The story itself borders on the generic, centering on three youngsters who get caught up in gang activity. The main character of the film, Jianhao (Edwin Goh),  is your run-of-the-mill delinquent protagonist: good at heart but violent and impulsively loyal to a fault. Needless to say, this causes no end of worry to his long-suffering mum (Chiang Tsu-Ping). Things take a turn for the worst when Zach (Ian Fang) – one of the trio – severely injures the son of triad head honcho Wang Guodong (Liu Kai Chi), and ends up embroiling his sworn brothers Square (Phua Yi Da) and Jianhao – as well as his gang boss Zhihua (Li Nan Xing) – in the following conflict.

As its title suggests, Imperfect is not a flawless film: the plot is patchy and somewhat predictable, and the emotional twists of the screenplay occasionally verges on the melodramatic. Nevertheless, veteran director Steve Cheng has managed to create an emotionally engaging number that also has the virtue of possessing some beautifully conceived shots of the Singaporean cityscape. The strength of the film comes not from its numerous fight sequences – which are highly stylised rather than well choreographed – but rather from the lulls in action, during the scenes that focus on emotional content.



Given its relatively short screen time, Imperfect's narrative doesn't try to overreach itself, focusing primarily on the character of Jianhao; young talent Edwin Goh does a stellar job of portraying a lad who's good at heart but torn by circumstance and moral quandary. The younger members of the cast put in earnest performances and play their roles perfectly, despite having significantly less screen time. In fact, it seems almost a waste that talented young cast members Kimberly Chia and Ian Fang weren't given more scenes to develop their characters and show off their acting chops. Of the veteran cast members, both Li Nanxing and Chiang Tsu-ping put in highly emotive performances, but it's Liu Kai Chi as flamboyant gang leader Wang Guodong who steals the show.

Imperfect is a film that does little to deviate from the genre tropes of movies that center on juvenile delinquency, but which also proves that one can follow a dramatic formula and still create a highly satisfying movie.

Summary: Ai Pia Cia Eh Yia! Imperfect, as its title suggests, but still highly engaging.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Raphael Lim