'It hurts to even breathe': Quan Yi Fong breaks down at premiere of Aloysius Pang's posthumous film

It has been more than three years since actor Aloysius Pang's untimely death but his absence is still keenly felt.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday (June 1), local compere Quan Yi Fong, who was at the red carpet premiere in Bangkok for his posthumous film The Antique Shop, made bare her emotions at seeing her "little brother" on the big screen.

"It is regrettable that this is Aloysius' last piece of work," wrote Yi Fong, who had flown to the Thai capital to show her support for the film and her good friend Dasmond Koh.

The film was made in collaboration with Dasmond's celebrity management agency NoonTalk Media and also stars Singapore-based actor Xu Bin.

Yi Fong described how during the photocall of actors at the event, she heard a voice ring out: "Does sister (Yi Fong) want to take a photo with Aloysius as well?"

"When I saw Aloy's movie poster, it hurt to even breathe," she wrote, adding that she experienced a wave of mixed emotions while posing for the picture with one of Aloysius' brothers.

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She continued: "Yes, it's been three years but it feels like you're still here. The 'you' onscreen is so familiar, so serious, so near, yet so far."

Yi Fong described holding back tears as she watched Aloysius in his scenes but ended up being mesmerised by his performance.

"I was completely drawn into the story and forgot where you are, that's your charm," she added.

And it seems 'reel' life got real at certain points in the film.

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"I can only say that some parts of the dialogue are really what your brother Dasmond is telling you," wrote Yi Fong. Dasmond was a mentor to the late actor.

Yifeng also apologised for "suddenly breaking down in tears" during the film.

The movie, a multi-national collaboration involving actors from Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and Indonesia, has been years in the making.

In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao in January this year, Dasmond shared that Aloysius had filmed parts of the movie before he left for his overseas reservist training in 2019, with a plan to resume filming after his return.

Sadly, it never happened. He was 28 when he died in a military accident in New Zealand.

Production on the film was put on hold after that, but Dasmond told Zaobao early this year that it would be resumed to "realise Aloysius' dream".

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The Antique Shop, a collection of four stories centred around items in an antique shop, premiered in Bangkok on Wednesday, with tickets going on sale Thursday.

Based on a 50-second-long teaser uploaded to YouTube, Aloysius appears to be the main character in one of the stories titled Bangle of Love. The snippet also mentions that the performance was his last.

ALSO READ: Aloysius Pang's ashes turned into keepsake jewellery for family

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candicecai@asiaone.com