What a wonderful movie. The director, Aditya Assarant, uses Hou Hsiao-hsien-style pacing throughout this beautiful, languid, and thoughtful movie. It is the story of reformed drunk musician, Ton (Supphaisit Kansen) from the big city, Bangkok, who is now an architect working in Southern Thailand to restore a hotel. He stays at a small local inn run by a woman, Na (Anchalee Saisootorn), who is the young matriarch of a family fractured by the tsunami.
The love story between Ton and Na progress slowly, as most do in real life. Ton likes Na right away and his overtures to her are thoughtful and easy going. She slowly warms up to him, cinematically told by her wearing more colorful clothes, some color in her face, and the change in camera fluidity. Her brother notes the change in Na.
The devastation of the tsunami is shown in matter of fact moments. The destruction of hotels, homes, and families is just shown without elaboration. Na cares for her nephew and the hotel alone; partly because of the tsunami and partly because her brother, Wit (Dul Yaambunying), is a low level gangster.
The couples have a quietness together. There is a beautiful scene in the movie, where Ton and Na are lying in a field of grass. Ton puts a wild flower in Na's hair and they just lie together, blissfully happy with the wind literally the only thing you hear. This is also the turning point of the movie. Bad things begin to happen with increasing level of "violence".
As Ton and Na's romance blossom, the townsfolk disapprove. In part because you have the big city boy vs. small town girl, traditional Thai courtship vs. new courtship rules, and, I believe, as a metaphor for the indiscriminate devastation of the tsunami.
There are some things to pay attention to and they are: the quietness. Assarant lets the scenes develop in Kenji Mizoguchi silence, blissful quiet, and a wonderful acoustic guitar as the thread that weaves the signature scenes together. I doubt many young people can watch and I fear many a Westerner, but it is all mother's milk to me.
Much has been made about the seemingly discombobulated ending. Why does Ton have to die? Why does Wit kill him? My opinion (and, yes, I know, opinions are like bad breath-everybody has it), is that it there may be more than one reason: 1) Wit wanted out of the gangster life and his only way was to use a perfect excuse-kill the man that is romancing his sister. Now, he can say to his mates, I have to care for her, so I must work at the hotel; 2) The seeming randomness of the killing is a metaphor for the random death meted out by the tsunami. Both work for me.
Enjoy the movie for a finely crafted work of understated art.
The love story between Ton and Na progress slowly, as most do in real life. Ton likes Na right away and his overtures to her are thoughtful and easy going. She slowly warms up to him, cinematically told by her wearing more colorful clothes, some color in her face, and the change in camera fluidity. Her brother notes the change in Na.
The devastation of the tsunami is shown in matter of fact moments. The destruction of hotels, homes, and families is just shown without elaboration. Na cares for her nephew and the hotel alone; partly because of the tsunami and partly because her brother, Wit (Dul Yaambunying), is a low level gangster.
The couples have a quietness together. There is a beautiful scene in the movie, where Ton and Na are lying in a field of grass. Ton puts a wild flower in Na's hair and they just lie together, blissfully happy with the wind literally the only thing you hear. This is also the turning point of the movie. Bad things begin to happen with increasing level of "violence".
As Ton and Na's romance blossom, the townsfolk disapprove. In part because you have the big city boy vs. small town girl, traditional Thai courtship vs. new courtship rules, and, I believe, as a metaphor for the indiscriminate devastation of the tsunami.
There are some things to pay attention to and they are: the quietness. Assarant lets the scenes develop in Kenji Mizoguchi silence, blissful quiet, and a wonderful acoustic guitar as the thread that weaves the signature scenes together. I doubt many young people can watch and I fear many a Westerner, but it is all mother's milk to me.
Much has been made about the seemingly discombobulated ending. Why does Ton have to die? Why does Wit kill him? My opinion (and, yes, I know, opinions are like bad breath-everybody has it), is that it there may be more than one reason: 1) Wit wanted out of the gangster life and his only way was to use a perfect excuse-kill the man that is romancing his sister. Now, he can say to his mates, I have to care for her, so I must work at the hotel; 2) The seeming randomness of the killing is a metaphor for the random death meted out by the tsunami. Both work for me.
Enjoy the movie for a finely crafted work of understated art.