Overview
Three intertwined tales explore the complexities of love and loneliness in modern Singapore.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- tender
- wistful
- melancholic
- quiet evening
- reflective viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's elegant characterisation, technical control, and compassionate emotional vision, while noting uneven pacing across its interwoven stories.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Three separate stories follow an aging shopkeeper, a security guard, and two schoolgirls while linking them through shared experiences of loneliness and love.
The teenage schoolgirls meet on the Internet and develop a romantic relationship through mediated communication.
The aging shopkeeper finds renewed hope through the autobiographical book and personal presence of a deafblind author who appears as herself.
The film uses character-focused stories of bereavement, unrequited love, and adolescent romance to create an elegant, tender atmosphere.
Films like Be with Me, and why
Chungking Express
interwoven stories of loneliness, connection, and fragile romantic hope
Before Sunrise
quiet urban romance, emotional isolation, and digitally mediated connection
Short Cuts
compassionate ensemble storytelling about solitary lives intersecting through love
Weekend
tender queer coming-of-age romance shaped by distance and uncertainty
Movie Details
- Director
- Eric Khoo
- Release Date
- 2005-05-12
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (36)
Cast
- Theresa Poh Lin Chan
- Chiew Sung Ching
- Lawrence Yong
- Leong Kooi Eng
- Elizabeth Choy
- Seet Keng Yew
- Lynn Poh
- Ng Sway Ah
- Lim Poh Huat
- Sanwan Bin Rais
Common questions
- What is Be with Me about?
- Three Singaporean stories trace how bereavement, unrequited desire, and online romance open paths out of solitude.
- What is Be with Me like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Be with Me as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Be with Me violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Be with Me.
- What did critics think of Be with Me?
- Critics broadly praised the film's elegant characterisation, technical control, and compassionate emotional vision, while noting uneven pacing across its interwoven stories.
- Which films are like Be with Me?
- Films with a similar feel include Chungking Express, Before Sunrise, Short Cuts, and Weekend.
- How long is Be with Me?
- Be with Me runs 93 minutes.
