CLEAR EYES (Tawee Nuipree + Rossukon Suthiwong, A+++++)

THAI FILMS SEEN ON JULY 20, 2010:

1.CLEAR EYES (Tawee Nuipree + Rossukon Suthiwong, 21 min, A+++++)
ตาสว่าง (ทวี นุ้ยปรี, รสสุคนธ์ สุทธิวงษ์)
This is my comment in Thai on CLEAR EYES:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h27RFnM73fc

2.WATER MONITOR, NIGHTMARES, AND LITTLE BOY YOY (2010, Teerath Wangwisarn, 16 min, A+++++)
ตัวเ_ี้ย, ฝันร้าย และดช.หยอย (ธีรัช หวังวิศาล)
I like the complex structure of this film very much. Its "self-reflexiveness" reminds me of such film as BODILY FLUID IS SO REVOLUTIONARY (2009, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke). I also like its unresolved ending very much. Teerath is only 16 years old. I believe he is a genius like Chulayarnnon Siriphol, Tulapop Saenjaroen, Napat Treepalawisetkun, and Supakit Seksuwan who started making great films when they were in high-school. I hope Teerath will keep on making films every year, because it is sad for me to see some talented young Thai filmmakers seem to stop making films when they grow up, such as Chutchon Ajanakitti (THE OTHER WORLD, 2007), Rapeepun Leethong (MY FRIEND, 2005), and James Prutwarasin (STUDENT, 2005).

3.FABRICATIVE (Panapun Tangsomboon, 15 min, A+++++)
ตั้งแต่เกิด (ปนพันธ์ ตั้งสมบูรณ์)
I'm not sure if I understand this film or not, but it makes me think about conformist society. The conformist people are portrayed in this film as a manufactured doll which is painted "white" and covered from head to toes in fabric by a machine. I also like the feeling of coldness in this film. Its coldness and the way it looks at things reminds me of such films as OUR DAILY BREAD (2005, Nikolaus Geyrhalter) and IN COMPARISON (Harun Farocki), though FABRICATIVE may be more artificially beautiful than these two documentaries.

4.WONDERLAND (Puripant Ruchikachorn + Sirirat Kerdsawas + Wasin Lohwatanatrakul, 12 min, A+++++)
แดน-เนรมิต (ภูริพันธุ์ รุจิขจร, ศิริรัตน์ เกิดสวัสดิ์, วาสิน หล่อวัฒนตระกูล)

This film reminds me of STUDENT (2005, James Prutwarasin, A++++), which also looks at the unimportant activities of a young man. The film contains very little plot, but can make the activities look very real and very interesting. The feeling of loneliness and frustration in this film is much more real than the one in many other romantic Thai short films which also portray a young man in a lonely room.

5.TOO YEN BIN (Nathan Homsup, 19 min, A+++++)
ตู้เย็นบิน (ณัฏฐา หอมทรัพย์)
I don't like the violence in some films by Professional Dry Cleaner, of which Nathan is a member, so that's one of the reasons why I like this film very much, because it is not full of killing and shooting like in their other films. The sense of humor in this film is quite right and different from other Thai short films. The film is divided into many short stories. My most favorite ones are RIP and DANCE. Kajornpong Bunterngsuk gives one of the best performances in RIP. His face in RIP makes me laugh every time I think of it. I also like the editing in this story very much, because it makes the story much funnier. The actress in DANCE gives a very lovely and funny performance. I like it very much that the actress in DANCE can be funny without having to be as hysterical as the one in HEADLESS (2009, Dhan Lhaow, A+). Sometimes I like the hysterical performances, such as the one in CENSORSHIT! FATHER AND SON (2008, Professional Dry Cleaner), but sometimes I think being hysterical is too easy a way to make the audience laugh.

6.LITTLE BOY ON HIGH MOUNTAIN (Manasak Khlongchainan, documentary, 16 min, A+/A)
เด็กน้อยบนดอยสูง (มนศักดิ์ คล่องชัยนันต์)
If I remember it correctly, the film is quite good in portraying the problems of hilltribe people, but it doesn't really stand out from other films which deal with nearly similar issues, such as the films of Supamok Silarak.

7.STAR-HIGH LAND (Sittidech Rohitasuk, 45 min, documentary, A+/A)
แดนเสมอดาว (สิทธิเดช โรหิตะสุข)
Sittidech also directed ROO-GAROON (2009, 16 min, A+). I think this film suffers from too much poetry and too much didacticism. Somehow the films of Sittidech Rohitasuk, Pisut Srimork, Kanwee Jandee, Siwadol Ratee, and Rutjinakorn Chaihan give me roughly similar feelings. Among these five directors, I prefer Siwadol Ratee the most, and Rutjinakorn the least.

I once talked to my friends about this group of directors. I wonder if any of them can become Thai Jean Rouch in the future. My friend said that the main difference between these Thai directors and Jean Rouch may be the fact that some of these directors look at the issues in their films through the eyes of NGOs, not through the eyes of anthropologists. However, that doesn't mean looking through the eyes of NGOs is a wrong thing. It just means it is different from Jean Rouch's films or something like that. I think Supamok Silarak's films may be very NGO, but Supamok excels in doing this kind of films and he is a Thai auteur.

8.TA TAN HI YA BI (Witchuda Wongsri, 17 min, A+/A)
ตาตั้ลฮิญาบี้ (วิชชุดา วงษ์ศรี)

9.CHARCOAL BRAZIER (Pasuree Sripromma, 15 min, A-)
เตาถ่าน (ภาสุรีย์ ศรีพรหมมา)

10.GRANDDAD IN AND GRANDDAD NA (Pathompong Lomchai, animation, 2 min, A-)
ตาอินกะตานา (ปฐมพงษ์ ลมชาย)

11.MARK OF SIN (Yoknapa Ratanamanee + Somporn Kongrod, 18 min, A-/B+)
ตราบาป (หยกนภา รัตนมณี, สมพร คงรอด)

12.GRASS IN THE STORM (Supot Potong, 18 min, B+)
ต้นหญ้า กล้าพายุ (สุพจน์ โพธิ์ทอง)