Presented by The Stranger
Washington Premiere
USA | 2018 | 96 Min | Dir. Sandi Tan
In 1992, and largely inspired by David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch, teenage dreamer Sandi Tan recruited two of her friends, Jasmine and Sophie, as well as an American film teacher named Georges Cardona, to make their own lo-fi film, SHIRKERS, which they shot all across their home city of Singapore. A crime noir of sorts, it starred Tan herself as an assassin. Shortly after production ended, though, Georges fled Singapore along with their footage in tow. Fast-forward two decades: Out of nowhere, Tan receives the 70 canisters of 16mm film that disappeared in ’92. Using those long-lost clips as her guide, Tan pieces together Georges’ actions and true identity, all while rekindling her once-stifled passion for cinema.
Formally playful (thanks to an omnipresent ’90s filmmaking vibe) and hugely entertaining, Tan’s stranger-than-fiction documentary both feels like a twisty detective story and resonates as a profound statement on the power of moviemaking.—Matt Barone