TEACHER...TEACHER (2007, Panuwat Nilrak, A+++++)

FILMS SEEN ON SUNDAY 29 JULY 2007

NOTE:1.Most of them are Thai short films.

2.I don’t know the official English titles of most of the films, so the English titles listed here are just what I translated from the Thai titles.

3.I listed the year of most of the films here as 2007, because I think most of them are made in 2007, but I know a few of them might be made before that. So I apologize in advance if some parts of my information are wrong.


1.KWAM LUKLUN KHONG NGAN RUENREANG (AN INCONVENIENCE IN A HAPPY PARTY) (2007, Prap Boonpan, A+)
28.51 min


2.KRU KRAB…KRU (TEACHER…TEACHER) (2007, Panuwat Nilrak, A+)
30 min
I like the ending of this film very much. This film begins like a documentary about rural children, but ends with a dark, thought-provoking twist.


3.KHANG BUNG FAI (RURAL ROCKET COMPETITION) (2007, Uruphong Raksasad, A+)
18.3 min
Uruphong, who directed STORIES FROM THE NORTH, comes back with one of the most beautiful, “uplifting” Thai films I have ever seen. I just love the picture of a clear blue sky in this film. This film is a pure documentary, unlike TO INFINITY AND BEYOND (2004, Sompot Chidgasornpongse, A+), which deals with the same kind of Thai rural festivals, but portrays it in a more complex way.


4.KHAI JEOW (OMELETTE) (2007, Pitak Ruengrojsin, A+)
15 min
Actually I don't like many things in this didactic film, especially the second half. But I give it A+ because some of the dialogues spoken by the mother are the funniest I have ever heard. It begins with a mother scolding her daughter for not closing the water tap, blaming her action as the cause of the extinction of some species of mountain deer.


5.KID TUENG POR (MISS YOU, FATHER) (2007, Tip Saetang, Teera Prachumkhong, Chatchai Charntanawong, A+)
9 min
This film is about a son who tries to write a letter to his dead dad in heaven. The film has some funny parts, though in the end it is quite poignant.


6.WASABI (2007, Asit Wangsuekul, A+)
26 min
This film is about a Japanese student who has to live with a Thai host family which is very crazy about Japan. The film is quite funny and seems to mock many cliche found in Japanese films and TV series.


7. THE INSTRUCTIONAL MANUAL OF AERIAL VIDEOGRAPHY FOR WEDDING PRESENTATION (2007, Decha Piyawatkoon, A+)
17.58 min
This is a documentary.


8.FUN…WANG WON (2007, Pasit Sajjapong, A+)
20 min
I like the slowness of this film very much. It is about a male university librarian who falls in love with a female university student. The tracking shot inside a library is quite impressive.


9.DARA (2007, Surasak Wanwong, A+)
15 min
I don’t think I understand this film, but it made me think a lot, though I found no answer.


10.HAAB (2007, Tikamporn Poopunna, A+/A)
20 min
This is a semi-documentary about a street vendor and her son. I like the idea that the film is not a pure documentary, but includes some fictional scenes which might portray the feelings of the son.


11.ENERGY (2007, Wiras Yangyuen, A)
4.04 min
A video art about electricity. I’m quite impressed with Wiras Yangyuen’s films I saw this year. They are experimental films which are not very exciting in my point of view, but they are still impressive.


12.SYSTEM OF A DOWN (2007, Ekapoom Hansapiromchoke, A)
2.58 min
This is a funny music video.


13.SECRET (2006, Monchai Chatbamrungsuk, A)
14.45 min
This is a film about an Alzheimer patient.


14.CHANGE (2007, Winai Kijjaroen, A)
3.48 min
This is a lovely animation.


15.PEDAN (CEILING) (2007, Saroch Apichatkulchai, Sapitcha Srisomboon, A)
8.25 min
This film only shows us the ceiling of a room, but we can hear some characters talking and arguing. I can’t quite follow what the characters are talking about, but I like the idea of this film.


16.LOOK AT ME! (2007, Tanwarin Sukhapisit, A)
5.3 min
I like the idea of this film, which shows a medium shot of a room seen from outside the house among the darkness. We can glimpse this room only when lightning appears.


17.SCOOP (2006, Woody Allen, A/A-)


18.TICHILA (2007, Chatchai Ngamsirimongkhonchai, A-)
5 min
This is a beautiful animation music video. Chatchai Ngamsirimongkhonchai also directed HUMAN DESIRES (2006, A+), FRIEND (2006, A-) and STARLIGHT (2006, A-). All of them are animation music videos.


19.THE END OF TAKSIN ERA (2007, Nattapong Okapanom + Ittipol Ayup, A-)
71 min
This is a TV documentary which is full of useful information about the bad deeds of Taksin Shinawatra, but I prefer to watch a film which dares to criticize this current government than this film.


20.BEFORE…AFTER (2007, Suchart Makawimal, A-)
9.06 min
This film begins unpromisingly. It seems at first like a film with a message “Don’t commit suicide”. Fortunately, the film turns out to be more complex than that.


21.TWO WORDS AND ONE WAY (2007, Nattaporn Wongjaksu, B)
9.27 min
I think this film might be made by a high school student. I think the idea of this film is good. It shows the quarrel between two girls up until the middle of the film. Then the film seems to be rewinded back to the beginning. However, I think the film is too predictable.