“一生的爱，唯有家” 巫俊锋影片中酷儿化的“家庭” : “This is home, truly”: queering “Family” in Boo Jun Feng’s film

Abstract

The concept of “Family” has been the recurring motif in Singapore‟s official discourse, as it is closely linked to the country‟s population and economy policies, and most often constructed with a definition that is consistent with heteronormative ideology. The nation‟s discourse narrows and restricts the definition of “Family”, determining its structure, function and significance. As “Family” is imposed with heterosexual meaning, it is intolerant of Queer and of any differences, but this also indicates that it has the potential to be redefined, and to be Queer-ed. This thesis attempts to study the films of local director Boo Jun Feng to understand how he has redefined the concept of “Family” from a Queer perspective, in other words Queering the concept of “Family”, challenging the nation‟s discourse with an open and anti-essentialism attitude of Queer, and opposing the establishment of it as the only appropriate social unit of Singapore. Queer discourse supports different construct of “Family”, causing heterosexuals to rethink the naturalised concept of “Family”, and inspire the imagination of all kinds of “Family”.