Ilo Ilo

In Singapore, Jiale, a turbulent, young boy, lives with his parents. Family relationships are strained and the mother, overwhelmed by her son, decides to employ Teresa, a young woman from the Philippines. Teresa is soon confronted by the self-willed Jiale, while the Asian financial crisis in 1997 begins to spread throughout the whole area.
“Ilo Ilo is greatly inspired by my childhood, through anecdotes and moments spent with my family whose words and ways have remained firmly rooted in me. The story’s environment is Singapore at a very distinct period. When I was little, my mother had engaged a Philippine childminder to look after us children. Teresa stayed with us for eight long years, until I was twelve. We called her Auntie Terrie. It was very hard on us when she went back home. The only thing I remember afternall these years is what the place she came from was called, Ilo Ilo, an area of the Philippines. That's where the title of the film comes from.” Anthony Chen