Dir. Pen-ek Ratanaruang, 2001, Thailand, 121 mins, subtitles
Cast: Supakorn Kitsuwon, Siriyakorn Pukkavesh, Black Phomtong
Is the audience meant to feel sympathy for Pen (Suppakorn Kitsuwan), the talented singer but ineffectual young husband, who goes a.w.o.l. from his national service when the seedy neon lights of fame beckon? This is the dilemma facing the viewer. Pen is seemingly an innocent buffeted by fate - 'life is strange' says a prison guard, the film's narrator - whose new and idyllic married life to the demure, expectant Sadow (Siriyakorn Pukkaseva) is suddenly halted when the men in his village draw lots to see who must serve their country. Although Pen has the misfortune to draw the fated slip of paper, from here on in he's on his own and makes all the wrong choices, ending up on the run from a variety of hapless situations. Along the way he attempts to make it as a singer, sleeps with the star of the show, and gets hit on by his male boss, before falling into poverty and petty crime.
However, the charm of the film is that although it deals with serious social issues in a compassionate manner, it is never overbearing and hits just the right note in humour. Rather, Pen is more like an eager-to-please child who has yet to learn his lessons in life, emphasised by the fact that he calls both Sadow's father "dad" and his seedy nightclub-owner boss "daddy".
This film, with its circular narrative, is an odyssey for Pen. Sadow, meanwhile, beautifully and sensitively portrayed by Pukkaseva, gives birth to their son and waits patiently for her husband's return, a mother waiting the return of a wayward son who will return a man. Pen will need to overcome all obstacles - especially those of his own making - until he can return and take up his rightful place. A broken transistor radio he once gave her is the token that serves as the link between Sadow, her man, and the pop music that was his life.
Music is the key element here. Based on a novel by Wat Wanlayangkoon, the film itself is dedicated to Surapol Sombatcharoen, a murdered sixties pop star, with more than a handful of his songs punctuating the soundtrack, in particular the genuinely touching 'Don't Forget', the love theme between Pen and Sadow. Very often the lyrics draw a wry smile, characters (even the dead ones) suddenly appear and join in the choruses, and the good-natured cheesiness is always amusing, but then the whole film is a retro homage to all that is kitsch. The delightfully over-the-top caricatures of the seedy impresario Suwat (Somlek Sakdkul), and the wideboy criminal Siew (Ampon Rattanawang), who ends up wearing shellsuits and calling himself Peter, are just two highlights in a standout cast. The cinematography is also very striking, with opulent, vibrant colours and settings - fairgrounds, nightclubs, sunny days on the river - that lend themselves to the camera most beautifully.
From the producers of the weirdly wonderful Tears of the Black Tiger, the subject matter could have made for a dark, depressing film but instead we are presented with a light-hearted rom-com that restores faith in the human condition.
Jean Lynch
|
