Pop Aye
{{short description|2017 film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Pop Aye
| image = Pop Aye poster.jpg
| caption = Film poster
| director = Kirsten Tan
| producer = Wenhong Huang
Zhang Jianbin
Weijie Lai
Deng Li
| writer = Kirsten Tan
| starring = Thaneth Warakulnukroh
Bong
Penpak Sirikul
| music = Matthew James Kelly
| cinematography = Chananun Chotrungroj
| editing = Lee Chatametikool
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|2017|1|19|Sundance|2017|4|13|Singapore|df=y}}
| runtime = 104 minutes
| country = Singapore
Thailand
| language = Thai
| budget =
| gross = $132,534{{cite web |url= http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Pop-Aye-(Thailand)#tab=box-office |title= Pop Aye |website= The Numbers |accessdate=22 October 2017}}
}}
Pop Aye is a 2017 Singaporean-Thai drama film directed by Kirsten Tan. A debut feature by Tan, the road film tells the story of a man as he tries to take his long-lost elephant back to their rural hometown. The first Singaporean film selected to screen at the Sundance, it competed and won a Special Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.{{cite web|first1=Joanne|last1=Soh|title=Long road to success for Pop Aye director Kirsten Tan|url=https://tnp.straitstimes.com/entertainment/movies/long-road-success|website=The New Paper|accessdate=12 April 2017|date=12 April 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2016/11/sundance-2017-competition-next-lineups-1201750752/ |title=Sundance 2017 Announces Competition and NEXT Lineups, Including Returning Favorites and Major Contenders |work=IndieWire |first=Kate |last=Erbland| date=30 November 2016 |accessdate=21 January 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/asia/singapore-sundance-pop-aye-cercamon-1201931843/ |title=Singapore’s Maiden Sundance Selection ‘Pop Aye’ Picked Up by Cercamon |work=Variety |first=Patrick |last=Frater |accessdate=21 January 2017}} It was selected as the Singaporean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/asia/singapore-pop-aye-foreign-language-oscar-contention-1202569547/ |title=Singapore Picks ‘Pop Aye’ for Foreign-Language Oscar Contention |work=Variety |first=Patrick |last=Frater |date=24 September 2017 |accessdate=25 September 2017}}
Tan's success at pursuing her dreams and interests in filmmaking was mentioned in Parliament in April 2017 by Ong Ye Kung, the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills), as he highlighted the need for parents in allowing their children to pursue their interests.
Plot
Thana, a middle-aged architect, is disillusioned at work as well as at home with his wife B. One day, as he wanders the Bangkok city, he chances upon an elephant which turns out to be his childhood companion, Pop Aye. He then decides to take the elephant back to the rural village where they both grew up and into his uncle Peak's care. They embark on their homecoming journey through the rural Thailand to their hometown in Loei Province, Isan together.{{cite web|last1=Lee|first1=Maggie|title=Sundance Film Review: Pop Aye|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/pop-aye-review-1201959931/|website=Variety|accessdate=12 April 2017|date=19 October 2015}}
Cast
- Thaneth Warakulnukroh as Thana
- Bong as Pop Aye
- Penpak Sirikul as Bo
- Chaiwat Khumdee as Dee
- Yukontorn Sukkijja as Jenni
- Narong Pongpab as Peak
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 90% based on 29 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 6.7/10.{{cite web|title=Pop Aye (2017)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pop_aye/|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes)Fandango Media)|accessdate=29 April 2018}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/pop-aye |title=Pop Aye Reviews |publisher=Metacritic (CBS Interactive)|accessdate=29 April 2018}}
Pop Aye screened to positive reviews in The Hollywood Reporter, Variety (magazine), Roger Ebert,{{Cite web |last=Murthi |first=Vikram |title=Pop Aye Movie Review & Film Summary (2017) {{!}} Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/pop-aye-2017 |website=www.rogerebert.com |language=en}} and Screen International.{{Cite news |title='Pop Aye': Review |language=en |work=Screen |url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/pop-aye-review/5112848.article |access-date=2018-11-25}}
"Loneliness, alienation, the ache of nostalgia and the everyday absurdity of life infuse every encounter in the unconventional road trip. Like the journey it depicts, the first feature by New York-based, Singapore-raised writer-director Kirsten Tan is unhurried and unforgettable."{{Cite news |title=‘Pop Aye’: Film Review {{!}} Sundance 2017 |language=en |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/pop-aye-review-964840}} The Hollywood Reporter
"Warm yet unsentimental, graced with the lightest touch of surrealism... (Tan) has also distilled her bohemian travels around the country into a fictional journey that's both authentically off-the-beaten track and something more metaphorical, with the elephant Pop Aye gradually assuming a significance on the level of Rosebud in “Citizen Kane.”{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Maggie |date=2017-01-20 |title=Film Review: ‘Pop Aye’ |language=en-US |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/pop-aye-review-1201959931/}} Variety
Accolades
Pop Aye premiered in competition at Sundance as the opening film of the World Dramatic selection, and was awarded a Special Jury Prize for Screenwriting. It went on to pick up the Golden Eye at the Zurich Film Festival for Best International Feature Film{{Cite news |title='Pop Aye' wins best international film at 2017 Zurich Film Festival |language=en |work=Screen |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/pop-aye-wins-best-international-film-at-2017-zurich-film-festival/5123044.article}} and the VPRO Big Screen Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.{{Cite news |title=Pop Aye - vpro cinema |language=nl-NL |work=VPRO |url=https://www.vpro.nl/cinema/films/film~12355952~pop-aye~.html}} Pop Aye was the first Singaporean film to win a major award at Sundance{{Cite news |title=Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye wins screenwriting award at Sundance |work=TODAYonline |url=https://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/movies/kirsten-tans-pop-aye-wins-screenwriting-award-sundance}} and also at Rotterdam Film Festival.{{Cite news |title=Another international award for Singapore film Pop Aye |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/another-international-award-for-singapore-film-pop-aye |access-date=2017-02-05}} The film was also Singapore's official submission to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.{{Cite news |title=Singapore picks Pop Aye for foreign-language Oscar contention |language=en-US |work=Channel NewsAsia |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-picks-pop-aye-for-foreign-language-oscar-contention-9247316}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|3740066|Pop Aye}}
{{Singaporean submissions for the Academy Award}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pop Aye}}