Nelicia Low, hailing from Singapore, is making a big splash with her directorial feature debut, “Pierce”. She has recently grabbed the Best Director award at Karlovy Vary and qualified for the Busan International Film Festival. Low’s life experiences, including her time as a national fencer and having a sibling with autism, are reflected vividly in the film.
“Pierce” unravels the tale of Zijie, a young fencer who builds a renewed connection with his erstwhile elder brother, Zihan, following Han’s seven-year term in juvenile jail for the homicide of a rival in a fencing match. Despite his mom’s attempt to wipe away memories of Zihan, Zijie sticks to him, convinced of Han’s innocence. As the elder brother preps Zijie for a national fencing championship, their bond strengthens. However, a dispute dredges up Zihan’s combative past, making Zijie doubt whether his brother might significantly be a violent sociopath.
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“Pierce”‘s inception lies in a violent incident that took place in Taipei’s subway, where a youth’s actions left the community in shock. What caught Low’s attention was not just the act but the aftermath. Parents of the perpetrator hit the streets to apologize publicly, urging the government to execute their son. Meanwhile, the younger brother showed denial by visiting his brother at the police station and expressing disbelief at the grisly aspect of his older brother.
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This incident led to a period of self-inquiry for Low, making her rethink her relationship with her older brother. When Low was young, she had idolized him as a caring, loving sibling. As time progressed, she realized that this entire relationship was an illusion since her brother is autistic.
This personal bond was the emotional framework of “Pierce”. “Accepting the fact that I may never know if my brother truly reciprocated my love was a difficult journey. The lead character Zijie goes through the same journey in ‘Pierce'”, says Low.
Adding another dimension to the narrative is Low’s history with professional fencing. She added this theme to enrich Zihan’s character, the older brother who is portrayed as intimidating, enigmatic and manipulative. “I was once a national fencer for Singapore, so I fully understand the sport. Fencing is very similar to chess but played with swords, involving strategy and predicting the opponent’s next move,” explains Low.
The strategic facet of this sport serves as a metaphor for psychological interactions between the brothers in the film. Low says, “This mirrors Zijie’s experience as he tries to untangle the knot of intentions and motives – if his brother is a true sociopath and whether his brother genuinely cares for him.”
“Pierce” wrestles with deep-rooted questions about perception and love at its core. Low outlines the movie’s central theme: “Pierce raises a crucial question – What occurs when we project our emotions onto those we love, only to realize it may all be a fabricated illusion?”
The film acquiring validation at Karlovy Vary and its Busan selection gratified Low, but the reactions from the audience offered her the biggest triumph. Low says, “The emotional victory for me is the audience’s response. Audience members have approached me or sent me Instagram messages about how the film resonated them and overwhelmed them. Many mentioned to me that they called their siblings to express love after watching ‘Pierce’.”
Producer Jeremy Chua of Potocol was attracted to Low’s unique perspective right from the beginning. Chua says, “A director with unique life experiences who can translate those subtle moments into cinema always interests me. I was instantly attracted to her unique approach to exploring the duality of love and war, violence and vulnerability, in a way only possible by a former national fencer, as soon as Nelicia introduced us to this story by describing in graphically detailed manner the intricacies of winning a fencing match.”
Producer Sam Chua Weishi chimes in, “When I first encountered Nelicia to discuss ‘Pierce,’ we conversed about our aspiration to produce a movie that would not only resonate emotionally but also challenge our understanding of the world around us. Following her work in her short film ‘Freeze’ (2014), I was clear that Nelicia brings out the best in her performers and creative partners to deliver a visually and emotionally charged spectacle.”
The creation of “Pierce” offered an exciting opportunity for international co-operation. “‘Pierce’ gave us an intriguing experience to explore a new co-production structure across Singapore-Taiwan-Poland”, adds producer Weishi.
Following the successful run of “Pierce,” Nelicia Low has already started her next venture. She reveals, “Currently, I am working on my next film, ‘Duet,’ set in the early 2000s in San Francisco. Like ‘Pierce’, ‘Duet’ is also highly autobiographical in its emotional core. It is a comedic-melodrama in English and Cantonese, about a talented Cantonese opera actress in her late 40s whose career is threatened when a fresh young actress jeopardizes her long-term stage partner – a captivating older cross-dressing actress who assumes male character”
In the meantime, Chua is juggling various projects, including The Maw Naing’s movie “Ma: The Cry of Silence,” which is in the New Currents Contest at Busan, Natesh Hegde’s Busan APM project “Tiger’s Pond,” which is in the final stages of post-p
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