Ah Kong [阿公] - A short film on dementia by Royston Tan

[yingjae10]

i was told to watch this video for an assignment. but in the end, i just couldnt stop crying. cherish your family members, no matter what they have become, because their love has never changed for you.

[RandomicityTTM]

I cried halfway, it reminded me of my late grandfather

[mastertubbo]

love the video. WHAT'S THAT SONG? someone post download link

[madseet]

@mastertubbo

/watch?v=SQCTcDZBCi0

[Saroku007]

To everyone watching, please understand even though Alzheimer's is not a preventable disease, there IS a way of greatly reducing your chances or getting this disease. WEIGHT LIFTING! The University of Virginia scientists discovered that men and women who lifted weights three times a week for 6 months significantly decreased their blood levels of homocysteine which is a protein that's linked to the development of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. So please start lifting, thumbs up so others see.

[burikat3000]

what is the title of the song played in the background? i so love it!

[SomedayFantasy]

Life is just a few short moments, cherish those people that you love and tell them how much you love them while they're with you, you never know if there comes a day where it will no longer be possible. I've lost mine chance with my grandfather, don't loose yours.

[Janeyfuu]

This was beautiful. I loved the music and the style of the video. It just fit perfectly together <3.

[jessicalam510]

This video is short but it hits me within seconds.

[andagii]

What a lovely filmed short film. Especially the quality and all. (:

[lukehtube]

Why am I going through all these videos and depressing myself? :'(

[leonheart84]

Do we not feel the passage of time here, ironically portrayed by Ah Gong who holds onto his past as his present when we, the audience, only knows too well of the actual chronological setting? And this brings back to the message of dementia being a mental impairment which can distort memory and the perception of time. The emotive use of the song and the various photos of the past also serve to underscore the fleeting, temporal quality of this short film.

[leonheart84]

We have a glimpse into the various facets of Ah Gong's past from the accounts of a myriad of people in the wet market. And almost immediately, we are brought to the present state of Ah Gong- a frail, old man who mistakes his grandson for his own son.

[leonheart84]

And dookula, with your empty comments of the "poorly conceived film" and your lengthy, pompous self- defense, what is your actual point or "message" about the film ultimately? How exactly has it been aesthetically ill-conceived? Please substantiate and stop using public space to vent your personal prejudices.

[tableforc]

lol my grandma doesnt have dementia but she sometimes repeat like the ahgong but its only about cooking not rearing chickens

[danjrs]

Incredible filmmaking, he's one of the most talented and original directors in the world. 

[bengtang]

It would be more authentic if ah kong spoke Hokkien or Teochew and the Mandarin speaking grandson needed a translator to speak with him.

[michael1215]

Sorry but Ang tze phern is really cute

[mestaurn504]

This video really shows that the true essence of a person never really changes because of a sickness.

[GhostManBrandonDDpre]

You can definitely dislike this film without being an asshole. There are serious subject films, that are just not terribly well made. If they had been made about stamp collecting or fishing, you would feel more comfortable saying they suck.

As for this film, I love it. The soundtrack is beautiful, the beginning looks like a documentary and then you have this very sweet scene with the boy and his grandfather, who is living in some other time.

I have lived this and I find the film touching.

[benjamane]

ang tze phern. what a star.

[510Seankoh]

6 people are devils.

[aznkidbrono]

This made me tear up. Great work.

[TOPofKyuhyun]

Sheesh. Why must u people pick out such trivial things and ruin the beauty of the film?

[holykiller130592]

Somehow, my eyes teared when the ah kong was rubbing his grandson's face... 

[trublu850]

A nice nostalgic take at creating Dementia awareness, it also reminds us that our elder's also had a LIFE. I thought it wonderful that they conceived it as such that the grandson went around asking people about his grandpa-getting to know about him thru other people.

[kairin]

i'm not concerned about the content or the fact that it is to raise awareness about this disease, if you wanna call it a disease.

i am malay fyi.

so with regards to my racist comment... i'm not sure how it was racist, neither do i care since i made that comment and i was trying to highlight something else.

it would have been a more balanced film TO ME, if the other stall owners also spoke in other languages and not just mandarin.

[sargunan]

@kairin the boy was supposed to have made the film for his grandpa..would he have understood malay or tamil...well that depends...in addition i have never seen any of royston tan's film considering the fact tht they are all in his mother tongue and touch mostly on chinese singaporean lives..that personal touch of his might have offended your viewing pleasure...

you have a point though regarding the uneven use of mother tongue...perhaps dubbing would suit it better for various channels?

[jaslynk1]

每次看到这个短片， 我就哭。 

[arhmal]

This is so awesome, it reminds me dearly of my granddad. :) Lovely~ I would do anything for my granddad, too. He's my everything.

[Acwdhawle]

I miss my late grandpa man. Didn't get a chance to say I love you to him personally. That sure sucks ain't it

[angcuicai]

this film really touches my heart and i can truely relate to it... my grandpa also suffered from dementia and passed away last year due to cancer... i saw how dementia took away his memory and ability to lead life normally... although he never said a word whenever he saw me, but he always give a warm smile with a pair of sparkling eyes that in his heart he still rememeber me.

[cherosayshello]

very nice cinematography... however did not really feel touched. probably would've felt more real if the ah gong spoke in hokkien instead. my grandfather just passed away this year due to brain hemorrhage... i think he had a little dementia too. i miss him very much...

[MegaVangel]

great video. but i think that its also a bit of misinformation. Dementia can strike at any age. What this is referring to probably senile dementia. I had a young school friend struck with dementia T_T. Touching video nonetheless we all know someone young or elderly who is suffering and the family and friends are the only support they have and they don't even realize whats happening to them .

[510Seankoh]

Usually, videos that are used to promote health are sad, happy, funny and touching. This video is touching. This must really be shown to the world.

[HeartSongstress]

Nice job :)

[darrendelong]

overall cast acting 4/10

dialog 5/10

director 5.5/10

director of photography 7/10

lighting 7.5/10

colorist 7.5/10

[leonheart84]

@darrendelong Your review: 4/10

[2800195]

maybe a sequel?

[CloneSnail]

another simply brilliant short

[elainetay0442]

that ah ma film is better to me... anyone watched going home??

[greeencell]

i love the concluding line "Dementia doesn't change who they are on the inside." It can be really hard to find solace when one is faced with such predicament.

i am a caregiver myself (though my mum-in-law is suffering from multi-systems atrophy, not dementia). Like dementia, there's no cure for that and it can really get us down seeing her condition get worse by e day. Wanting to give up and getting jaded is not uncommon.This really gave me, and i hope others too, a diff perspective on things

[eugeniathegreat]

anyone have sons!? roystons shorts?

[bencannot]

he got me with this one...

[cecilpaprika]

This hits home for my sisters and I. Our mother is a dementia patient. But it also fails to highlight that there are many forms/facets of dementia. This is but one of them. Would have been nice if it showed the impact of dementia on the family and the importance of a family support system, especially for the patient. But a good spot, nonetheless.

[visa]

why is every bloody indian called muthu

[hijumanji]

why people still busy body to talk about the language, why look down on malay lady, because she is just an egg seller doestn mean she can not speak proper english , what kind of this F@#king people, this movie is really damm good and also sad !!! one day, we can be like ah kong as well , get it ???

[syaopang]

now i miss my grandma...

[105siglaproad]

this turned out better than i anticipated when we were working on the project initially. royston's young actor has come through. good work helen and yan ling!

[plus1exp]

Very emotional. My grandfather has dementia too and he lives in the past like the ah kong in this, but he still remembers people.

[javierliyongen]

@Kairin Aiyo-lamak! the 16 yr old kid can understand Malay meh! I am 30 this year I also dun understand Malay lah!

[kairin]

@javierliyongen which is the whole point of my point...

its a public service film since its promoted by hpsb or dunno what govt agency...

if all the other characters can speak in mandarin... then why not the malay auntie speak in malay and the indian man speak tamil?

if we want to talk about balance... then why not out of the many mandarin speaking characters... one or 2 of them also speak in english instead of the entire thing be in mandarin?

it is broadcast into english media right?

[javierliyongen]

@kairin Errr Kairin, you have missed my point totally.

I meant if u are the chinese grandson in the clip, would you understand Malay? In terms of making an ad as realistic as a slice of life, is to make it look so real, it can happen to me and you.

On another perspective, if this clip is mainly Malay characters about a Malay grandfather with dementia playing P. Ramlee songs at the back, it would be relevant if the Chinese "interviewed" by the Malay grandson above the age of 60, can say Malay

[javierliyongen]

I LOVE THE MUSIC AND THE CLOUDS!!!! THE BLUE TINGE OF MEMORIES!!!!!

[dookula]

stilted dialogue. forced acting. and one-dimensional characters. who cares if the pictures are shot at high resolution

[gaozi]

@dookula are you missing the point of this short film? btw it seems amongst all the comments, you are the only one who cared about the HD quality.

[dookula]

@gaozi It's possible that I did miss the point of this short film. To me, it's a no-brainer that dementia is tough on people out there, and this film did nothing to make me feel any more or less of that fact. And to add insult to injury, the filmmaker decided to end the film by spelling his message out loud and clear in text to his audience, just in case we missed it. To me, it's all heavy, heavy, handed stuff which really says nothing at all. Just an opinion.

[silverbolt77]

@gaozi - hey c'mon let's not get emotional here. I don't think dookula said anything offensive here. If you think about it. all he/she did was criticized the film as badly made, but he/she did not criticize the intention of the film. I think everyone who was touched by the film is just feeling hurt because his/her comments seemed to have "trampled over your feelings". But don't you think you are taking this a little too personally? Shld ur personal feelings restrict others' freedom of opinions?

[gaozi]

@silverbolt77 hi. i was wondering if you were summarizing some of the other negative comments against dookula as a reply to my comment. cos i myself couldn't have tell so much about someone from 2 lines. (1. are you missing the point / 2. only dookula cared about the HD quality).

[gaozi]

@silverbolt77 i also agree with you: most of his/her comments were to criticize the cinematography of the film. And that's why i thought he was missing the point. the short film seems to try to stir a feeling/motivation, and the message seemed to hit home for those who have personal close encounters. maybe the differences in these 2 extremes of comments here is down to the differences in receptivity of the individual.

[silverbolt77]

@gaozi - Hi gaozi. yes i was summarizing. Apologies for the confusion! ur comment was the most popular so i was addressing everyone's thru that. My mistake!

[gaozi]

@silverbolt77 (",)

sigh. everyone's comments has validity. ha. i'll sit out for now and try to stay neutral. ha.

[vegarden88]

@dookula Let's see you produce something better then. I think we're in need of good directors too.

[dookula]

@vegarden88 I agree, we need better directors. I hope to see you produce better stuff too!

[allygatorist]

@dookula hi maybe you are so narrow minded, you are unable to take in the actual meaning behind the film. perhaps you should open your eyes big big, try to actually understand what it says, and then if you still think it sucks, put your money where your mouth is and go make a better one. talk is cheap.

[dookula]

@allygatorist I'm not sure how I was being narrowminded by criticizing the dialogue, acting and characters, but sure, I might have missed the actual meaning of the film. In a very heavyhanded way, all it appears to say is that "dementia sucks". Well, I kinda knew that already. What does it mean to you? And why must I make a better film to prove that this one isn't all that good? Talk would certainly be cheap if I claimed to be a better director, but I didn't. I just said I didn't like the film.

[greeencell]

@dookula you are entitled to your opinion but if you aren't a caregiver or even close to having a loved one being lost to any kind of disease, it would be good to keep your callous remarks to yourself.

Same theory apply to every other cause out there. I know that African kids are starving, the Haitian earthquake has caused many to lose their homes, so does it mean that it doesn't justify any awareness programs or campaign?

[dookula]

@greeencell CONTD ...a slight to them or the people they are caring for. To say that I have been disrespectful of them is as ludicrous as saying I've been disrespectful to police officers if I didn't like 'Police Academy'

[greeencell]

@dookula and yes you really did miss the point. it's not about the fact that dementia sucks. It's to give people out there a different take and perspective on a dementia patient.

[dookula]

@greeencell I feel a need to defend myself because you are insinuating that I've been disrespectful in some way to dementia sufferers and their loved ones when this has patently not been the case. I've kept my remarks I think, to the aesthetic qualities of the short film, which I maintain, aren't very impressive at all. I've nothing but respect and empathy for the caregivers of dementia sufferers, and do not feel that criticizing a poorly conceived film in which they are featured is a slight...

[silverbolt77]

@dookula - Although i disagree with u on ur review of the film, I agree that you did not say anything offensive. I think people are just getting emotional. They are touched by the film personally so they mistake your comments as you trampling on their feelings. What they don't realize is that in fact, they are the ones bullying you from free expression. My advice is just ignore them. It's an online discussion and no good will come from pursuing a discussion with 'narrow minded' people.

[caskofdregs]

@dookula "In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so."

-Anton Ego, Ratatouille

[dookula]

@greeencell Dear Greencell, just what is this different take and perspective? What did you learn about dementia from this film?

[leonheart84]

@dookula Where in the short film did you find these flaws?

[leonheart84]

@dookula The addition of the sentence at the end of the ad is to reaffirm the central theme of the short film; understandably so since this short film is meant to reach out to the mass market. As I have mentioned one too many times, high art will not function well in the context of a short film meant for the mass market given its elusiveness.

[leonheart84]

@dookula You did not defame anyone. But your narrow, unjustified, unconstructive criticisms that are so sweeping is defamatory to the filmmaker in my opinion. How is the message of the film not carried across to the audience?

[leonheart84]

@dookula We have a glimpse into the various facets of Ah Gong's past from the accounts of a myriad of people in the wet market. And almost immediately, we are brought to the present state of Ah Gong- a frail, old man who mistakes his grandson for his own son.

[leonheart84]

@dookula Do we not feel the passage of time here, ironically portrayed by Ah Gong who holds onto his past as his present when we, the audience, only knows too well of the actual chronological setting? And this brings back to the message of dementia being a mental impairment which can distort memory and the perception of time.

[leonheart84]

@dookula The emotive use of the song and the various photos of the past also serve to underscore the fleeting, temporal quality of this short film. With all due respect, I think you are either too dense or too insensitive to see any message in the film. I challenge you to come up with your criticism with comparable justifications.

[kairin]

doesn't anyone find it weird... a makcik selling eggs speaks such good english...

or why all the others speaks dialect except the 2 characters...

i mean i would have liked it better if the makcik spoke in malay to make it more authentic... or at least broken english mix with malay...

its like there's a discontinuation of the short, during those parts compared to the rest of the short...

[justonestop]

@kairin hmmm... its in mandarin actually... not a dialect. The makcik speaks good english meh? She didnt pronounce "glimpse" properly either what.

Do you know anyone with dementia? I wonder what someone with mild dementia will think after seeing this.

[AnonycowMouseword]

@kairin why is it strange that a makcik selling eggs speaks english? perhaps it's because she's speaking to that kid whose grand dad has dementia. So she speaks english so he can understand. 

[leonheart84]

@kairin Correct me if I'm wrong but since when did any of the characters spoke dialect in this short film? Obviously you are not aware of the draconian censorship in sg where even our most native dialects are banned from public broadcast.

Your suggestion that the macik should speak more Malay reeks of racism. Exactly why can't a Malay lady speak fluent English? Statistics from the book "The Singapore Dilemma" will prove otherwise.

[kairin]

@leonheart84 fyi i am malay

so my issue is if its meant to be broadcast into english media, why is the language spoken is mostly in mandarin?

compare that with the short public service film with regards to filial piety.

[kairin]

@leonheart84 sorry

its not compare this with that video...

its have a look at most public service films in general like filial piety...

[darrendelong]

@leonheart84 You can have your own opinion of the film. I can have my own. What's your problem?

[leonheart84]

@darrendelong FYI, yours is NOT an opinion but a grading of the film in numbers. What is YOUR problem? And that is MY opinion.

[darrendelong]

@leonheart84 So what if I grade them to my opinion? You mean I am not allowed to do that here? You rule youtube? Everyone have to agree with you? Stop being an idiot.

[leonheart84]

@darrendelong You obviously do not the know the difference between an opinion and a grading. I wont waste my breath. I think you are the idiot. Pls substantiate your grade then.

[darrendelong]

@leonheart84 You are fucking asshole who wants to dictate what people do here? Am I condemning you? Why do you have attack people? Because I disagree with you? Grow up and leave people alone asshole.

[immuchtoofly]

@kairin hey there! i'd like to point out to you that this film is from the perspective of a young boy looking to piece together his grandpa's past. as you would know, most young singaporeans can barely speak a word of a mother tongue different from his/her own (yes there are exceptions to this, but that fact remains). for example, i am a singaporean chinese uni and unfortunately don't know much malay to save my life.

[immuchtoofly]

@kairin thus the best that the young boy can do is to communicate with the malay lady & the indian man in the language in a language they know too: English. consequently they reply him in the way that HE understands them. in reality that is how we communicate with people of different races. anyway, two last things: 1. makcik was speaking singlish and not "good" english. 2. the rest of the characters spoke chinese, which is why the boy could speak to them in chinese, and not dialect. :)

[kelvintwt]

who the heck disliked this?!

[justonestop]

damn old school the setting.Nice!

[torunaaa]

it's really touching.. i don't knw what i would have done if that were to happen to someone close to me..

[cl0udi3]

@torunaaa same! i almost teared watching this!