翁小姐：

 

你好！我在NUS Museum 观赏过你的影片，但因为前些日子正忙着赶作业，一直没时间给你发封电邮，述说我在看了你的影片之后的一些感触。我很喜欢你的影片，也有打算把你的影片作为我的一篇小型论文的研究对象，希望你不会介意。我也希望有机会的话，可以向你购买你的影片，因为那天我身上只有十元（我忘了NUS Museum 那里是没有提款机的），就这样我错过了这个宝贵的机会。

 

我自己没住过甘榜，我的姐姐倒是在甘榜住过两年。我的童年回忆是组屋楼下的游乐场，卖着各式各样糖果、冰棒、零食和巧克力的杂货店，以及家里的彩色电视机。不过对于你的甘榜，我还是颇有感触的，当你和你的甘榜道别时，我感动得哭了。其实，任何的离别都是感伤的，对一个不懂事的9岁小女孩来说，还没真正明白为何要离别，就被迫告别甘榜同样是一件伤感的事情，差别或许就在于当时还没来得及搞懂，而现在终于明白了。然而消逝的、失去的，又何止是林厝港的甘榜，这里头还有你的童年，所以说这个影片除了是为了寻回你的甘榜之外，里头也还包括了你的自我发现（a self-discovery）。比较特别的是，在你录制你的第一部影片时，你才恍然发现--自己的甘榜终究是被拆掉了，自己消逝的童年是不愿长大的自己必须面对的遗憾之一。对我而言，我不曾因为我没住过甘榜而感到惋惜，但是我却会为我那就快被自己遗忘的童年记忆而感到惋惜。我的童年也许平平无奇，但终归是自己的童年，在突然发现自己即将失去某样东西时，却清楚地意识到，自己原来根本无力保存多一点什么。就是这样，消失的难免带着浓浓的伤感，这就是我在你的影片里发现的。我猜想观看你的影片的观众当中，有的上了年纪住过甘榜好多年，对于甘榜的回忆是凉凉的晚风和洋溢着温情的甘榜街坊。而年纪轻的，虽来不及体验甘榜的情趣，却依旧可以被你的影片所感动，因为我们都有过成长的经验，成长不就是对自己的童年的一种告别仪式吗？

 

我同其他人一样，是比较喜欢第一部影片的，但是你的第二部影片也有不少优点。尤其在你尖锐的提问背后，我仍旧能够感觉到一丝丝的哀愁，因为像你说的，这是一场未完成的葬礼。很多时候，我们其实没勇气去面对死亡、离别甚至是自己，或许当我们严厉苛责经济发展的步伐太快太极端时，我们忘了要先审视自己心灵的落差与失望。换言之，对于一个地方的最好纪念，是从认识自己到体味人生的经过。所以我很喜欢你的影片和你影片中散落的“金玉良言”--人要学会向前看，学会放下。如果你的影片纪录的是一个早已找不回的林厝港甘榜，至少我们身为观众的，从中找到了面对遗憾以及离别的勇气。谢谢你给了我们一个如此难得的机会，可以停下来审视自己的心灵深处，并从这里寻获继续前进的力量。

 

如果你还会在其他地方放映你的影片的话，还希望你能通知我一声。我也希望有时间及机会能多了解一下你制作这部影片的过程，也希望到时候可以购买到你的这两部影片。

 

舒瑜

 

联合早报副刊-现在 （四方八面专栏）

 

作者：梁海彬（2008-11-21）http://www.zaobao.com/fk/fk081121_508.shtml

 

又是记忆。当然，片名已经说得很清楚了，《悄逝的记忆》是翁燕萍对于那一段已经不复存在的回忆的再现。去看那部片，除了因为一律的好评如潮，也是因为那是一段我不曾参与过的时光，而如今机会来了。片子好像一篇日记，导演徐徐道出了自己的童年回忆，人与事。片子又好像一篇散文，娓娓道出自己的惆怅与欢愉。

　　导演试着从许多人的角度看那一段回忆。于是这一部作品就不只是属于翁燕萍的了，也属于那些“前林厝港”（我觉得这样的称呼很贴切）人们，属于看戏的人们，属于住过甘榜的人们，甚至也属于从未住过甘榜的人们。毕竟，当我们用“甘榜”一词时，就早已预设了观众群。

　　我不曾住过甘榜。但是，我早已从父母不时的叙述之中建构出当年的“甘榜”。服役时我与自然挨得最亲密，所以当导演在片中描述雨滴的声音、泥土的芬香，我是可以明白她的心情的。导演提及她的狗，我妈妈也曾提及她家的狗儿。当年搬迁计划一实行，我真不晓得有多少狗就这样随之消失，死去。如今街上甚少看见自由跑动的野狗，野猫却不少，我不禁担心哪一天，时代会走到一个阶段，连猫儿都必须退到岁月的幕后。我想我可能会很接受不了那个时代。

　　我想起了陈彬彬的《备忘录》。也是在挖掘记忆。回忆真的如此重要！人到了生命的尽头，就只能由记忆来证明自己曾经留于世间的印迹。影片中好几个人说：不可能再有“林厝港”了。对于这一点，有的人抱着无限的怀念默默走在人生之路；有人频频回顾却也很自在地走下去；有人拿起了摄影机给那段记忆作了一场简单的葬礼。

　　朋友Ｍ对翁燕萍的那一份想法很有感觉。她说，如果这是对林厝港的一个祭奠，那么翁燕萍释怀了吗？翁燕萍的母亲在镜头前含泪劝女儿放下，镜头后翁燕萍早已湿了眼眶。“前林厝港”已经“死了”，翁燕萍悄悄地安抚着坟墓。参与了她一部分的我们期待她自在上路的潇洒姿态。

 

 

 

 

    3 and a half stars by 卓宜丰

 

 

    3 and a half stars, Reviewed by Patrick Benjamin 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

骆辉煌 - http://hueihong.blogspot.com/

 

去年在电影节看了翁燕萍的短片《悄逝的记忆1》，令我阻塞已久的泪腺差一点泻堤，心里久久未能平伏。在几乎忘了什么是“被感动”的感觉时，这种不熟悉让人觉得不自在，但很奇怪，我却甘愿、也喜欢这种感觉。

虽然是叙述她对旧林厝港甘榜生活的缅怀，但《悄逝的记忆1》成功地带我走入自己的时光隧道，回到马来西亚的家乡，俯拾洒落满地的童年记忆。

 

“你也懂摄影和剪辑，现在又写稿，不如也回乡拍一部吧！”

当时，不知谁给她留下那种印象，让她讲出那种鼓励的话。事实上，我只是玩过几年的旧式剪接机，根本谈不上有什么能力制作短片。然而，我深感其意，也开始拿起为了消遣而购买的摄相器材，拍摄即熟悉又陌生的乡村人文景观。希望从中能够为自己，也为同乡们储存集体的记忆。

 

感动也许只是一时的情绪，她让我看到只有关怀者独有的执着。我不知道这个执着是好是坏，只知道它能激发思想懒惰的人，为稍纵即逝的现实生活做一点事。

刚刚看完她的最新制作：《悄逝的记忆2》。这次，没有上一集因追溯过去而泪弹如雨下的剧情，却蕴含淡淡的不舍，带着观众到林厝港，去认识默默耕耘的农民们的困境，以及林厝港最新的“娱乐农场”发展计划。

最难忘八十几岁的何老伯，一生为农，终生不悔的坚毅。当积极的呼叫得不到有关当局的回应，何老伯何去何从？叹息已，难免流露寂寞，这个寂寞，名叫不死的热忱。

同样的，燕萍为了拍摄第二集，一人担起十数人的工作，从筹资、写稿、旁诉、剪辑、策划到后期制作等，闯过每一个困难重重的工作，一年下来，叫她本来瘦弱的身形更瘦弱。身为她的母亲，在镜头前只字不提林厝港或她的电影，只是红着泪框，希望她停止拍摄，担心她把身体累垮。

 

新动网影评  http://www.xin.sg/article.php?article=23606

 

 ★★★★

 

《悄逝的记忆》 收藏导演的成长史

 

22 September 2008
文：庄庆宁  

《悄逝的记忆》顾名思义就是关于一段慢慢流逝的记忆。《悄逝的记忆1》和《悄逝的记忆2》是由寻找甘榜当年的感觉、到接受回忆的流逝而形成的。虽然两部是独立片，但只有一次把两部影片看完，才会有整体感。值得一提的是，《悄逝的记忆》是少数新加坡制作，关于新加坡的纪录片。

《悄逝1》是导演翁燕萍的大学毕业作，有趣的是，她当时是考虑到了能向学校借摄影机拍摄这部影片，才决定考取荣誉学位的；所以这部影片是燕萍亲历亲为、自编、自导、自拍出来的，包含了许多寻找回忆时的温馨和笑声、想不起时的愤怒、悲伤和眼泪。影片运用了当年的家庭照、文物照、简单动画、居民和家人的访问，不但把甘榜特色带出，还有一股非常浓郁的个人味道。而既然是一脚踢，又是一个学生制作，拍摄难免有点粗糙，但是重点是情感的捕捉。

 

相比之下，笔者偏爱这部情感和个人主义较为强烈的《悄逝1》。从大体上来说，影片和每一个人都息息相关。你可能曾是其他甘榜的居民、或根本从没住过甘榜，但你仍然能体会其中的喜怒哀乐。对你而言，可能也有一段童年回忆、或者某一段感情是你久久无法释怀的；你可能也曾想重拾当年的一段情、或是为一段不了了之的情感找寻答案。

 

另一方面，《悄逝2》让你看到的不只是林厝港的发展、它的未来，也让你看到导演的成长，探讨的课题也较为严肃和沉重。

所谓出发点相同，但是做法有差，仍然会引起反抗；许多人都在努力“保护”林厝港的乡土民情，但是必须承认的一点是，没有人可以找回以前那个“原汁原味”的林厝港了。《悄逝2》强迫着你接受时代变迁的这个事实，没有人留得住任何东西。这中间掺杂着无比的无奈。

 

从《悄逝1》的温馨、欢乐和一丝落寞，《悄逝2》将让你接受现实，逼着你释怀。这部影片的美妙之处，就是在不同生活阶段重看这部影片，很可能会带给你不同的感想。

为了让影片更具个人风格，燕萍也坚持自己叙述这个关于林厝港、关于自己的故事。2006年放映的《悄逝1》是燕萍提交给澳洲教授的英文版本。她为了家人和受访者特地制作了一部中文版本的影片，可说是私人珍藏，这次首次公开。两年后的现在，燕萍首次公开这部中文版，而且还是和《悄逝2》一起放映，让观众可以对林厝港有个更整体的了解。

《悄逝的记忆》已在9月19日上映。详情请参阅http://diminishingmemories.spaces.live.com/。导演翁燕萍也将在每场放映会上，与观众交流。

 

早报副刊 《四方八面》

我报-娱乐 18/9/08

影评：郑净友

 

悄逝的记忆I&II （PG）

导演：翁燕萍

★★★

 

  

　　

    这两部纪录片都是围绕着林厝港的历史与发展。导演在林厝港乡村长大，第一集从她的童年回忆出发，以及家人如何面对搬迁带来的改变。第二集则是启发自政府宣布把林厝港发展为乡村景点的故事，导演除了发表自己的看法外，也走访现任和前业主。

 

　　此片让人对林厝港历史更了解，如梁宙对那一带发展的贡献。第一集比较个人，比较感性，却也比较粗糙，像在拍home video。第二集在制作水平，甚至是字幕和评述方式，都比较细腻熟练。纪录片主题是“改变”，从乡村到现代发展、再从现代中制造乡村气息，导演都相当仔细探讨，从当中的起伏不难看出她的个人观点。

 

　　这两部纪录片将在明后两天，以及10月3日和4日在The ArtsHouse上映，欲知更多详情，可浏览www.theartshouse.com.sg。

《联合早报》星期天评论版

 

缺席的葬礼● 应磊（2008-09-14）  

“如果身边的人去世，没有出席葬礼的人，会比出席葬礼的人需要更久的时间，才能走出悼亡的阴影。”

　　本地独立电影导演翁燕萍在澳洲完成《消逝的记忆1》的后期制作时，屡屡陷入感伤不能自拔，于是她的导师对她说了上述的话。

　　城市的易容每每牵动怀旧者的神经。人们或许还记得，在《消逝的记忆1》里，燕萍扛着摄像机，重回她出生并度过童年的林厝港。影片围绕个体记忆展开叙述，抒写在新加坡快速发展的过程中，从甘榜逐步搬入组屋区的居民不得不承受的种种境遇和代价。

　　9月，瘦削的导演带着新作，还有清减8公斤的体重，再度出现在本地观众面前。

　　与前作相比，《消逝的记忆2》延续了追溯往昔的失落感和面对现实的无力感。但如果说前作借议员之口以及对搬迁计划受益者的访问，仍试图在一定程度上维持客观，与导演本身汹涌的情绪拉开距离的话，那么来到续集，这样的自觉愈发有心无力。对林厝港的现状与未来的探寻，原本旨在为昨天留下的问题追索答案，结果却加剧了导演的内心挣扎：在一方面，燕萍清楚，坚守这块土地的农夫所面对的困境，并未获得当局足够的关注，而鼓励更多新加坡人走进来看看，对林厝港何去何从终将利大于弊；然而另一方面，燕萍却对一切挂着“发展”名号的举动都心存狐疑，并暗暗祈盼这块世外桃源永不必受外界侵扰。

　　与影片内容相比，真正意味深长的是拍片这一行为本身。

　　连导演都意识到，自己越来越“钻牛角尖”，但付出整整三年，耗尽积蓄（而且过去六年不曾为公积金贡献一分钱），外加不止8公斤的情感重负，这显然不是一个轻浅的“牛角尖”。若以激越论，至少她不是第一个人。据陈清木医生回忆，在搬迁计划最初实施的那几年，曾有多起居民从新搬入的组屋楼上跳楼自杀的事例。

　　倘若世上果真有一语成谶这回事，那么诚如她的教授所言，为林厝港留影的举动，无异于为这道已然消逝和正在消逝的家园风景举行一场“葬礼”。葬礼的意义，不仅是向死者致敬，也赋予生者道别的勇气。对于赫然面对记忆残骸的年轻导演而言，伤口一旦揭开，如果她要继续在这块日渐陌生的土地上生活下去，她必须寻找一种途径，让记忆与现实和解，而这两部纪录片正是她向自己交出的答卷。

　　近年来，探讨城市变迁瓦解集体记忆的作品在岛国此起彼伏，正如一场又一场私人性质的葬礼，送走一段又一段遭发展的步伐隆隆践踏的回忆。梳理这些作品，有一点格外耐人寻味：为什么在这些发自不同个人或群体的叙述中，“政府”总是身兼被理解却又被埋怨、被认同却又被讽刺的角色？我不认为这可以被简单地概括成理性与感性之间的矛盾。

换言之，视政府为笃信经济数据的冰冷计算器，或者视一拨又一拨的怀旧作品为抱着旧年历不放的情绪滥觞，都有失公允。以林厝港为例，支持政策的议员陈清木医生，特别购买了原“阿嬷路”的路牌，置于自家花园作为纪念；而燕萍也承认，城市的面貌不可能一成不变，国家更没有义务为每个公民保存个体记忆。那么，症结出在哪里？

　　至少答案的一部分，在于葬礼的缺席。

　　类似两年前那场国庆典礼兼为国家体育馆送行的例子，在岛国并不多见。较常见的是，当政府透过媒体完成与公众的对话，结果顺理成章就是“拆毁有时，建造有时”。事实上，一味强调发展的重要，未必是政府最恰如其分的沟通方式，更不消说吊下一根经济数据的胡萝卜所凸显的价值冲突；而与此同时，许多怀旧者也并非缺乏长远的目光或拒绝现实的考量。送走一段往昔之无可避免，与如何将之送走，两者间是存在差别的。人们不会指责最终合上棺盖的子孙，而没有为逝者举办葬礼才无法被原谅。可以说，太过轻易就擦掉一段段共有的记忆，欠国家历史不止一个有尊严的“葬礼”，是岛国政府始终做得不到位的地方。这就是为什么扎根于此的子民心痛不已，原本可以积淀化为人文传统的风景，竟被降格成无以向后代对证的残片幻影。

　　（翁燕萍的《消逝的记忆》1和2将于9月19日与10月3日、9月20日及10月4日，在旧国会大厦艺术之家公映。电影网址：http://diminishingmemories.spaces.live.com）

　　（作者为新明／晚报联合新闻部记者）

A COMMENT from Stephanie Ho on The History Workroom, 18^th April 2008:

http://historyworkroom.com/?p=127#comments

I caught the screening and was impressed.

 

Unlike DMI, which was more personal in tone, this sequel was concerned more about the future of Lim Chu Kang rather than its past.

 

It was interesting to hear what the different ‘farmers’ who are now in Lim Chu Kang thought about the issue.  The people featured were an interesting mix- Ho Seng Choon, Ivy Singh Lim (Bollywood Veggies) and Kenny Eng.

 

By presenting their views which both colluded and contrasted with the director’s, this gave the viewer much food for thought.

 

A REVIEW from Stephanie Ho on The History Workroom, 11^th May 2008:

http://historyworkroom.com/?p=142

 

This is a belated review on Diminishing Memories II, a documentary by local filmmaker Eng Yee Peng, and an elaboration of an earlier comment (http://historyworkroom.com/?p=127#comments).

I watched DM II last month at the Singapore Film Festival. I was looking forward to it as I had enjoyed the first film, and was eager to see what Yee Peng has come up with next.

DM II is a continuation of DM I, yet it is something different. While DM I was concerned mainly with the past of Lim Chu Kang where Yee Peng grew up, DM II is concerned with its future: what is going to happen to Lim Chu Kang especially with government plans to make it a education/leisure venue with an agriculture theme?

Yee Peng explores this question through visits and interviews with the people who currently reside and work in Lim Chu Kang such as Ho Seng Choon and Ivy Singh-Lim of Bollywood Veggies and in her own reflections of these discussions.

As in DM I, Yee Peng plays a pivotal role as the narrator and director of the film. From her commentary we hear her voice clearly – one that is constantly thinking, reflecting on the information she has received and struggling to make sense of it. This is one of the most attractive aspects of her film – her honesty and courage in presenting her views and perspectives as a filmmaker which in turn motivate the audience to think a little more deeply about things many of us take for granted.

In addition, Yee Peng also allows the viewer insight into the filmmaking process. The most moving scene was perhaps the interview with Yee Peng’s mother where she expressed concern for Yee Peng’s overwhelming passion for filmmaking that threatened to affect her health. This helps the viewer understand some of the difficulties of independent filmmaking and how it operates in the context of the larger family.

Overall, I enjoyed the film very much and cannot even find anything negative to say about it. I admire the filmmaking style, I found the content educational and it was technically competent – better than DM I that suffered from shaky camera and stinting narration.

Most importantly I felt the soul of the filmmaker and the passion she has for the topic. I hope more people will watch the film. It’s good.

One of the audience from the Singapore International Film Festival's 2nd screening wrote me a letter on his blog, see below:

 

A Letter to Eng Yee Peng, Director of Diminishing Memories II

http://sindieonly.blogspot.com/2008/04/letter-to-eng-yee-peng-director-of.html

 

Dear Yee Peng,

 

Every good film festival allows you to take home something that you can't get at other film festivals. The Singapore International Festival has never meant much to me. I never had luck. Or timing. They say they want only world premieres, so I could not submit my work. So often, SIFF is a lonely affair for me, creeping into cinemas alone, not really feeling part of this spirit. This year's decision to give these 12-13 Singapore feature films a viewing platform made a big difference. To get to the most importnat point, it gave me a chance to watch your film and attend your Q & A. The experience on that Saturday afternoon gave me that something to take home from SIFF this year.

 

I know nothing about kampungs or farming. I grew up in a HDB flat straightaway. And the topic is not interesting to me. So I came to watch DM2 with little expectation but with a hope that the documentary would not be too long.

 

Your choice of a personal style, and I dare say angry style, made a lot of difference right from the start. The fact that you aimed straight at the points that were directly relevant to you made it very watchable indeed. This includes pin-pointing that the danger sign was the former location of your kampung. Like having a good tour guide, I knew I was in good hands and followed you from one issue to another. You were even funny, like how you never managed to pull out the Chye Sim without its muddy roots while the expert next to you nailed every attempt.

 

As the documentary progressed, that persistent, skeptical and somewhat adamant voice in you surfaced slowly. It defined the flavour of your documentary but on the other hand, made it all the questions you were asking seem rhetorical because you already took a stand right from the start towards the current and imminent changes seeping into the area. I somehow recalled vaguely how DM1 was a much-talked about documentary and suspected your very unique voice in it was the reason so. And as you probed further into the wisdom of these new agri-tainment developments and lament the the real kampung flavour that was diminshing, I felt like something of a collision was going to take place.

 

And the turning point came when you interviewed a middle-aged lady whom I learnt moments later was your mother. Her message was simple - to `move on'. Thereafter, you finally questioned the flaw in your initial argument and came to a resolution about leaving the redevelopment matter to rest. And to reinforce the conclusion, you captured another defining image of Lim Chu Kang - the cemeteries. This struck an immediate chord in me because I remember the depressing Sunday night bus journeys across these cemeteries back to the Sungei Gedong army camp.

 

Thinking back, if you were so level-headed about the whole agri-tainment issue, maybe the voice of the documentary would have been more of a whimper. It was truly nothing less than a shout, a scream from you. Maybe stylistically, it could have been more restrained, eloquent and less preachy. But you showed me something that I would keep for a long time. Mission.

The sense of mission did not end with your film, it had only begun for the following Q & A was about to make me helplessly emotional. At first glance, you look like the quiet sort. But your spirit is more than palpable. The best word I can think of is unabashed. Many filmmakers work hard but are sometimes too afraid to wear that badge of mission and drive on their sleeves. They don't want to seen as trying too hard. Because if they fail, maybe less people will take notice. I can't help but feel this is a very Singaporean trait, not just in filmmaking. I succumbed to it somehow along the way. But seeing how you pursue your goal, I am going to change that and find back the `devil-may-care' in me.

 

Honestly, the portion of your mother's interview in the film felt a little incomplete. Like I was missing the bigger picture and you just took out some hard-hitting points and included them in the film. I mean, it still had its effect but it was a fraction of the resonance that I felt from the `live' sharing by your mother later on. She said she was concerned that you only came out of the room to eat the fruits cut by her. She remembered how much you sacrificed and lost weight for your craft. She said she did not agree with your choice of career at first. Finally, she cited that the family is not rich and that she could not support your films like other parents and all she could do was offer little manual tokens of help here and there.

 

Money is not a dirty word. It is something I would often think about. My parents often talk in circles about things that link back to money. It is a very pertinent issue that ties in so many emotions in it our context. My parents would never think of giving me money to make films. More importantly, I will never ask them to do so. Despite loving films and making them, I can't help but feel like it's against my conscience to ask them. What I heard that Saturday afternoon will make me remember that someone who also had no recourse to deep pockets and warm familial support had gone on to make 2 very strong feature-length films. By the end of the Q & A, my cheeks were soaked in tears and I walked out of it already knowing what my concluding thoughts for this year's SIFF would be. This is bearing in mind, I still had 2 very good films to watch - `Flower in the Pocket' and `18 Grams of Love'.

 

I want to thank you for making it special for me. I assure you none of this is dramatised for sensationalising my write-up. I wish you all the success in your future projects.

 

Yours sincerely

 Jeremy

 

 

 

A review on Diminishing Memories II from the Nutshell Review.

For original review, please view link: http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/04/siff08-diminishing-memories-ii.html

 

Some 2 years ago, I had watched Diminishing Memories at the National Museum, and found it to be a very intriguing piece of work, in which director Eng Yee Peng shared, through film, her memories of a Lim Chu Kang rarely seen. It was a very personal piece of village life from the past which is now no longer existent in Singapore (not in the old, authentic and charming nature), and it all seemed rather distant, despite our very short modern history.

In fact, I guess almost every army boy would have travelled along that stretch of road at one point in time or another, where a narrow two lane stretch separates temporarily because of a road island. Back in the mid-90s during my tour of duty, I drove along that stretch fairly frequently (yeah I told you I led a double life, and even had double army vocations!), little would I know that some 10 years later, I now realize that the inconspicuous landmark has more significance to a filmmaker, because it served as a post marker to where her childhood home is. And without which, there would be great difficulty as she admitted, to access

This documentary is possibly the first local feature documentary sequel to have picked up where the previous had left off, and the title holds meaning. With memories, like it or not, they start to diminish into the subconscious, and get hazy with each passing day. While we can fairly recall broad moments in time thanks to anchors to connect to, the little details get lost, and probably we could jog our minds with the assistance of photographs and video from archives, without which, we can only start to imagine and fill in the gaps, and herein lies opportunity for inaccuracies to creep in.

Yee Peng returns with a more assured voice both literal and figuratively speaking, and a more mature handling of this documentary. It showed slight detachment from the subject, perhaps because this time round the whimsical nature of reminiscence, and the interviews with subjects very close to her heart (like immediate neighbours and her own parents), gave way to an exploration from the outside, of someone from the past revisiting a location of the present, where once she had spent wonderous childhood moments in, and now having its landscape changed, and becoming unrecognizable.

If you've read the newspapers, Lim Chu Kang is now an area earmarked with redevelopment plans to convert 3 parcels of land into "agri-tainment" areas, complete with resorts and spas. And Yee Peng now examines what this means to the current batch of farmers, the new inhabitants of a space she once called her own. We get to go behind the scenes into the farms, and with food undergoing intense media attention for its price hikes, one wonders if Agriculture for entertainment purposes, or the more pragmatic approach to try and expand production to ensure less reliance on imports, should be looked into instead. This documentary sets you thinking along these lines, as the director probes and discovers more about such development plans, and the predicaments faced by the current farmers such as how changes in land leases will come to affect them sooner rather than later.

There are also focused shots on the rich flora and fauna ecosystem of Lim Chu Kang that demonstrated that there's indeed a lot more to offer on that piece of land. It was also amazing to have watched this film with key members of the audience from the screening of the first film, such as Ivy Singh-Lim, who owns a bistro at Lim Chu Kang, and the elderly Indian gentleman (sorry I don't have your name!) who had once asked if Yee Peng was going to make a sequel (and it became this movie) to the original film. Like a gathering of seasoned community folks who have now come together again to experience something with one another, it's akin to just having an extremely small glimpse of the kind of kampung spirit of the past, and I am sure that kind of spirit from the previous inhabitants of Lim Chu Kang, and the current ones, are much, much stronger of course (given that they have banded together to actually petitioned for public bus services, then realizing that they could do it better, went ahead with it on their own, and proved themselves right).

I had mentioned before when I watched Diminishing Memories, that it deserved a place in our film archives for its preservation of lives that once were, or a lifestyle now almost forgotten. I shall repeat that call again, simply because Diminishing Memories II is a well made follow up and excellent companion piece, with enough merits to stand alone too. Although set in current times, it will no doubt be a gem when new and proposed development to the area spring up, and again in keeping pace with our obsession for inevitable change in the name of progress, it will serve as a reminder of what once was a rustic charm that had to give way if we're callous.

Diminishing Memories II deserved to be watched, and of course, preserved too for future generations. For those who have not had the opportunity to watch the first one, check out the Related Links below. Put together, both films have something valuable to offer, and to experience. Which brings me to ask if more of us would pay a visit to the area too!