Sandi Tan's Shirkers is an intriguing memoir of an abortive film project. Ms. Tan grew up in Singapore where she was an aspiring filmmaker and writer who chafed against the oppressive atmosphere of her island nation. Mentored by a professor, she collaborated with him and a few of her teenage friends on an indie feature one summer when they were all off from school. Unfortunately, her mentor proved to be a sociopath who absconded with the finished reels of film and disappeared into the ether. After his death some twenty years later, Ms. Tan was reunited with the film reels and the colorful footage of that shoot forms the basis of this documentary.
Ms. Tan ably mixes the film footage, behind the scenes shots, present day interviews with the cast and crew and scenes from films that inspired her. Two of her closest friends forged careers in film and their reminiscences share Ms. Tan's enthusiasm for movies and provide interesting counterpoints to Ms. Tan's point of view. The film is crisply edited and never wallows in self-pity or solipsism. Ms. Tan displays a keen visual sense that lifts this documentary above the ordinary. Shirkers is suffused with loss for a past that can't be recaptured, but is ultimately a triumphant exorcism of an artist's demons. (12/14/18)
As of November of 2020, Shirkers can still be seen on Netflix.
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