Details
A family experiences a fateful incident that forever changes their lives. Dana, a young and impressionable ten-year-old, shares an unbreakable bond with her father Andri, a flight steward. That night, Andri encounters an airplane crash while working and becomes uncontactable. Dana and her mother, Rina, learn of the catastrophe through endless midnight phone calls and have to witness the entire incident through live news on television. Their world flips upside down and turns blurry as they await news of Andri. Only the next day do they receive the positive news that Andri has survived the incident. The family's torment only intensifies as they bring Andri home, and Dana immediately senses that something is amiss with her father. They soon discover that Andri is suffering from severe post-traumatic stress, causing him to forget his life before the incident, including the bond he shared with Dana. As a young child, Dana grapples with the harsh reality that the father she once knew is no longer the same. Nevertheless, her unyielding love for him helps her soldier on, even as she faces his impulsive outbursts and struggles with his lapse in memory.
Trivia
The film won the EMA Green Seal award, Singapore, 2023, for implementing sustainable practices and raising environmental awareness.
Director's Statement
I was a child when this incident happened to me, only experiencing without having a proper voice. I hope that this is my breakthrough to finally express myself about how I felt in ways I couldn’t at that time... My hopes for Paper Planes, Don’t Always Soar is that it should be something straight to the point, real, concise and that people can take away something from it no matter the kind of life they have lived.
I draw a lot of inspiration in terms of storytelling from one of my favourite director-writers of all time, Celine Sciamma. Her films are done simply which somehow makes the human drama so relatable, even with subgenres like thriller and fantasy. I admire how she let her characters come to life without the aid of much extravagance. Whether it is about a band of black schoolgirls from the suburbs of Paris [Bande De Filles, 2014] or a pair of an unreliable mother and an anxious daughter [Petite Maman, 2021], her subjects are basically about the overlooked, unrecognized and unheard. All these characters are in search of a safe sanctuary and hope. Similarly, to my characters Dana, Andri and Rina, the effects of trauma should be paid attention to. I hope that through them, they are able to bear and portray the invisible marks of experiences that may be too shocking to be easily represented or remembered in our everyday lives.
