Post No. 23: Afterthoughts After Not Being Able To Watch "Innocent Voices"

Okay... I know that the title of this post looks weird... Allow me to give some background to it... After reading about the film "Innocent Voices" in the newspapers, I was interested enough to want to go watch it... However, when I checked the movie listings, I was much annoyed to find out that the film is only screened at Lido and only at the 2 timings of 1100hrs & 1600hrs... Undaunted, I tried to catch the 1100hrs screening of the show on this Tuesday (12/7/2005). However, I wasn't able to make it (okay, I admit that I left my home late) and as I had to book in that night, I decided not to wait for the 1600hrs screening. I was thinking that I would be able to catch it today (15/7/2005) after I book out. However, to my great dismay, it seems that the movie has finished its release in Singapore...

So here am I now, in Orchard Library, ranting about not being able to watch the film...

It greatly annoys me that people are more interested in watching a movie about a fictional invasion of Earth by aliens than an award-winning film regarding the plight of child soldiers in El Salvador in the 1980s...

Just look at the huge difference in treatment given to the 2 films by the local media, movie releasers and moviegoers... "Innocent Voices", as I have mentioned above, is only screened at one cinema & only 2 timings and was released on the 30th of June & though I'm not too certain when its release really ended, looking at the fact that it is no longer being screened today, I will have to say that its entire release lasted only about a mere 2 weeks...

On the other hand, the other movie (in case you all have forgotten, I'm talking about the movie about a fictional invasion of Earth by aliens) is released in almost all cinemas and screened at various timings... And I suppose its release will last much longer than a mere 2 weeks...

Oh yeah, did I mention that for the latter, I have heard quite a few of my friends expressing interest in watching it or have already watched it... If not, they will have at least know about this movie... It was a totally different situation with "Innocent Voices"... So far, only 1 of my friends have expressed interest in it, none that I know of have gone to watch it and the common response I got when I first told them about the film was: "Huh? What show is that?"...

Why is this so...?

Could be it because that the film about a fictional invasion of Earth by aliens is directed by a famous director, has a famous actor who just recently got engaged acting in it and that it boasts of "mind-blowing special effects"? Could it be because of the massive publicity accorded to this film...?

Or is there a profit motive in all of this...? What I mean is that movie releasers expect that moviegoers will be more attracted to this movie, thus meaning that more will actually go watch it, which in turn means that they will make much more profits from this movie than the profits they will get from "Innocent Voices". Hence, they decided to be more agressive in promoting this movie as they expect more profits from it. It's sad but it's true...

However, what about us moviegoers...? What part do we play in all this...? This may sound offensive but I suppose we are also to blame for the phenomenon of high-budget but sub-standard blockbuster films being more popular than minimal-budget, high-quality thought-provoking films... It's a simple case of demand & supply... We, as moviegoers, demand more of blockbuster films so more of such movies will be supplied... On the other hand, I suppose there's only a small niche market for films like "Innocent Voices" so the supply of such films is minimal... Yes, there's nothing wrong with this, it's just a simple case of economics in action, some people just want to entertain and lose themselves when watching movies... However, I suppose it will be quite unfair for those moviegoers, like me, who are not that interested in blockbuster films but more interested in thought-provoking films as they will be greatly disadvantaged as they are in the minority... Yes, you may say that this is democracy in action (majority wins) but what happened to the idea of protecting the minority & ensuring that the minority are treated fairly...? Democracy, without the protection of the minority, is nothing more than just the "tyranny of the majority"...

Don't be mistaken... I'm not implying that all high-budget blockbuster movies which are widely-publicised are not worth watching or are all of sub-standard quality... I recognise that there are such films which are definitely worth watching and are of excellent quality... These would include "The Lord of The Rings" series, "The Matrix" and the "Star Wars" series (or at least Episodes IV-VI). What I am trying to point out is the unfairness behind the phenomenon of high budget, sub-standard & widely-publicised blockbuster movies being usually more popular than minimal budget, high quality & low-publicity thought-provoking films... I don't know about you all but I am quite dishearted that such a phenomenon exists...

Okay, this post is getting much more longer than I expected... Bear with long-winded me for a little while longer... This is already the concluding paragraph... Well, I appeal to you all to pay more attention to films like "Innocent Voices" and if possible, go watch them... Don't be put off by the possibility that such films may not boast of famous directors, famous actors & actresses, "mind-blowing special effects" or that they may be in a foreign language which you don't understand (that won't stop you from watching films like "Shutter", "Ju-on" or "Wet Dreams", would it? These movies have subtitles also, in case you all didn't know...) and that perhaps few, if not none, of your friends will accompany you to watch such films (hey, the last time I checked, there isn't a law against people watching movies alone... Just think of it as time well spent being with yourself)... Believe me, you will most likely benefit more from watching such films than watching a movie about a fictional invasion of Earth by aliens...