times, 14 November 2014
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'If the cacophony of unwanted sounds resonates together throughout the apartment complex, it nevertheless fails to communicate anything coherent. When captured in a long, static shot, the communal abode, typically characterized by its constant hustle and bustle, transpires as a symbol of solitude and loneliness. In spite of this, what breathes life into the concrete jungle are the women’s varying attempts to overturn the isolated ways of living that the apartments each offer…'
from ‘Trapped Dreams in an Apartment’, Busan International Film Festival Daily, 8 October 2014.
The Straits Times - 8th August 2019
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私人推荐 ＃1 / Film Recommendations #1
Singapore Chinese Film Festival
9 April 2015
03-FLATS , Directed by Lei Yuan Bin, is recommended by Chew Keng Kiat from Singapore Chinese Film Festival 2015.
周经杰｜底片及志愿人员总负责人，电影节营销经理
Chew Keng Kiat | Film Traffic & Volunteers Coordinator, Marketing Manager
记录三个独居在 HDB（新加坡政府组屋）的女士，在自己的一方陋室里，默默地度着剩下自己一个人的人生。纪录片并没有多加注脚，但那种『就只能这样过了』的人生，让我陷 入沉思。
Following the lives of three single ladies staying in HDB, the documentary doesn’t say much, but it will move you to think about how we cope to make the best of our lives in the places that we stay.
10 Local Movies to Watch Out For In 2015
ST Review (By The Straits Times)
26 December, 2014: By Yip Wai Yee and John Lui
The Straits Times, Life! Section 4 - 4th December 2014
The Straits Times - 14th November 2014
新加坡全景
Singapore Panorama
Lianhe Zaobao
02 November, 2014
"这个单元在2008年的旧电影节首次亮相，这回的本地电影多达10部，而且都是首次在本地放映。雷远彬的纪录片 "03-Flats” 记录组屋区三个女人的生活，她们与政府的政策背道而驰，她们单身，她们为自立生活而努力。"
This category made its debut in the 2008 Film Festival. This year, there are as many as 10 local films and they all premiered locally for the first time. Lei Yuan Bin’s documentary, "03-Flats", observes the lives of three women in HDB (Housing Development Board) flats. Running in counter aganist the government’s policy, these single strong women works hard for their independent lifestyle.
Trapped Dreams in an Apartment
BIFF Daily
08 October, 2014: By Kim Hyo-Jeong
Taking Singapore as its backdrop, the documentary sheds new light onto the apartment space emblematic of the modern way of living. The camera follows the daily life of three single women residing in separate units. For Tang, Amy, and Madam Sim who spend most of their time alone, their day-to-days approximate each other’s as though they were churned out of a machine. If the cacophony of unwanted sounds resonates together throughout the apartment complex, it nevertheless fails to communicate anything coherent. When captured in a long, static shot, the communal abode, typically characterized by its constant hustle and bustle, transpires as a symbol of solitude and loneliness. In spite of this, what breathes life into the concrete jungle are the women’s varying attempts to overturn the isolated ways of living that the apartments each offer: Tang uses the interior space for her art practice; Amy hosts parties for her friends in the corridor; Madam Sim’s relatives gather in her living room.
Audiovisuals that incentivize relocation to such apartment complexes are inserted throughout, reflecting the state-led efforts to standardize modern housing culture. Marketing material that celebrates “The Singapore Dream” is consistent with “The Home Owner’s Dream,” a slogan that was made commonplace with South Korea’s apartment boom. It is indeed a piece that calls to mind an issue that many modern dwellers faced with a similar living scenario can easily relate to.
English Translation by Melany Sun-Min Park
