Posterity

Posterity

Audrie Yeo • 2021

Duration: 00:10:10
Language: Mandarin, Teochew
Subtitles: Chinese, English
Country/Region: Malaysia

Discovering a severed bird that is missing its body, Ah Ger makes a mock body for the poor creature and gives it a proper burial. Her intentions prompt an unexpected visit by the ghost of her late grandmother appearing in the form of the dead bird, urging Ah Ger to help find and care for her egg.

AWARDS & FESTIVALS

Locarno Film Festival

Switzerland

2021

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

Audrie Yeo

Audrie Yeo

Director

As an adult, I am coming to terms with some of my weaknesses, and one of my biggest weaknesses is fear. Growing up, I remember fear and punishments as a dominant part in my upbringing. It is the most dominant parental upbringing passed on in the family through generations in Asian culture. Blind obedience, which lacks understanding, can be dangerous. This sort of hostility can result in some form of intergenerational trauma. Dai explores the vicious cycle through 3 generations of women. It also raises the question between humanity and blind faith.Being Chinese of Teochew descent, I also wanted to make a film in Teochew as my personal effort to preserve the dialect and culture. I am fascinated by how the dialect spoken by the Chinese Teochew diaspora in Malaysia has evolved over time through the assimilation of other languages, cultures, and geography. Even the northern Teochew community in Peninsula speaks differently from the south. The decision to make the film partially Teochew reflects the unfamiliarity of the dialect amongst the younger generations and the threat of it being forgotten through this detachment.