''My Magic'' is a 2008

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Tamil language Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pud ...

drama film directed by

Eric Khoo Eric Khoo Kim Hai (; born 27 March 1965) is a Singaporean director and producer credited for the revival of the Singapore film industry. Early life Born on 27 March 1965 in Singapore, Eric Khoo was the youngest son of the 15 children of Tan Sri ...

and produced by Zhao Wei Films in association with Infinite Frameworks. ''My Magic'' was the first

film to be nominated for the

Palme D'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

, the top award for film at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

. It has been also selected as

's official entry for the

Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in 2009. It was released in Singapore cinemas on 25 September 2008.

Plot

A single father takes a job as a magician to provide for his son, only to be pressured into dangerous acts.

Cast

* Bosco Francis * Jathisweran as Rajr * Grace Kalaiselvi * Jason Lim * Seet Keng-yew

Reception

Derek Elley Derek Elley (born c. 1955) is an American film and music critic and author, best known as the resident film critic for '' Variety'' until his departure in March 2010. With over 1200 reviews to his credit as of December 2014 on ''Rotten Tomatoes'', ...

of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that it "walks a thin line ... between sympathy with and exploitation of its main character's woes". Maggie Lee of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' called it a "one trick pony" that engages in

schadenfreude Schadenfreude (; ; 'harm-joy') is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another. It is a borrowed word from German, with no direct translation ...

and sentimentality instead of living up to the premise's possibilities as a heartbreaking father-son story. Bosco Francis was named best actor at the

Asian Festival of First Films The Asian Festival of First Films () (AFFF) was an annual film festival held in Singapore from 2005 to 2009 to celebrate and provide a platform for emerging filmmakers. It was also part of the Asian Film Market. History The Asian Festival of Fi ...

References

External links

* * * 2008 films 2008 drama films 2000s Tamil-language films Singaporean drama films Films directed by Eric Khoo {{Singapore-film-stub