Shirkers

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Shirkers

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

Feb 21, 2020

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

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David Fear

Rolling Stone

Dec 26, 2018

4/5

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

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Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

Dec 7, 2018

B+

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

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

Feb 13, 2024

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.

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Greg Carlson

Vague Visages

Nov 8, 2023

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

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Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

Jan 6, 2023

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

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Lee C

@RT31897195 Jul 30, 2024

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.

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Alexander W

@Pandante Jun 13, 2024

I was drawn in quickly and it never let me go the entire way through. The haunting soundtrack was very fitting. Kim Ki-Duk would have loved the protagonist in this, and the whole thing feels a bit Lynchian with the ghostly antagonist.

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Alec B

@Alec97 Jan 5, 2024

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.

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Jul 8, 2022

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

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Jan 8, 2022

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.

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Feb 1, 2021

unfortunately the original film cannot be viewed but the documentary about it saves the heart

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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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