Thai movie recs
May. 13th, 2024 09:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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raikantopeniI'm putting this together for a friend so may as well post it here as well. Some of the better Thai movies I've seen. I'll give youtube links when possible, otherwise check MDL for official sources. A lot of them just aren't available aside from sites like dailymotion and bilibili.
I am shite at plot summaries. MDL is too a lot of the time so I can't say just go look there. If you need them, ask :)
The Library, written and directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya. Available here, 31 minutes
The story for this is rich enough it could easily have been made into a full length film or series. It would have been less if it had. The acting and directing are exquisite. They convey everything they need to tell this story through a look, or a few words. Together, this richness and brevity make for an emotionally powerful story. There is nothing extraneous to dilute its impact. Cinematography and music complement it well, making the perfect atmosphere.
Cannot recommend this one highly enough. It is quietly, gently, heartbreakingly beautiful.
Bad Genius, also from Nattawut Poonpiriya, 2 hours 10 min
Here he turns a real life high school cheating scandal into an edge of your seat how is this going to end thriller that touches on morals, class and privilege without preaching. Definitely worth searching for.
Irrelevant aside, my memory is such that I usually forget support role actors are in a series between the time I look at the cast list on MDL and when they appear. Thus I have some experience with Wait, that was Khaotung moments. An extra in a crowd scene set that off. The year is certainly plausible. The body and face shape could be. It's not close enough to say chai or mai chai, at least in the pixel count available to me. So until proven otherwise... :D
May Who? (2015) Exactly my type of warm, goofy coming-of-age movie with good characters, genre-borrowing that becomes its own lexicon, told with the surreptitiously intelligent, open-hearted, generous humour which infuses the best Thai comedies.
Homestay (2018) A high school youth movie wrapped up in a mystery with some supernatural. Interesting and effective cinematography in the supernatural parts.
Heart Attack (2015) Tight focus story of a man who works far too hard, the best sort of empathetic doctor and the friendship they make.
The Cheese Sisters (2022) The weakest of these and I did happen onto it shortly after I'd first seen Jennis Oprasert in The Broken Us so there was a bit of carry over bias, but very comforting. Warm, kind, sweet, gentle. Four somewhat interconnected stories of young women figuring out their lives. Easy to treat it more like a 4 episode series and watch one or two at a time. Two of the stories aren't as overtly lesbian as some international fans would like, but pay attention near the end.
----
Additions:
Present Perfect- What If You Could Turn Back Time (2014) Nattatwut Poonpiriya Available here, 44 minutes
I'm not sure I have words for this. The farther along it went, the more I loved it. As with (nearly) everything from the director, highly recommended.
Low Season (2020) Goofy Thai humour mixed with perfectly set up jump scare ghosts but never too scary mixed with a sweet friendship/love story, breath-taking tropical forest settings, great music and a female lead who wears glasses. It's like a two hour holiday :)
Nice To Meet You (2018) Film school short, about things unsaid. Available here, 34 minutes
I am shite at plot summaries. MDL is too a lot of the time so I can't say just go look there. If you need them, ask :)
The Library, written and directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya. Available here, 31 minutes
The story for this is rich enough it could easily have been made into a full length film or series. It would have been less if it had. The acting and directing are exquisite. They convey everything they need to tell this story through a look, or a few words. Together, this richness and brevity make for an emotionally powerful story. There is nothing extraneous to dilute its impact. Cinematography and music complement it well, making the perfect atmosphere.
Cannot recommend this one highly enough. It is quietly, gently, heartbreakingly beautiful.
Bad Genius, also from Nattawut Poonpiriya, 2 hours 10 min
Here he turns a real life high school cheating scandal into an edge of your seat how is this going to end thriller that touches on morals, class and privilege without preaching. Definitely worth searching for.
Irrelevant aside, my memory is such that I usually forget support role actors are in a series between the time I look at the cast list on MDL and when they appear. Thus I have some experience with Wait, that was Khaotung moments. An extra in a crowd scene set that off. The year is certainly plausible. The body and face shape could be. It's not close enough to say chai or mai chai, at least in the pixel count available to me. So until proven otherwise... :D
May Who? (2015) Exactly my type of warm, goofy coming-of-age movie with good characters, genre-borrowing that becomes its own lexicon, told with the surreptitiously intelligent, open-hearted, generous humour which infuses the best Thai comedies.
Homestay (2018) A high school youth movie wrapped up in a mystery with some supernatural. Interesting and effective cinematography in the supernatural parts.
Heart Attack (2015) Tight focus story of a man who works far too hard, the best sort of empathetic doctor and the friendship they make.
The Cheese Sisters (2022) The weakest of these and I did happen onto it shortly after I'd first seen Jennis Oprasert in The Broken Us so there was a bit of carry over bias, but very comforting. Warm, kind, sweet, gentle. Four somewhat interconnected stories of young women figuring out their lives. Easy to treat it more like a 4 episode series and watch one or two at a time. Two of the stories aren't as overtly lesbian as some international fans would like, but pay attention near the end.
----
Additions:
Present Perfect- What If You Could Turn Back Time (2014) Nattatwut Poonpiriya Available here, 44 minutes
I'm not sure I have words for this. The farther along it went, the more I loved it. As with (nearly) everything from the director, highly recommended.
Low Season (2020) Goofy Thai humour mixed with perfectly set up jump scare ghosts but never too scary mixed with a sweet friendship/love story, breath-taking tropical forest settings, great music and a female lead who wears glasses. It's like a two hour holiday :)
Nice To Meet You (2018) Film school short, about things unsaid. Available here, 34 minutes
no subject
Date: 2024-05-14 02:06 pm (UTC)Also , thank you for compiling these movies in a list . I added quite a few in my tw list.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-15 12:42 pm (UTC)If you do get around to any of them, please share your thoughts so it's not just my opinion.