'We all fall down sometimes': Singaporean's film about rough sleepers raises complex issues they face

When filmmaker Nicky Loh returned to Singapore from Taiwan over a decade ago, he moved to a new development in the Tanglin Halt area, one of the oldest HDB housing estates in Singapore.

There, he encountered his first rough sleeper. 

"I used to see him at the void deck," Loh recounted to AsiaOne. "He used to stick out among the 40-storey blocks. I'd come back from the carpark and see his feet in the corner."

Loh tried talking to this man to find out more about his situation but "he wouldn't reveal much", adding that he then called on volunteers who "were more equipped to meet his needs".

Over time, Loh discovered that this man did have a home but chose to sleep rough.

He then realised that the core problem of homelessness was helping people like this individual overcome whatever emotional and mental barrier they faced, instead of simply providing them housing.

“Most of them have relatives, but don’t want to trouble them,” he said. “They don’t want trouble and they may be embarrassed to ask for help.”

Loh then spent weeks talking to the homeless in Singapore to find out about their lives and motivations for a story.

Their plight has become the focus of his short film A Bridge, inspired by a former rough sleeper and was adapted for this film.

The film is part of a series of four, titled Singapore Together: A Series Of Short Films, launched by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah on Tuesday (July 19).

This series is a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), government agencies, and four Singaporean filmmakers including Loh.

In the film A Bridge, characters Keong and Zaki became close friends after sleeping rough under a bridge together for some time.

Zaki wants to rent a HDB flat together but Keong has doubts, fearing that the stability would be short-lived or that living together would cause arguments.

The two are finally guided by a volunteer from the Partners Engaging and Empowering Rough Sleepers (Peers) network to rent a HDB flat together.

Peers network, made up of 26 public agencies, social service agencies and community groups, manages shelters and provides social intervention for the homeless.

WE ALL GET KNOCKED DOWN SOMETIMES

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Loh, who had worked previously as a photojournalist in Taiwan, said on his Instagram account that tackling the topic of homelessness was a daunting one as he did not want to perpetuate rough sleepers into stereotypes.

"The truth is that we all get knocked down sometimes, and some people need more time to get back up with a little help and understanding from friends who reach out," he posted.

He added that there's a myriad of reasons or issues why people choose to sleep in the rough but what's important as a a society is "that there is no judgement".

He explained further to AsiaOne about some of the problems that these rough sleepers face.

"They fear the inability to hold down a job and pay rent," he said. "And like my character Keong, there is also a mental barrier sometimes: Being afraid to lose everything. Once you've had something and lost it, you start to think it's better not to have anything."

Loh added that this film only scratches one per cent of the topic and the hard work that volunteers, including those from Peers, put out day and night.

"It's a thankless job and the success rate of getting through to rough sleepers is low but the volunteers do it anyway," he said on Instagram.

If Loh wants the audience to take away anything from watching A Bridge, it’s kindness.

“Give everybody a chance, especially for rough sleepers,” he said. “We all fall down sometimes, some people more than others.

“As long as we as a society treat them with kindness, that's a good starting point after the film already.”

The roll-out of these four films is in conjunction with the third anniversary of the Singapore (SG) Together movement.

SG Together aims to open up partnership opportunities for Singaporeans to participate in, and provide support for more citizen-led initiatives.

These films can be watched on MCCY's Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages.

ALSO READ: 'He just doesn't want to accept help': This 82-year-old has been living in a makeshift tent in Purvis Street for 10 years

drimac@asiaone.com