4:30

It's early morning. A young Chinese boy climbs through the window of the Korean lodger in his family's apartment and watches him sleep. It's a desperately lonely act to reach out to another human being that secretly becomes a routine.

In Royston Tan's haunting tale, 11 year old Xiao Wu has nothing else. His life is an empty apartment, instant noodles and school. Jung is similarly isolated (even by language) and depressed, but both of them are wrapped up in their own worlds. Sneaking into Jung's room while he sleeps and casting him in the role of an idealised father figure becomes Xiao's obsession. One that ends up having tragic consequences.

Filmed in impressively long takes with very little dialogue, Tan leaves much unexplained, leaving room for interpretation. The result is an accomplished low budget feature, an uncompromising experience with tortured characters who are not connecting with each other, the world around them, or perhaps (for some) the viewer.