Ilo Ilo 2014

In the backdrop of Singapore amidst the turmoil of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the Lim family enters a transformative chapter with the arrival of their Filipina domestic helper, Teresa—fondly referred to as Terry. Like many of her compatriots, she seeks a brighter future away from home. The family comprises Teck, the father who struggles in sales at a glass company; Hwee Leng, the pregnant mother balancing her work as a secretary in a downsizing shipping firm; and their ten-year-old son, Jiale, who often exhibits delinquent behavior.

Initially, the bond between Jiale and Terry is anything but harmonious. Their relationship is fraught with tension, culminating in Jiale’s desperate attempt to evade his maid by climbing over the school fence at dismissal time. Compounding their struggles, Teck faces a crushing blow when he loses his sales job, opting to hide his predicament from Hwee Leng. In a bid to maintain stability, he reluctantly takes up a temporary role as a security guard at an egg farm, yet his financial woes only deepen as he continues to lose money in the stock market. Eventually, he confesses their dire situation to Hwee Leng, who responds with anger and frustration.

As their economic hardships mount, an unexpected connection begins to form between Jiale and Terry, leading to jealousy from Hwee Leng, who feels increasingly emotionally sidelined by her son. In her quest for hope, Hwee Leng attends a motivational seminar that leaves her inspired by the speaker’s optimistic rhetoric, prompting her to invest in his fraudulent motivational materials. This misstep spirals into a breakdown as she faces the harsh realities of their financial decline.

Jiale’s resourcefulness and intelligence shine through his obsessive obsession with cataloging previous lottery numbers, a task he meticulously documents in his schoolbook. However, a moment of confrontation rears its head when he is provoked by another boy who implies Terry’s affections are merely part of her duties. This leads to a violent altercation, and Jiale is faced with expulsion from school. Thankfully, Terry advocates for him, only to be reminded by Hwee Leng of her maternal role. In a pivotal moment, Jiale endures punishment in front of the school assembly, with a concerned Terry watching from the sidelines.

As their situation deteriorates further with the sale of the family car and another job loss for Teck, the Lim family reluctantly acknowledges that they can no longer afford Terry’s employment. Jiale’s desperation grows; he invests his small savings into lottery tickets, but his hopes are dashed with each loss. In a heart-wrenching farewell, he cuts a lock of Terry’s hair, clinging to the memories as he holds onto his cassette player, listening to her favorite song, “Kahapon at Pag-ibig” by Asin, alongside Teck in the hospital while Hwee Leng gives birth to a baby girl.