Ilo Ilo

(Anthony Chen/2013/Singapore) 

A moderately well off Singaporean family hire a Filipino maid and the changed dynamic of the household brings them to a new awareness of themselves as a family. The kid, Jiale, is unruly and his parents are disconnected, distant and wrapped up in work. The whole family seem like assholes and sympathy for Terry, the housemaid, is immediate. However as the film unfurls and we peek into each family members perspective it becomes more obvious why each one is troubled in their own way. Terry acts as a common touching point and opens the family up to their emotional needs so they begin to recognise how they’ve been lacking in support for each other. This is a lovely film, set against the economic crisis of 1997 in Asia the stresses and worries of that backdrop colour the story onscreen. Terry’s own story is evidence of the effect of financial insecurities, an immigrant worker, working far from her family, isolated and struggling in a foreign culture. Ilo Ilo shows how a family unit can adapt and defend itself against the pressures of the outside world and that no matter what happens, life goes on and going on together is far better than muddling through alone.

(3.5/5)