Analysis Of Iloilo

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Iloilo, a film directed by Anthony Chen film portrays the life of a Singaporean family that struggles financially during the 1997 financial crisis. Keng Teck Lim, a father, has lost most of his money in stocks and has also been fired from his sales job while Hwee Leng, his wife although pregnant continues working long hours at her job. Their 9-year-old son Jiale often lands himself in trouble at school. Terry, a Nanny from Indonesia is hired by the family to help with the household chores and mainly take care of Jiale.
The film runs with themes of emotional struggles and various kinds of attachments in relation to the different characters. In this paper, the character of Jiale will be analyzed using developmental theories and a psychoanalytical approach.

Jiale does not welcome the new maid. He rejects her from the moment she enters his home by protesting her sleeping in his room, to asking her not to touch his collection of newspapers. He also walks away when she sits with the family for dinner and sleeps with his parents that first night. Also, he later tries his best to get her into trouble at the supermarket by slipping unpaid items into her bag. These instances show his rejection to a stranger with who is supposed to comply with according to his parents. Even after she shows control and asks him sternly not to bully her he continues. His behavior towards Terry drastically changes after he gets into an accident while running away from her. For the second time she did

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