Next Jack Neo’s Political Movie, The Diam Diam Era, to Be Out Next Month

Box office king, Jack Neo, who brought us local movies such as, Ah Boys to Men and I Not Stupid, is back with a new film.

Slated to be released on 26 November, the film titled, The Diam Diam Era (我们的故事之沉默的年代), is the 3^rd part instalment of the Long Long Time Ago (我们的故事) series.

The movie was previously known as Not So Long Time Ago.

Some of the cast include Mark Lee, Henry Thia and Suhaimi Yusof.

So, what’s this movie about?

3rd Instalment of the Long Long Time Ago Series Which Explores the 80s Era

Set in the 1980s where people shifted from kampongs to living in HDB flats, the films talks about Ah Kun (Mark Lee) making adjustments to the transitions during this era.

One of the adjustments he has to make includes adapting to the government policies implemented at that point in time.

Ah Kun has his own opinions about these policies and decided to set up his own opposition party to voice out his thoughts.

As to why the character decided to set up a new political party in the movie, actor Mark Lee explained during an interview with AsiaOne,  that Ah Kun “constantly thinks that the government is taking care of the country’s future but not its present. Hence, as someone who comes from the kampung, is uneducated and hot-tempered, he will speak out.”

As a filmmaker who doesn’t shy away from politics in his movies, Jack Neo seeks to explore people’s reaction towards Singapore’s political climate and their feelings towards how the government manages the country in The Diam Diam Era.

A fourth instalment for the Long Long Time Ago series is currently in the works. It is tentatively slated to be released during next year’s Chinese New Year.

Catch some of the movie’s behind the scenes here:

About Long Long Time Ago 1 & 2

Fans who have been following the movies will know that the Long Long Time Ago series takes audiences back to the good old days of Singapore.

Long Long Time Ago 1, which was released in 2016, showcases the kampong days of Singapore from 1965 to the early 1970s.

Some of the stars in this movie include Aileen Tan, Mark Lee and Wang Lei.

It follows the trials and tribulations of the Lim family.

Lim Zhao Di (Aileen Tan) gave birth to a pair of twins on 9 August 1965. As one of the twins had moles on her face, which was being deemed as bad luck, Zhao Di decided to give up her child for the family’s future.

This is just one of the challenges the Lim family faced.

The sequel, Long Long Time Ago 2 was released in the same year.

The film also took place in the 1960s and 70s, where Lim Zhao Di took over her father’s family farm after the nationwide floods occurred in 1969.

Almost everyone who has lived through the 60s and 70s agreed that the movies are so realistic, they thought they’ve time travelled back to the past.

If you’re curious to understand more about Singapore’s history, and get a few laughs in between, do catch The Diam Diam Era in cinemas from 26 November 2020 onwards.

After all, more people would be able to relate because it’s set in the 80s.