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Shirkers is a documentary film from 2018 that explores the fascinating story of an unfinished movie that was made in Singapore during the early 1990s. The documentary is directed by Sandi Tan, who was one of the original creators of the film in question, and it offers a mix of mystery, nostalgia, and personal reflection. The story of Shirkers begins with Tan recounting her teenage years in Singapore, where she was an aspiring filmmaker and writer. In the early 1990s, she and her friends made a low-budget indie movie called Shirkers, which was a surreal and playful work inspired by the likes of Jim Jarmusch and David Lynch. The film was made with a sense of artistic experimentation, and it featured a cast of eccentric characters and locations that showcased a hidden side of Singapore.

However, despite the enthusiasm and hard work that went into the production, the finished movie was never seen by the public because it was stolen by their American mentor Georges Cardona, who fled back to the United States taking all 70 cans of film with him. Tan and her friends were left devastated and confused about what happened to their movie.

The documentary picks up the story more than 20 years later when Tan, now based in Los Angeles as a novelist and film critic, discovers that the film reels have been found in an attic in New Orleans. The reunion sparks a flood of memories and emotions, and Tan embarks on a journey to understand what really happened to Shirkers and how it was stolen from them.

The film is structured as a blend of personal memoir and investigative journalism, with Tan serving as both the narrator and protagonist. The documentary is shot in a vibrant and colorful style that evokes the playful and surreal spirit of the lost movie. Tan's narration is full of witty and insightful observations about her own experiences and the creative process behind the filmmaking.

Throughout the film, Tan interviews various people who were involved in the making of Shirkers, such as her close friends and collaborators Philip Cheah and Sophia Siddique Harvey. They recount their memories of the production and their relationships with Cardona, who is portrayed as an enigmatic figure with a mysterious past.

The documentary gradually builds a portrait of Cardona as a charismatic yet unreliable person who promised the teenage artists the world but ultimately betrayed their trust. Tan discovers that Cardona had a history of deceit and manipulation, including a criminal record for fraud and even posing as an agent of Stanley Kubrick in Asia.

The film also explores the cultural and social context of Singapore during the 1990s, including the restrictions and challenges faced by young artists in a conservative and commercial-oriented society. Tan reflects on the tensions between the local and the global, the past and the present, and the dreams and reality of creating art in a world that doesn't always appreciate it.

Overall, Shirkers is a mesmerizing and thought-provoking documentary that blends genre elements of mystery, thriller, and coming-of-age into a unique and personal story. It celebrates the power of creativity and imagination while also questioning the limits and risks of artistic expression. Through its exploration of a lost film and the people behind it, the documentary offers a tribute to the joys and sorrows of being a filmmaker, an artist, and a human being.

Shirkers is a 2018 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 36 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.3 and a MetaScore of 88.