Both Singapore and Malaysia have policies making it difficult for one-time communist partisans living in exile to return home. The two films discussed in this article explore the lives of these political exiles through archival photos, montages of private correspondences, and clips of news reportage that link past and present perspectives. By creating a collective intimacy that draws viewers into the everyday lives of political exiles, the films animate their politicized silence, circumventing efforts to mute their voices.