The annual event celebrating the best in films, Singapore International  Film Festival (SGIFF) launched its opening film at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore. The festival screened 160 films from 52 countries. For this year’s edition, the most voted film will be screened for the second time on the last day of the festival. The selected films were screened at selected institutions and cinema halls. International actress, Michelle Yeoh made a special appearance on the opening night. 

Interchange directed by Dain Iskandar Said, stars notable actors from Malaysia and Indonesia which includes Shaheizy Sam, Iedil Putra, Nadiya Nisaa, Alvin Wong, Chew Kin Wah, Nicholas Saputra and Prisia Nasution. The actors featured are well known in other projects in this region.

In modern day metropolitan Malaysia, the film explores the mystical insights of shamanism. Various unexplained and unnatural deaths were uncovered by the metro police led by detective Man (Shaheizy). The cause of death was similar; blood was drained entirely from the body. Feathers of a specific bird were found scattered around with a smashed glass on the corpse. The process was possible with the help of a recovering mentally disturbed forensic photographer, Adam (Iedil). As he dwelled into the truth, he meets Iva (Prisia), a neighbor who was involved in the string of murder cases.

Iskandar Said is well known for creating such films that challenged the mundane Malaysian beliefs, setting Malaysian films on the international platform. The film portrays subject matters with regards to the tribes in Borneo. 

Interchange is based on an old photo found by the director himself. Photography is a key factor in this plot of the film. If you have a strong interest in photography, this is a fantastic show to watch. I would give it a 3 out 5 stars as it incite a sense of interest for myself as a historical and film junkie. It might be mundane to some viewers as it has an open ended finale. 

If you missed the screening of Interchange in Singapore, do yourself a big favour and catch that 20 minutes bus ride across the causeway as it releases nationwide on  December 1st!