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Where are all the aunties and uncles?
shh… they are watching the movie, 881, a local production movie directed by Roystan Tan.

photo credit: 881 website

The trailer

My very first time.. to 881..

my first time kena “forced” to watch it
my first second time watching with my family in a cinema.(the last time was the titanic)
my first time watching a very hokkien movie
my first time seeing so many aunties and uncles in the cinema
my first time listening to so many hokkien songs
my first time seeing a musical-like drama movie
my first time seeing colorful and dazzling costumes

This movie is based on Getai(performances during the seventh lunar month), which is more appealing to an older generation of chinese adults. The large variety dazzling costumes used in the production caused S$100,000. Applause to the two female papaya sisters- played by Yeo YanYan and Mindee Ong. You may find Yeo YanYan familiar. Yes! She acted in another Singapore film- Singapore Dreaming as Mei.

The plot, from wikipedia:

Two Singaporean girls join together to form the Papaya Sisters, a getai group that sings at performances during the seventh lunar month. Big Papaya is estranged from her mother, who disapproves of her performances, whilst Little Papaya is an orphan who suffers from terminal cancer. The two are assisted by Auntie Ling and her son, Guan Yin.

Although they live to sing, the duo’s act lacks ‘feel’, and they turn to Auntie Ling’s sister, the goddess of getai for help. She provides them with the required ‘feel’, but on the condition that they accept a set of rules, which includes staying chaste.

With their new-found singing ability, the two soon rise to the top of the Singaporean getai scene singing traditional Hokkien songs, but their fame brings along with it the enmity of the Durian Sisters, a rival group of techno-singing Eurasian girls. Their rivalry soon culminates in a showdown at a getai show, where the girls pull off their most amazing performance yet. However, time has run out for Little Papaya, who succumbs to her illness and passes away after the competition.