Review by Matthew Tsang.

Yeo Joon Han's debut film Sell Out! is a spoof revolving mainly around two characters – Rafflesia Pong and Eric Tan. Rafflesia is the host of an unsuccessful television show centered where he spends most of his time interviewing artists. At the beginning of the film, Rafflesia’s show is circling the drain and about to be replaced by a reality television show, much to his chagrin. Eric Tan is a talented product engineer who learns the hard way that it doesn't pay to be creative at FONY electronics. He is stunned to learn that his very innovative 10-in-1 soya bean food/drink product is frowned upon by the owners of FONY. In a hilarious satire of corporate mentality, the FONY owners explain that the Eric’s product wouldn’t be profitable because it’s just too durable. When they ask him to develop a built-in breakdown mechanism into his product, he balks. Unlike Eric, Rafflesia hardly hesitates to “sell out”; she succumbs to FONY and creates a reality television show where she interview dying people on camera right before they pass. Central to the film is the question of whether or not a creative talent like Eric can survive in a world dominated by practical businessmen like those of FONY.

Though the movie is on target with much of its tongue-in-cheek dialogue and witty circumstances, a lot of them don't hit as perfectly as they should or could have. The great premise for this film is eventually wasted on too many messages crammed into too little time, and it feels rushed. With a little more care, and a little bit more work on dialogue and delivery, this could have been a stand out above the others at the festival. However, although it does fall short, there are moments of pure brilliance in the film that let you know that Yeo Joon Han will be around for a very long time.

Sell Out!
Yeo Joon Han | Malaysia | 2008 | 110min

Sat. Sept. 27 | 9:30pm | Pacific Cinematheque
Sun. Sept. 28 | 10:45am | Pacific Cinematheque