In the Room is a 2015 Hong Kong-Singaporean erotic drama film directed by Eric Khoo and written by Khoo and Jonathan Lim. The film stars Josie Ho, George Young, Daniel Jenkins, Koh Boon Pin, W Leon U, Show Nishino, Lawrence Wong, Nadia AR, and Ian Tan.
The film comprises six different stories of couples in a single-room brothel at a hotel in Singapore, spread over several decades.[3] The film is marked as Singapore's first erotic film.[3] At the same time, Khoo downplays the film's erotic themes, calling its ode to the national cultural trends "a look at Singapore through the decades. It's a homage to the country". Khoo dedicated the film to the late horror writer Damien Sin, who wrote Khoo's career-launching Mee Pok Man (1995).[4]
Principal photography began on 3 September 2014, at the Infinite Studios in Singapore. The $800,000 budgeted film was produced by Nansun Shi and Zhao Wei Films, and distributed and financed by Distribution Workshop.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2015 and travelled to the San Sebastián International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival and Singapore International Film Festival before the director withdrew his submission for a rating for the film from the Media Development Authority (MDA) as the MDA had deemed that two scenes exceeded the film classification guidelines. Khoo didn't want any cuts for a commercial release of the film in Singapore and so the film was denied a commercial release as unrated films are not allowed for public release in Singapore.[5] However, on February 25, 2016, the film was given a commercial release after an "international version" with subtle differences from the original was passed uncut with an R21 rating by the MDA.
The story starts just after the surrender of the British to Japanese troops in Singapore in 1942. Six stories of six different Japanese, British, and Chinese couples are set in the same hotel room, spread over several decades.
| In the Room | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Eric Khoo |
| Produced by | Nansun Shi |
| Written by | Eric Khoo & Jonathan Lim |
| Starring | Josie Ho George Young Daniel Jenkins Show Nishino Choi Woo-shik Lawrence Wong |
| Music by | Christopher Khoo & Christine Shan |
| Cinematography | Brian Gothong Tan |
Production
company |
Zhao Wei Films
|
| Distributed by | Distribution Workshop |
| Country | Hong Kong Singapore |
| Language | Mandarin Chinese |
| Budget | $800,000[1] |
| Box office | S$48,000[2] |
