Shirkers

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Shirkers

Released Oct 26, 2018

1h 36m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

73 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

In 1992 teenager Sandi Tan shoots Singapore's first road movie with her enigmatic American mentor, Georges, who then absconded with all of the footage. The 16 mm film is recovered 20 years later, sending Tan, who is now a novelist living in Los Angeles, on a personal odyssey in search of Georges' footprints.

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Critics Consensus

Shirkers uses one woman's interrogation of a pivotal personal disappointment to offer affecting observations on creativity, lost opportunity, and coming to terms with the past.

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Ela Bittencourt

Hyperallergic

An irresistible mix of insouciance and precocious maturity. Much of its charm lies in Tan's ironic irreverence as the film's narrator.

Feb 21, 2020

Full Review

David Fear

Rolling Stone

What Tan has given us is an incredible, sui generis tribute to the international lingua franca of D.I.Y. cinempowerment.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 26, 2018

Full Review

Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

It's a charming, wistful movie, and I trust Tan will not have to wait another 20 years to direct her next film.

Rated: B+

Dec 7, 2018

Full Review

Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

A meditative documentary that is part true crime, part rumination on the nature of creation, and a complete love letter to the transformative power of cinema.

Feb 13, 2024

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Greg Carlson

Vague Visages

Tan astutely minimizes the mystery of Cardona, refusing to turn the attention of her story to a narcissistic user undeserving of the starring role.

Nov 8, 2023

Full Review

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

The old footage is transporting, the story contextualizing it of considerable interest.

Jan 6, 2023

Full Review

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Lee C

Visually interesting, and also a good cautionary tale about falling in with people who seem too good to be true. It's tempting, but be careful! They may just be using you, or worse.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/30/24

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Alexander W

I was drawn in quickly and it never let me go the entire way through. The haunting soundtrack was very fitting.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/13/24

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Alec B

An incredibly moving portrait of failure. By the end, this documentary turns out to not just be a requiem for a lost piece of art, but for lost time, friendships, and places.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

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Martin F

A very curious story to the point it feels stranger than life. This is mostly about one of the most intriguing villain ever showed through a documentary. George is a terrifying character, manipulating, lying all of that for a non-discernible endgame. For the whole documentary you will ask yourself: Why he did that? Why did he encourage them to pursue their dream just to break everything when everything was done? Just for making some teenagers sad? It's pure sadism. You can feel through the interesting and honest interview how this lost film is still a hurtful subject for all people concerned. Shirkers, the lost movie, for the few scenes shared during the documentary, was actually looking great. Its bright colors, Singaporean landscapes and some interesting absurd scenes made me want to watch it. I wish they could go and finish it and I believe them when they say that it would have a place in the history of Singaporean cinema if it was finished during the 90s. I loved one of the interviewed basically saying this documentary give an afterlife to a movie that couldn't have a life. There is a lot of reference to cinema that would make any cinephile smiles from posters on walls to some real life moments that gets compared to a famous movie scene.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

cinematic, beguiling, wholly original. one of my all time favorite films.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A documentary that feels like a memory that transmits nostalgia for something that we did not live but with whose consequences anyone can connect. Its timeless reflections on missed opportunities, youth, friendship, dreams, and trauma (the most hidden of all) make this film not only entertaining, but important.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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Sandi Tan

Director

Sandi Tan

Screenwriter

Jessica Levin

Producer

Maya E. Rudolph

Producer

Sandi Tan

Producer

Joseph Bechor

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

In 1992 teenager Sandi Tan shoots Singapore's first road movie with her enigmatic American mentor, Georges, who then absconded with all of the footage. The 16 mm film is recovered 20 years later, sending Tan, who is now a novelist living in Los Angeles, on a personal odyssey in search of Georges' footprints.

Director: Sandi Tan
Producer: Jessica Levin, Maya E. Rudolph, Sandi Tan
Screenwriter: Sandi Tan
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Cinereach, Doc Society
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 26, 2018
Runtime: 1h 36m

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