OASIS OF NOW is based on my personal connection to an old apartment complex— the very same location we used for the filming—and the people who call it home. It’s a place that I have felt both close and distant to in various different ways. The film addresses questions of family and being an outsider, yet it’s ultimately more about trying to open up, whether for me and for the lead character, sharing our personal feelings on a very simple, human level about the possibilities of closeness and distance and how these are affected by our environment, about our situation, about who we are. To me, genuine closeness hinges on the extent to which we are seen or not seen by others. After all, how can we pass judgement when we only know part of the whole?
Chee Sum Shia
