It is a proven formula, tapping into the life experiences and inchoate identities of large numbers of Singaporeans who see little chance of ever joining the business, professional, linguistic and political elite.

This is not to say that good stories cannot come out of such settings, but one has to remember that the setting does not make the story. The story line itself has to be a strong one, and not merely an exploration of the social context.

Djinn's Perth (2004) and Royston Tan's 4:30 (2005) are two successful examples. The similarity between the two is the way the story is told through the eyes of a main character. They are stories of a character set in Singapore, not a story of Singapore populated with characters.

And this is where Singapore Dreaming may have started off with a handicap. The initial idea appears to have been an exploration of the 5 C's -– heck, even the production company is named 5C Films Private Limited -– which in Singapore parlance, are the five material and status goals of acquiring cash, a condo, a car, credit cards and country club membership.

This is told through the lives of the Loh family and the things they do in pursuit of these desires, but nowhere in the story do people pause and reflect on why they do what they do (beyond a brief mention by the character Uncle Peng that we'll all end up in the sixth C: the coffin). Nor is there any outside character that offers counterpoint [2]. Perhaps this itself is a commentary on the fact that Singaporeans in general do not pause and critique their wants. If the film were a story about a main character who is non-reflexive, perhaps that might not be unsatisfactory. Alas, Singapore Dreaming implicitly purports to be a social story; that being the case, the lack of a counterpoint character or introspection means the story never quite folds in.

The film opens with the return from America of Seng (played by Dick Su) after 2 years' study in an unknown university. Family hopes of his doing well in life are raised, this especially as Pa (Richard Low) and Seng's girlfriend Irene (Serene Chen) have scrimped and saved to support Seng's education.

At the same time, Irene hopes finally to tie the knot with her beau.

Reality, of course, is far harsher. Seng fails to find work, while his sister Mei (Yeo Yann Yann) is stuck in a soul-destroying and ultimately humiliating job. Mei's husband and Seng's brother-in-law, CK (Lim Yu-Beng), is a total failure at selling insurance, and this while a baby is on the way.

It is the Toto lottery that changes the family's fortunes, but as soon as the windfall is received, Pa dies of a heart attack.

The tensions build through the few days of the wake. Did Pa leave a will? If not, how should the money be divided?

Serene Chen as Irene played the naive girlfriend convincingly, while Richard Low as Pa comes across as endearing despite playing someone with all the usual flaws of middle-aged Chinese husbands: gruff at home, with a mistress and young son on the side and a fondness for games of chance.

The script very deftly touched on each of the 5 C's. At various points in the story, one or more members of the Loh family would be engaged in the acquisition, or attempted acquisition, of more money, a car, a condo, credit cards and even country club membership. Even in death, these were unquestioned priorities as the family made symbolic offerings to the deceased Pa of these material goods.

And then what? How does one resolve a story about the 5 C's that, despite a long build-up, has not presented any moral dilemma about the 5 C's?

So in that sense, the ending was a little disappointing. It was neat, no doubt, but it was one where everybody got his just desserts, that is, it ended didactically as a morality tale.

This is not to say you shouldn't watch Singapore Dreaming. You should, you must. It is, overall, a well-made film: authentic-sounding dialogue, straight-forward cinematography that never upstages the actors, well-paced and certainly imbued with good acting. All signs of confident direction by Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen.

I'm sure many Singaporeans will see a bit of themselves in there.

It represents a further maturation of film-making in Singapore. We're seeing now a degree of polish that as recently as 10 years ago, we could only dream of. The technical inputs are coming into place. But it is precisely because Singapore Dreaming is technically fluent that our mind starts to ask, what is it that film-making here needs to take us to the next level, which is perhaps why this review may sound unduly critical.

In my view, Singapore desperately needs story-tellers. We need people who can weave a tale of the human heart in a way that is acute and yet timeless, and who won't shy away from the bitter, if that's where circumstances take the heart. Couple such story-telling with our improving film-making skills and the cinematic Singapore Dream will be within our grasp.

© Yawning Bread