the One Room HDB Flat

pardon me if my memory is poor, but this is the first time i remember seeing an authentic One Room Flat on the silver screen.

i've never lived in one myself, but i've come across quite a few while volunteering to collect household surveys. the flat is no more than the width displayed in the film, with basically space for a (small) dining table, maybe squeeze in a queen size mattress, and the rest is just an incredibly cramped kitchen with an even more cramped toilet separated from the rest of the "one room" by the only wall inside the flat.

i think it is great for one of Singapore's great prominent auteurs to showcase the poverty which really still exists today. one room flats may not be very common, but they are actually quite numerous, since an average-sized HDB block can house ~3-4x the normal number of flats if they're so small. it is also quite accurate to see the upgraded "stops at every floor" lift - i remember the old one-room flat blocks mostly have upgraded lifts. probably because most of the inhabitants are assumed by the town councils to be elderly (somewhat true also).

it was especially nostalgic to see the old unlockable mailboxes (in the scene where the son climbs on top to spend the night). it may shock some of us, but it is still very possible to see certain individuals sleep on top of these clustered-mailboxes today. i reckon that most are probably migrant workers (esp if they are just napping in the day during lunchbreak), but if they are younger kids, it is likely they just ran away from home too.

the One Room HDB Flat soulfully epitomises the unspoken plight that hidden portions of the Singapore population continue experiencing today. absolutely heart-wrenching.