Oct. 19, 2023

Behind Anthony Chen’s The Breaking Ice

Anthony Chen has paved a way for himself with his unrivaled and poignant approach to storytelling. Considered a stellar filmmaker, he is held in high regard as Singapore’s national treasure. His recent film The Breaking Ice is living testament as it is selected for Singapore’s entry for the 2024 Oscars. By: Wee Yan Ling

Distributed by Rediance

The Breaking Ice is Singapore's entry for the 2024 Academy Awards in the Best International Film Category. Note that this is not the first time Chen is selected to represent Singapore. He had two films that were in the same category, however none of them made the cut. The first film being Ilo Ilo (2013) and second being Wet Season (2019). 

The Hollywood Reporter's lead critic commended The Breaking Ice after its Cannes premiere, writing: “Chen returns here to the gentler observational style and hushed intimacy of his gorgeous domestic drama, Ilo Ilo…. Rich in feeling yet never emotionally emphatic, The Breaking Ice has an uncluttered narrative simplicity that’s mirrored in the shooting style and nicely offset by the nuanced complexity of the relationships.”

Chen also won the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014 for Ilo Ilo, four of six awards at the Golden Horse for best Film, Best New Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress at the tender age of 29. 

The making of this film branched from the existential crisis he endured during the pandemic. His concerns and anxiety arose from the closed cinemas and apprehensions regarding the fate of the world, the state of the cinema and the state of his work. It is also the first time he has produced an English-language work.

The location of The Breaking Ice is set in the northeastern part of China as Chen had a burning desire to venture out of his comfort zone. This is largely attributed to the pandemic as his existential crises soared during the period. “Mature and precise”, the words the journalist used on Chen’s films further propelled him to reflect on his filming process, delving into the aspects of his precision and details and if they were the right way to make a film. Thus, leading Chen to rival against the inclination. He decided to go with a more free-spirited and spontaneous process with The Breaking Ice. 

Chen took a departure from his usual schedule and only completed the screenplay a little more than a week before the film started its production phase. “I’ve never felt so insecure in my life before because I've never made a film like that. Usually I would have the script done six months or a year in advance and we are prepping and everything,” Chen said.

“When water solidifies into ice, it’s often such a quick, transformative process,” he explains. “But then with just a little heat, it all melts away so quickly. This is what I wanted to capture between my characters. You’ve got three people who are basically strangers, who come together by chance and develop a deep bond of understanding over a very short period of time. Then that moment suddenly melts away and they all go their separate ways — what remains are the emotions they went through and how they were changed by one another.”

Upon premiering at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, The Breaking Ice received a seven-minute standing ovation. 

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