4 years and 7 drafts resulted in a powerful and studied observation of the insurmountable odds faced by those who are overlooked.

Directed by Teo Eng Tiong and written by Lim Jen Nee, Truth Be Told (zhen xiang) is a notable and somewhat controversial portrayal of brutal abandonment juxtaposed with unforgettable dedication.

The Story

Renee Donovan (Yvonne Lim) is an ambitious television presenter digging deep into the grime that infiltrates the 1-room flats of Tiong Bahru. Her scrutiny of the neighbourhood forces her to face her personal demons and see that her past as an impoverished young girl, Ling Ling, cannot be forgotten.

Renee ventures into the dark corridors of Blk 33 with her cameraman Damien (Bernard Tan) and together they dodge shady subjects and uncover the plight of many.

The messages in the film are pellucid: the degradation of family values and the need to improve a system that’s so efficient at encouraging perpetual change but so ineffectual at keeping some of its citizens from falling through.

The film also hints at striking issues like the cut-throat competition between media companies and the nonchalance with which bureaucratic officers deal with the needy and poor.

Truth Be Told is a story that, with a generous sprinkle of dialect, captures the flavour of the heartlands and melded it with a mind-blowing twist.

Yvonne Lim

We should all be grateful that instead of jumping on the commercial bandwagon, Yvonne Lim decided to work with filmmakers from Singapore.

However, she was hardly a strong lead. Hers was a character that had a sad, painful and dirty past. She was a woman laboriously fighting with her history and struggling determinedly with her present. Yet Lim was quite a poker face.

Beautiful and versatile she may be at drama serials, but as a lead in an emotionally-charged film, she was like a fish out of water.

It was not that she was dispassionate or detached from the film. You could tell that she knew what the audience needed to feel and was aware that she had to furrow her brow a little, maybe stamp her foot or allow her lips to make a downward turn but she just couldn’t make us feel for her.

So thank goodness for the outstanding music score by Tay Chee Wei. The music streamed in at the perfect moment, culminated at the right second and urged the film on rather skillfully.

Bernard Tan

Damien Pang was such an ambiguous character –dubious at times yet so caring and protective at others. When at the beginning, he establishes himself as a jaded cameraman who rejoiced at having chanced upon another dead body, you could almost feel bile rising from your throat.

As with most people who are world-weary and cynical, his character was promptly installed with a chain-smoking habit. Damien is slightly deplorable at the beginning but later into the film, you’ll find that he’s so much more.

For an actor who’s been fairly quiet in recent years, Tan was compelling and a much better lead than Lim.

The Officious Mr Tan

The hilarious and accurate portrayal of a blubbering civil servant who exalted proper standards and procedures was executed by Louis Lim.

Mr Tan bordered on nauseating, with his Bluetooth earpiece, disgusting slouch and sweaty shirt, but Lim deserves kudos for not only managing to pull off the role but also for making the film enjoyable to watch.

In fact, he provided relief from the arduous task of processing the weighty issues flinging off the screen.

The Powerhouses

Liang Tian plays Old Teo or Lao Zhang, the hoodlum but also patriarch and puppet master of Tiong Bahru Blk 33. A true veteran actor, he didn’t falter once in his performance of wily loanshark and compassionate neighbour of Ling Ling and her father.

His counterpart is Steven Woon, Ling Ling’s father and a stubborn man who fought hard to keep Ling Ling from the dark hole of materialism and power-hungry corporate monsters.

It was such a pity that the 2 actors were given such a menial supporting roles. This is especially true with Woon. Even the zenith of his appearance was short-lived. It saw him sprawled on the floor of his decrepit kitchen after an explosive fight that resulted in a tight slap bestowed by his daughter.

The rest of the film showed him in flashbacks serving Ling Ling ko loh yoke (sweet and sour pork) or lying in bed alone, blubbering like a baby.

But being a brilliant and seasoned actor, Woon left his mark and was faultless in his role as a loving father who would move mountains just to give his child the best.

Although the chemistry between Renee and Damien was lacking, the tenderness between Lao Zhang and his best friend more than made up for it.

The Truth is

The shots might sometimes appear off-kilter but it’s not because it was done pell-mell. The director of photography, Amandi Wong explained that some appeared badly framed because transferring the digital film onto 35mm film (used by Singapore cinemas) compromised the quality.

Despite this, the script was well-written and the film revolves seamlessly around the truth about Ling Ling’s past and the truth about the system in Singapore. The stories were distinctly separate yet the filmmakers managed to weave a narrative that intertwines personal drama with national issues.

While some might say that Truth Be Told is a little bit of an exaggeration, one cannot deny that although many of us are living in pristine conditions, there are plenty who have fallen through the cracks and are struggling with abject poverty.

Though the pacing for the 1st hour is a tad slow, it’s best you stay in your seat because an antagonist can well be a benevolent character; just like a gangster can easily be a kind soul and a sacrificing mother can be masquerading as a crazy lady.

There were areas in the film that definitely called for improvements, but for a 1st feature-length film for Pilgrim Pictures, it’s a commendable effort. If anything, the filmmakers deserve a pat on their backs for their passion and dedication.

Truth Be Told will not be the last film for Teo Eng Tiong and Lim Jen Nee.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Movie Details:

Opens: Oct 4

Running Time: 90 mins

Language: English, Mandarin, Teochew, Hokkien, Cantonese

Cast: Yvonne Lim, Bernard Tan, Liang Tian, Steven Woon, Louis Tan

Director: Teo Eng Tiong