By Gladys Koh (26A01B) and Irene Eva Thomas (26A01B)
Standing below the ribbed arches of the newly opened Singapore Oceanarium, we, the members of Raffles Press, were met with an unexpected sight: a kindergarten school excursion. Children milling around, bright-eyed and full of wonder, eagerly pointing to projections of sea creatures above. Truthfully, they were not much different from us—a group of bushy-tailed Rafflesians keenly jotting down the sights and senses around us.
By Gladys Koh Wei Le (26A01B)
Each era has found a novel way to humiliate women while insisting it is merely following the rules of its time. Such violence does not always announce itself. More often, it cloaks itself under procedure, in laughter — plausibly deniable systems. Today, it arrives, wearing the face of technology. The tools evolve, but the underlying logic remains brutally consistent: that women are rendered available for judgement and dehumanisation.
Recently, the comment sections of women and minors on X have been awash with requests such as “@Grok, undress this woman” and “@Grok, put her in a bikini”. In scenes that have since drawn international outrage, the AI heeded those requests. Within seconds, it fabricated sexualised images, posted publicly on X for the world to see.
Continue reading “Shame Must Change Sides”
A short (spoiler-free) review of Now You See Me, Now You Don’t
By Cherie Khoo (26S03B)
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t opens very much like its predecessors, to the Four Horsemen’s magic show. We come to understand that a decade has passed since the Horsemen last performed together, yet the details are fuzzy at best with no proper recount. First-time moviegoers will have a hard time understanding the plot. Directed by Jon M. Chu (of Crazy Rich Asians and Wicked fame), the film, 13 years after the second installation, is a far cry from the cinematic brilliance he previously orchestrated.
Through the lens of a film critic, this film is at best a snazzy, low-stakes rendition of a classic storyline. It is packaged in shiny fresh shrink-wrap like those on a deck of playing cards, not only flimsy but also a hassle to unwrap and a greater irritation to dispose of. But for the moviegoer, it’s exactly what is promised; a fun, magic-filled experience that only falls slightly shorter than expected.
Continue reading “Diamonds, Drama, and Disappearing Acts”
By Kunchur Bharat (26A01B)
Who says that plays can’t get more than one staging? Who says that stellar scripts should be barred from being refined further?
It is with these questions in mind that playwright Jo Tan birthed Rewrite My Fire and ran it at the Singapore Writers’ Festival (SWF) 2025, giving a second life to local plays after their first stagings. Raffles Press had the opportunity to cover a re-staging of Adib Kosnan’s 28.8, first staged in 2017 by Teater Kami.
Continue reading “Giving Plays A Second Chance: SWF 2025”
By Jaden Lum (26S05A)
December 13, 1937
Nanjing, China
Morning
Just five months into the Second Sino-Japanese War, and China’s capital has already fallen.
Alas, as Japanese forces march in, roughly a quarter of Nanjing’s one million residents remain. Many are terrified civilians who simply could not flee in time. Women. Children. The elderly. Non-combatants who prayed that the worst of the fighting was now perhaps over. After all, soldiers were supposed to kill soldiers, not civilians—not them.
Continue reading “What Does It Mean to Remember Nanjing?”