Bugis Street (film)
Encyclopedia
Bugis Street is a 1995 Hong Kong-Singapore co-production directed by Yonfan
, about the lives of Singaporean
transvestites in a bygone era. It was a minor hit at the box office with a sexually-explicit R(A) (Restricted (Artistic)) rating, male full-frontal nudity and its nostalgic evocation of a seedy but colourful aspect of Singaporean culture, prior to the redevelopment of Bugis Street
into a modern shopping district and the eradication of transvestite activities in the area.
, is the main protagonist. Despite her having worked for a time as a servant in a household whose "young master" adored her in her hometown of Malacca, West Malaysia, the young lass comes across as having led a surprisingly sheltered life. She journeys to Singapore to seek employment as a maid in the Sin Sin Hotel along Bugis Street.
She seems thoroughly content for a time to possess a naïve, romanticised view of the rambunctious goings-on at the hotel where she witnesses "the sad departure of an American gentleman" from the home-cum-workplace of "his Chinese girl". The guest is actually a presently-sober but angry American sailor who has belatedly discovered that the Singaporean Chinese prostitute he picked up in Bugis Street and spent a drunken night with happens to be a transwoman. Before long, the new employee Lien finds out that many of the long-term lodgers of the budget establishment, whose room rental rate is S$3, whether it be for an hour or the entire day and night, are "women" who were born with male bodies. Although her first reaction to seeing someone with breasts and a penis is one of vomit-inducing revulsion which causes her to contemplate fleeing the neighbourhood, she ends up not giving in to her impulses.
Instead, she listens to, then heeds, the warm cajoling of Lola, the transvestite hotel resident who has treated her well from the start of her stint. She comes to be unperturbed by the unique, complex personalities of the unorthodox community, who in turn also begin to accept her. As she learns to look beyond the surface, she is rewarded with the generous friendship of the cosmopolitan and sophisticated Drago, who has returned from Paris to minister to his/her dying but loving and tolerant mother.
While Lien learns the ways of the world via her encounters with Meng, the slimy, often underdressed boyfriend of Lola, as well as night-time escapades on the town with the Sin Sin Hotel’s other denizens, she begins to see beauty in unlikely places and to grow despite the presence of ugliness in an imperfect world.
Matthew Foo as Dr. Toh
Benedict Goh as Sing
David Knight
as Sailor
Michael Lam
as Meng
Hiep Thi Le
as Lian
Kelvin Lua as Drago's Boyfriend
Maggie Lye as Maggie
Lily Siew Lin Ong as Drago's Mother (as Lily Ong)
Ernest Seah as Lola
Godfrey Yew as Mr. Wong
Yonfan
Yonfan is a Hong Kong film director and photographer.-Biography:...
, about the lives of Singaporean
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
transvestites in a bygone era. It was a minor hit at the box office with a sexually-explicit R(A) (Restricted (Artistic)) rating, male full-frontal nudity and its nostalgic evocation of a seedy but colourful aspect of Singaporean culture, prior to the redevelopment of Bugis Street
Bugis Street
Bugis, in the city-state of Singapore, was renowned internationally from the 1950s to the 1980s for its nightly gathering of trans women, a phenomenon which made it one of Singapore's top tourist destinations during that period....
into a modern shopping district and the eradication of transvestite activities in the area.
Synopsis
16-year old Lien, portrayed by Vietnamese actress Hiep Thi LeHiep Thi Le
Hiep Thi Le is a Vietnamese-American actress, best known for her role in Heaven & Earth, the third film in director Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy.- External links :...
, is the main protagonist. Despite her having worked for a time as a servant in a household whose "young master" adored her in her hometown of Malacca, West Malaysia, the young lass comes across as having led a surprisingly sheltered life. She journeys to Singapore to seek employment as a maid in the Sin Sin Hotel along Bugis Street.
She seems thoroughly content for a time to possess a naïve, romanticised view of the rambunctious goings-on at the hotel where she witnesses "the sad departure of an American gentleman" from the home-cum-workplace of "his Chinese girl". The guest is actually a presently-sober but angry American sailor who has belatedly discovered that the Singaporean Chinese prostitute he picked up in Bugis Street and spent a drunken night with happens to be a transwoman. Before long, the new employee Lien finds out that many of the long-term lodgers of the budget establishment, whose room rental rate is S$3, whether it be for an hour or the entire day and night, are "women" who were born with male bodies. Although her first reaction to seeing someone with breasts and a penis is one of vomit-inducing revulsion which causes her to contemplate fleeing the neighbourhood, she ends up not giving in to her impulses.
Instead, she listens to, then heeds, the warm cajoling of Lola, the transvestite hotel resident who has treated her well from the start of her stint. She comes to be unperturbed by the unique, complex personalities of the unorthodox community, who in turn also begin to accept her. As she learns to look beyond the surface, she is rewarded with the generous friendship of the cosmopolitan and sophisticated Drago, who has returned from Paris to minister to his/her dying but loving and tolerant mother.
While Lien learns the ways of the world via her encounters with Meng, the slimy, often underdressed boyfriend of Lola, as well as night-time escapades on the town with the Sin Sin Hotel’s other denizens, she begins to see beauty in unlikely places and to grow despite the presence of ugliness in an imperfect world.
Cast
Gerald Chen as Mrs. HweeMatthew Foo as Dr. Toh
Benedict Goh as Sing
David Knight
David Knight
David "Knighter" Knight is a three-time world champion enduro rider from the Isle of Man.After competing in the Enduro FIM Junior Cup, Knight debuted in the World Enduro Championship riding for Yamaha. He finished runner-up in the 250 cc class to Juha Salminen in 2001 and to Samuli Aro in 2002...
as Sailor
Michael Lam
Michael Lam
Michael Lam Wai-Leung is a Hong Kong Chinese film actor. He has appeared in numerous films, in several of which he has played the lead role. He first appeared in the film The Night Rider....
as Meng
Hiep Thi Le
Hiep Thi Le
Hiep Thi Le is a Vietnamese-American actress, best known for her role in Heaven & Earth, the third film in director Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy.- External links :...
as Lian
Kelvin Lua as Drago's Boyfriend
Maggie Lye as Maggie
Lily Siew Lin Ong as Drago's Mother (as Lily Ong)
Ernest Seah as Lola
Godfrey Yew as Mr. Wong
See also
- List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender-related films by storyline
- List of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender-related films (sorted alphabetically)