REVIEW - Getting Off The Wheel (Directed by Ming Kwang Hun, Jeremy Ho and Gary Thong)

Celebrated as Singapore's leading life strategist and inner work coach, award-winning entrepreneur, author and podcaster Ming Kwang Hun has spent decades working with people from all walks of life, to, in his own words, "breakthrough underlying system dynamics—interpersonal, intrapersonal, and transpersonal—where identity, relationships, incentives, culture, and unconscious patterns influence decision-making in individuals, teams, and organizations"; positioning him perfectly to explore complex issues of the human condition, and to approach some of life's biggest questions - and here in fascinating new feature documentary Getting Off The Wheel he takes the helm, not only on-screen, but also as a director.

Ming Kwang Hun is joined on this spiritual quest for answers by co-directors Jeremy Ho and Gary Thong, leading an array of interesting and refreshing on-screen characters on an InnerWork Circle retreat in Kumamoto, Koyasan, and Awaji Island, Japan - and with a runtime of approx 49mins, Getting Off The Wheel takes viewers along for the ride with them.

The succinct opening line of the film's synopsis says: "Ten Days. Ten Lives. One Take. In search of Freedom."

In Getting Off The Wheel self-discovery, reflection and introspection, and the retreat itself is focused through four key questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? What do I do? Where do I go next? - All of which are key questions and quandaries so inherent in the human condition, such that every person who has ever lived is likely to have pondered them - meaning the concepts explored here have a very real potential to capture the interest of, and resonate with, a huge audience.

However, beyond these four main questions/avenues of exploration, each of the ten participants on the retreat, (all from Singapore), also have their own stories and their own questions to which they are seeking answers, as they wrestle with issues of relationships, identity, self-image, self-esteem, family, sexuality, faith, trauma, conflict, fear, love, healing, and more.

The intrigue and allure of this voyage of discovery, in pursuit of answers to some of the major mysteries of life, and in combination with decent production values, has already earned Getting Off The Wheel the accolade of 'Best Documentary Feature Film' in June 2026 at the world-renowned Five Continents International Film Festival.

Coming from different backgrounds, this journey and retreat is personal and unique for each participant; filmed mainly as an unscripted fly-on-the-wall documentary, interspersed with talking heads, and interviews with both the organisers and participants of the retreat. The result is organic, raw, uncompromising, and honest - and candidly chronicles this quest for emotional, mental and spiritual healing.

Ming Kwang Hun is supported by several experts, specialists and students, helping to oversee the retreat and assist the individuals with their self-discovery - perhaps most prominently Gary Reiss PhD, a charismatic and eccentric author and academic, and with acclaimed life coach Xing Jian Tan also making a notable impact and having a strong on-screen presence.

The workshops are playful and fun, and are infused with an element of theatre, performance art, and movement - at times almost like dancing. In this way the retreat creates an environment that fosters and encourages the brave exploration of feelings, with some participants experiencing rather intense releases of emotion.

Also from the documentary's synopsis: "These are not reenactments, but real, unfolding human stories caught in the exact moment of rupture and healing".

The brave honesty of the presentation is commendable and worthy of respect, capturing the downs, as well the ups - laying everything bare for all to see, and confronting real raw emotion - as one participant struggles with the weight and pressure of his own expectations of himself - and in his own words the "journey of emotional healing continues" - a sentiment true to many of us - and Getting Off The Wheel has scope to help a great many people in exploring these universal questions.

Film reviewed by MegaFlix Movie Awards.