The trailer for Tiong Bahru Social Club
Many of us can relate to, have related to, or will relate to Ah Bee, the young hero of the near-future, tech-fantasy film Tiong Bahru Social Club. He lives with his mom in a Singapore high-rise, and his existence is comfortable but unremarkable—an office job during the day and a spot on the couch, watching TV next to his mom, each night. With this 30th birthday fast approaching, his family grows anxious and decides the time for change has arrived.
Ah Bee (played by Thomas Pang) suddenly finds himself as the latest Happiness Agent at the Tiong Bahru Social Club (TBSC), a community-living experiment where decisions are driven by an algorithm that measures happiness. TBSC is a developer whose facilities serve elderly Singapore residents like Ah Bee’s mother, but each resident gets paired with a younger Happiness Agent who is responsible for the elder’s happiness. Happiness Agents get new roles or perks at TBSC based on both their resident’s and the overall community’s Happiness Index. And TBSC tries to optimize each agent by constantly monitoring their feelings (agents wear Happiness Rings allowing the company to track how actions impact an agent’s happiness) and offering continual training (everything from improving your laugh to mastering three different hug techniques).
At first, Ah Bee seems to enjoy his new job just fine, despite being paired with Ms. Wee (Jalyn Han), an older woman who adores cats and clearly prefers one of her fingers over all others. But “fine”—happiness scores hovering in between 40-60—doesn’t keep management at TBSC off your back. New plans for Ah Bee are clearly coming.
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