Alise_shenle i'm also a 15 year old. i am not scared of blood or violence, and i even like to watch horror movies. so i was interested in this film as it seemed quite funny (at first). but then it became boring (no plot), and the characters seem unreal. It was very vulgar, to the point where you don't find it funny anymore. you also don't know why exactly they are like that--many people go to ITE too, but they don't join gangs. they don't do STUPID things like fight, have sex with a dummy, take drugs, pierce, get tattoos, cut themselves, commit suicide. even if they die, they would choose to let the whole nation mourn for them by becoming some famous great person, not die on a famous building. i can't believe the actors are actually not acting. who would do such things on CAMERA? Roystan tan is really sick (psycho sick), and i have no intention to watch any more of his films. keep in mind that this is not a fair nor typical representation of Singapore's youth, who are typically a studious, polite lot. And gang fights or gangsters parading around are not common. & what's the deal with all the hokkien? do you really think all the people understand this? use your brain, roystan. you're making a film for everyone and you add all this vulgar stuff and hokkien to show off your artiness. PS: the boys don't look like 15, now do they? you're not even realistic, roystan!

DICK STEEL 15 gained its film notoriety locally for its content, about the lives and angst of teenage delinquents in Singapore. However, after watching this film, one might think a little deeper about the trials and tribulations that these teenagers face, from the angle that director Royston Tan presents.The opening credits was stylishly done, and this is very surprising actually, for a local film. The feel of the movie was like a series of short snippets of set pieces, be it gang fights, body piercing, the etching of a tattoo on one's body, body mutilations, the swallowing of condom filled Ecstasy pills, etc. And stringing it all together were manga inspired transitions done Japanese documentary style of huge words smacked across the screen.While these stylistic techniques drew attention to themselves, the main leads were also infamously rumoured to be in similar dire straits as the characters. The street wise teenagers actually looked sincere in their acting (or were they?) and it's a wonder how Royston managed to coax them into starring in his movie.The plot, as mentioned, consists of short stories which fell into 3 acts. The first, being the brotherhood between 2 friends who ponder the meaning of their aimless lives. They know that they are condemned in the eyes of society, and find solace in the company of themselves. The second act was a bit comical, as 2 friends helped an ex-enemy to look for a building to commit suicide in. And the last act continued with examining the lives and friendship between the same 2 friends.Sure, peppered throughout the dialogue are constant swearing, smoking, drug-taking, porn watching, lip piercing (which irked the audience), hokkien song singing, but there's a limit to how much these novelties can disguise a lack of focus in certain parts of the story, especially towards the end. I felt the strength of this film was in the first act, where you could actually feel the desperation and crying out for direction in life, and eventually the succumbing to the belief of what Fate has dealt them.Nonetheless, for its stark and pointed commentary, this is certainly a departure from the usual stories that one might associate teenagers with. It's gritty, dark, melancholic to the point of despair, this is a glimpse into the troubled lives of the local misguided youth.

Matt73 I've seen the short and it was truly great, so I went to see the feature-length version with great expectations. I was totally disappointed.The first section is actually the short version, where the story of the 3 friends unfolds, but then the director focuses on 1 protagonist. I guess he might not be able to get the other 2 actors to 'complete' the story.Shaun as the only one remaining acted quite well, but the story would've been much better if it explored deeper into his love-hate relationship with Vynn. The movie fell flat on several scenes because the director just couldn't build the story based on Shaun alone. He introduced 2 new characters but they really couldn't help much.I guess Royston should've just left the short alone until he managed to build a stronger plot. All in all, 15 is a heart-warming short film, but a disappointing feature-length.

jonvjon For the uninitiated, 15 tells the story of Singapore's lost youth. The original short film (at a duration of approximately 20 minutes) was excellent and mind blowing. A treat for all the senses. I don't think there was a single person who left the film festival screening unmoved.The feature length version basically continues where the short left off. And what a great feature it would've been had there been an actual story! The movie was wandering and meandering, meaningless at some points, and just plain boring at others. I shall always treasure the short film experience, and have already forgotten the feature length abomination.