Cages (film)

Cages
Cages
	Official Film Poster
Directed by	Graham Streeter
Written by	Graham Streeter
Produced by	Joshua Wong; TaniaSng; Frank Cody; Hari Chembukave; Cindy Gallop
Starring	Mako Iwamatsu; Tan Kheng Hua; Zelda Rubinstein; Bobby Tonelli; Dickson Tan; Asrani
Cinematography	Mark Lapwood
Edited by	Frameworks
Music by	Roger Bourland
Distributed by	Golden Village Theaters (Theatrical); Hallmark Channel (TV); Perles Ent. Group (Worldwide) [1]
Release date	22 March 2007;
Running time	90 min.
Country	Singapore
Language	English

Cages is a 2005 film, directed by American film director Graham Streeter which tells the story of a single mother named Ali Tan (Tan Kheng Hua) who attempts to escape repeated bad relationships which puts her before the man she resents the most—her father, Tan (Mako Iwamatsu). The truth is not always easy to face when her father reveals a dark secret 20 years past; a past that may cost a lifetime of relationship.

Plot

After a fall-out with her recent boyfriend Ethan, Ali, a single mother, finds herself broke, desperate and homeless. In an effort to care for her blind son Jonah, she reluctantly seeks out the only living relative she knows, her father, Tan. To earn enough money to be on her own she accepts a job in her father's bird shop, but not without the resistance of the shop's manager Liz, a manipulative and protective middle-aged British woman.

While Liz and Ali clash at every glance, Tan begins to bond with his new grandson, teaching him about the beauty of Singapore's traditional songbird culture.

For the first time, Jonah crawls out of his shell and finds a connection with the outside world, drawing him further from his mother's hold, and deeper into Tan's world. Ali's soon finds herself caught in a double-edged scenario, as she realizes her father has a powerful and profound effect on her son.

After great deliberation, Ali decides to let Tan and Jonah bond, but just as she feared, Tan mysteriously becomes cold and distant. As a result, Ali's feelings of childhood rejection resurface, sending her into a quest for the truth of their past.

But the truth is not always easy to face, as her father's explanation of why he left the family is revealed; a dark secret of 20 years past is exposed, changing Ali's view on life forever.

Cast

Mako Iwamatsu as Tan
Tan Kheng Hua as Ali
Zelda Rubinstein as Liz
Bobby Tonelli as Ethan
Dickson Tan as Jonah
Asrani as Leo

Critical reception

Russell Edwards of Variety felt the film "remains imprisoned by stiff performances and a continually lurching script".^[2] Leah Aw of Sinema described the film with "a melodrama at heart, with ample potential for exploring the complex human relationship that undergird any family story."^[3]

Festival Honors

Busan International Film Festival 2005 : Official Selection
Prague Film-Asia Film Festival 2005 : Closing Film
Bangladesh International Film Festival 2006

References

^ "Director of Cages, Graham Streeter". Retrieved 22 May 2019.
^ Edwards, Russell (19 October 2005). "Cages". Variety. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
^ "Film Review: 'Cages'". Sinema.SG. 20 March 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2022.