Teen suicides so concerned them that they made a film addressing
the issue and are releasing it just before the PSLE results are
announced later this month.
Mr Jerome Lau, 39, and Mr Stanley Yap, 42, the owners of Splash
Productions, started the company initiative. The actors and others
involved donated their services because they wanted to help teens
in need.
The English language film, titled Juanzi2: PSLE-Go, is about two
PSLE pupils and is due for release on Nov 10. Juanzi means
"exhausted child" in Mandarin and looks similar to the Chinese
character for "exam paper".
Mr Lau, the managing director, and Mr Yap, creative director, made
the original Juanzi short film about children and their academic
dreams in 2012.
The mobile game, Pokemon Go, was referenced because the creators of
the film thought the initial hype of the game in Singapore reminded
them of the paper chase.
The idea for the film was sparked in early February when Mr Lau and
Mr Yap found out from a close friend that the daughter of someone
he knew had committed suicide.
Concerned, they decided to find out more about teen suicides.
They were shocked to find out from a Samaritans of Singapore report
that teen suicide rates in 2015 were the highest in 15 years, with
27 people aged 10 to 19 committing suicide.
"Our first thought was, wow, there are actually a lot of young
people committing suicide, it's just that they are not made known
to the public," said Mr Lau.
Then in August, two students from a top JC killed themselves within
10 days of each other. This provided the impetus to start.
Mr Lau, who is married with two children, a 12-year-old son who has
just finished his PSLE and a nine-year-old daughter who is in
Primary 3, became the executive producer of the film.
He said: "We thought that we really needed to do something about
this.
"We wanted to start a conversation... To try and help parents
manage their mindsets and expectations with their children's
results."
FEARS
PSLE-Go is about Zihui and Justin, two 12-year-olds in Singapore
who are preparing to take their PSLE.
Zihui, the lead, is having a particularly hard time coping with
exam stress because she fears disappointing her parents.
The only person who notices is Justin, her classmate, who tries to
convince people that she needs help.
The 25-minute short film will be released on Nov 10, and can be
viewed for free at www.juanzi.sg before
the release of the PSLE results, tentatively expected to be between
Nov 24 and 28.
When asked why the filmmakers decided to use PSLE as a focal point
in their film, Mr Yap, who is single, said: "The PSLE is the first
major milestone a kid has to go through.
"Parents should not use this first milestone as an indication of
success as the child might blossom at a later stage in life."
Everybody who was involved in the film - all 25 employees at Splash
Production and about 50 actors - did it for free.
Filming took three weeks and it was a busy time for lead actress
Zihui Zhou and her parents, who were acting in the film.
Madam Yar Ai Lin, 43, Zihui's mum, plays her mum in the film.
Madam Yar, who is a regional head leading a team of engineers, told
The New Paper about how she juggled work and acting.
She said: "One of the hardest days was when I took an overnight
flight from working in Tokyo and reached Singapore on Friday
morning. Filming was in the afternoon and I didn't have enough
sleep."
Madam Yar was supposed to have taken a flight back to Singapore the
next morning, but she decided to take the overnight flight because
of the film.
It was an important project for the mother, who has a daughter in
Primary 6 and a son in Primary 4.
She said: "When I read in the news about the 11-year-old boy who
committed suicide because of his exam grades, I was very sad
because I feel that there are a lot more important things in
life.
"I hope the film encourages conversation between parents and
educators about this issue."
HELPLINES
If you are in emotional distress, you can get help from:
Samaritans of Singapore (24-hour hotline)
1800-221-4444
Tinkle Friend
1800-274-4788
Singapore Association for Mental Health
1800-283-7019
Care Corner Counselling Centre (in Mandarin)
1800-353-5800
Mental Health Helpline
6389-2222
Aware Helpline
1800-774-5935
TNP