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Yesterday i spent the afternoon – my avowed off-time – watching Ilo Ilo.

Not sure why it took me this long. I’ve been excited to watch it once it was out, but just never got around to doing so. It’s only when you have everything else to do when you find yourself with the motivation to do anything else that isn’t what you should be doing.

You know what i mean. The clean your room when you have a paper due in 10 hours syndrome.

I’ve been warned that it does not live up to expectations (which warped my expectations thereafter HMMM) but WOW i loved every bit of it. Wanted to watch it in 2 segments, but finished it in one sitting. This is of much significance because my attention span is perversely SHORT. Only good books draw me in deep enough for one-sittings, but this.

Most of all i loved the smallest things: that one movement, an item quietly present but meaningful, the small affix to the end of a phrase. They say Anthony Chen is a stickler for details, i’d say he’s a genius of details.

Was especially in awe of Yeo Yann Yann and Chen Tianwen’s effortless acting. Natural in a way so rare of Mediacorp (and actually everything on TV) that it was deliciously refreshing. It was akin to watching a living breathing family through a peephole and it was g o o d in all its voyeuristic brilliance.

Ok, enough of the gushing. I’m probably very late and all of you must have watched it already. Not very sure why everyone thought of it as overrated. Have our local tongues been desensitized to the salt of Mediacorp over-acting and scripted pathos? Although i’ve come to quite enjoy that flavor in a twisted ironic kind of way: my Sgpride is strong.

This was as good as its initial hype promised.