Brief Explanation

This film honours the humble craft of Straits coffee (kopi) through a simple narrative of a daughter’s respect for her father. Beginning in the 1960s, the film follows a young daughter as she watches her industrious father operate his coffee shop (kopitiam), rising early to serve his customers kopi brewed the standard way of the times – pulled through a flannel sock. Focusing on his unwavering work ethic, the film shows the far-reaching effects a cup of good coffee can have when the father inadvertently falls ill: his regular customers turn away disappointed, while the father turns away from his daughter, ashamed and dispirited. As the daughter grows older, she realises there is more to her father’s rigour – it is parental love that underlies his dedication. Finally, as a young woman, she pays tribute to her father by serving him OWL instant coffee as he relaxes in his kopitiam.

Execution

This retrospective film features a narrative of quiet heroism interwoven with respect for tradition. Underpinned by the daughter’s voiceover narration of how her father became her role model, the set’s faithful recreation of a 1960s kopitiam imbues the gestures of making and serving coffee with emotional and cultural resonance. The father is shown waking at the crack of dawn, then repeatedly serving coffee and talking to customers, underscoring that his success and reputation is the result of tenacity and passion. Through this, a cup of coffee becomes a symbol of sacrificial love and appreciation. In the final sequence where the daughter makes the father coffee, shots of the electric kettle and instant OWL sachet echo earlier shots of the father’s practice. Kopi is finally established as a symbol of constancy: though times have changed and the process of coffee-making has modernised, its essence remains the same, embodying love and sincerity.