The film is a quiet conversation with memory, past, culture and a life left behind, that employs food and a traditional cuisine as a bridge to achieve the same. The documentary introduces the viewer to the lived reality of Kyo Pang, the owner of a kopitiam or a traditional Indonesian coffee shop in New York, and how her relationship with food has come to shape and influence her lived reality.
Using Pang's narrative, the film also manages to raise significant points about immigration, a person's relationship, and perhaps even a longing, for their roots, and the desire to not only preserve, but also share them with those around. By way of its calm engagement, which deliberately steers clear of loud noises or gimmicky tools, the film further invokes the Baba-Nyonya culture of Pang's childhood, allowing a glimpse into it, while also straddling the culinary history of her past.
As ideas of family and tradition are tied together to weave the narrative, Kopitiam comes across as a sincere endeavour to tell an authentic story about a highly personal and intimate experience. It is precisely these very qualities which endow it with a universal tone.
Read LessUsing Pang's narrative, the film also manages to raise significant points about immigration, a person's relationship, and perhaps even a longing, for their roots, and the desire to not only preserve, but also share them with those around. By way of its calm engagement, which deliberately steers clear of loud noises or gimmicky tools, the film further invokes the Baba-Nyonya culture of Pang's childhood, allowing a glimpse into it, while also straddling the culinary history of her past.
As ideas of family and tradition are tied together to weave the narrative, Kopitiam comes across as a sincere endeavour to tell an authentic story about a highly personal and intimate experience. It is precisely these very qualities which endow it with a universal tone.
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