.
Shirkers is a documentary film directed by Sandi Tan that explores the backstory of a lost indie movie she shot in 1992 with her friends Jasmine Ng and Sophie Siddique. The film was meant to be a coming-of-age road movie, packed with offbeat humor and surrealistic visuals, and directed by Tan's enigmatic American mentor and collaborator, Georges Cardona. However, after the shooting was wrapped, Cardona disappeared with all the footage, leaving Tan and her friends heartbroken and confused.
For years, Tan struggled to make sense of the traumatic event, wondering why Cardona would betray their trust and artistic vision. She moved to America and pursued a successful career as a novelist, but the memory of the lost film haunted her. Then, in 2011, she received an unexpected email from a stranger in New Orleans, who claimed to have found the reels of Shirkers in Cardona's possession. Shocked and thrilled, Tan embarked on a quest to recover the film and confront Cardona about his betrayal.
The rest of the film follows Tan's journey across three continents, as she reunites with Ng and Siddique, tracks down the people who knew Cardona, and uncovers the dark secrets of his past. Along the way, she shares candid reflections on her teenage dreams and fears, her evolving identity as a feminist and postcolonial writer, and her complex relationship with Cardona, a charming but manipulative figure who blurred the lines between reality and fiction.
Through a mix of interviews, archival footage, and re-enactments, Shirkers paints a vivid portrait of a lost youth culture, a disappearing cityscape, and a creative process that was both exhilarating and destructive. It also celebrates the resilience of artistic vision and the power of collaboration, showing how Tan and her friends managed to salvage a glimpse of their lost masterpiece and turn it into a haunting tribute to their teenage dreams.
