Ilo Ilo
Set in Singapore, "Ilo Ilo" chronicles the relationship between a family of three and their newly arrived Filipino maid, Teresa, who has come, like many other Filipino women, in search of a better life. The entire family needs to adapt to the presence of this stranger, which further threatens their already strained relationship. Still, Teresa and Jiale, the young and troublesome boy she cares for, soon form a bond. Their unique connection continues to develop and soon she becomes an unspoken part of the family. But this is 1997 and the Asian financial crisis is starting to be felt in all the region.
With subtle strokes and an empathic view at every person, ILO ILO is a sensitive description of a middle class family in Singapore, which has to struggle with difficult relationships emphasized by a financial crisis. It shows the way on which an immigrant maid from the Philippines helps the son to grow up and the parents to take off their masks, becoming more human and true.