12 Lotus

Lian Hua (Mindee Ong) is an immeasurably popular singer. She sings what are known as Ge-tai songs as we came to know them in Royston Tan’s previous film, 881. The songs are sung in Hokkien, the South Chinese dialect that is spoken widely on Taiwan but is marginal in Singapore. They are nostalgic songs and their fans form a small, yet fanatic minority. They worship Lian Hua.
Despite her fame, Lian Hua is most attached to her loved ones around her. And that’s where the drama will be set – a drama that is basically already foreseen in the Ge-tai song 12 Lotus, about a woman who has to put up with all kinds of setbacks in life. As a result of the drama of deception and an irreparably broken heart, Lian Hua withdraws from the world into the isolation of her living room. She maintains her isolation for years, until the inevitable comeback ensues.
The film has been made with much love and feeling for popular entertainment. The music is skilfully modernised and the costumes are above all both witty and dazzling. The film is not just a sequel to 881. The scale is kept smaller and in the mixture of entertainment, humour and melodrama, the latter is given more weight. Despite the glitter and craziness, it’s a sensitive and even sad film. (GjZ)