Shirkers
Common Sense says
- NR
- 2018
- 96 minutes
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
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What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Shirkers is a documentary about the strange events and people surrounding the making of Singapore's first independent movie back in 1992. The plot of the original Shirkers involved a 16-year-old serial killer, although no violent footage is shown. A few classic film clips briefly show violence or disturbing images in rapid-fire succession. A couple of people mention stories that Georges, a mysterious and unreliable person, told about watching his brother bleed to death and about seeing Jayne Mansfield's decapitated head. Strong language isn't frequent but includes "f--k," "a--hole," and "d--k around." Rare sexual content includes a request to touch a stomach that was ignored, and a magazine cover titled "Sex Issue." There's a reference to not drinking a whole bottle of wine at once. Female characters in the original movie are heavy smokers. Best for mature teens and up who can enjoy piecing together a mystery from the perspective of looking back on the past and who can handle the slow, quiet pace and mature themes and situations.
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What's the story?
SHIRKERS tells how in 1992, three friends in Singapore decided to make a movie together. No one had ever tried to make an independent movie in Singapore before, so Sandi, Jasmine, and Sophia were going to have to find a way to make it happen all on their own. To direct the film, Sandi chose her mysterious, enigmatic film school teacher, Georges Cardova. Against all the odds, they managed to complete filming over the course of the summer before they all scattered across the globe to go back to school. Georges was left with the film and the job of putting it all together back in Singapore. As the months wore on and no movie arrived from Georges in the mail, the three friends felt pretty strongly that something was wrong. When they returned to Singapore, Georges and every last trace of the movie they'd worked so hard on had disappeared. This documentary tells the story of Sandi's attempts 25 years later to piece together what exactly happened to the movie that (almost) never was.
Is it any good?
This quiet, gently paced documentary tells a compelling, mysterious story that explores themes of friendship, trust, and reclaiming your life after bitter disappointment and betrayal. A lot of the footage in Shirkers is repetitive, and in the middle the slow pace gets pretty tiresome. But it keeps enough suspense and tension going to hold viewer interest until the mystery is solved. It's also a fascinating look into life in Singapore, especially for viewers who don't know much about the small island nation.
Teens will relate to the friends' drive and eagerness to do something unique and important, and they'll admire Sandi, Jasmine, and Sophia's ability to create something from almost nothing. Not all questions are answered, and not all issues are neatly wrapped up in the end, which ultimately gives it a true-to-life, if bittersweet, feeling. Best for mature teens who can handle the slow pace, mature themes, and occasional strong language.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about how Shirkers addresses, or doesn't address, some of the dangers Sandi and the others faced, sometimes without even seeming to realize it at the time. Sandi was aware that her road trip with Georges wasn't quite right and so she never told anyone about it. What could she have done differently?
How do you think Sandi and her friends managed to make the original movie happen in the first place? How would things have been different if they'd been in the U.S. instead of Singapore? Is there something you've always wanted to do or to try, but you haven't quite known how to make it happen?
What other documentaries have you seen? Which ones do you like the best? What types of stories make good documentaries?
What are the challenges in making an independent movie? In what ways is it much harder than making a commercial film?
Movie details
- On DVD or streaming: October 26, 2018
- Cast: Sandi Tan, Sophia Siddique Harvey, Jasmine Ng
- Director: Sandi Tan
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Documentary
- Topics: Adventures, Friendship, Misfits and Underdogs
- Run time: 96 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: July 17, 2020
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