Tan Pin Pin's 2017 documentary IN TIME TO COME captures Singapore's mundane rituals as a future archive

Singaporean filmmaker Tan Pin Pin's 2017 documentary IN TIME TO COME shifts from character-driven narratives to crowd scenes, depicting overlooked daily rituals in Singapore. Shot during the country's Golden Jubilee in 2015, the 62-minute film uses long, still takes of events like mosquito fogging, bookstore openings, and time capsule ceremonies. Tan reveals in a post-screening Q&A that she focused on banal aspects rather than official celebrations. The film includes scenes such as South Asian construction workers staring at a chopped banyan tree stump, a fire drill with a disembodied warning, and fog clearing from a fumigated carpark. A poignant moment shows a museum worker handling a 1990 phone directory from a time capsule, highlighting personal artifacts. Tan's inspiration came from the late Ivan Polunin's archival footage of pre-independence Singapore, featured in her 2007 film Invisible City. She suggests future viewers might find unexpected significance in today's mundane details. The documentary, reviewed in ArtReview Asia's Winter 2017 issue, avoids major disruptions and instead finds pathos in ordinary moments, serving as an archive for future generations. Tan's earlier works include Singapore GaGa (2005) and the banned To Singapore, with Love (2013), which won awards at festivals in Busan and Dubai.