There was a little known indie movie called "The Elephant King" that came out in 2008 about a guy that goes to LOS to rescue his brother and ends up falling in love with a girl and Thailand. The girl (Florence Faivre) is luk-krung and really cute.
The best line in the movie is when the guy is phoning with his mom back home and telling her about the girl he met and her reaction is "who is this girl? is she some kind of prostitute?"
"Same Same but Different" Why would you call a movie set in Phnom Penh, and featuring a love story between a german and a Cambodian bar girl, same same but different? As far as I know, that phrase means absolutely nothing to Cambodians. But apparently the lead actress, Sakuljaroensuk, is Thai. I will watch it for the shots of Phnom Penh, if I can find a copy.
The movie is pretty good actually... and the (true) story pretty amazing...
The young German guy (a Hamburg based journalist ) goes on a backpacker trip to Cambodia and falls in love with a young FL who soon turns out to be HIV positiv (what a line: She, on skype: "See you again next life...") Although she's quite demanding in terms of family support their love becomes real more and more... Finally they marry and have a child and adopt another one and live in Phnom Phen or Cambodian countryside respectively and also in Hamburg, he writes a book about it which quickly gets very popular and now a famous German director made a movie out of it...
The whole thing is a story of recent and I met the guy when I was in BK in 2006 not knowing about the adventure he was stuck in... Book was released in 2007 or 2008 I think, movie just now...
The whole story could be transferred to Thailand without the slightest change at all... Well, except for the very poor medical system in Phom Phen...
If it would be fiction I'd say: forget this b/s, but heck it's totaly real... I know this guy and they're doing pretty well...
The book is actually a good guide on "How to marry a Thai, Cambo, Flipper girl and get along with the family that comes with her...)
The books title is different though ("Wohin du auch gehst" (= Wherever you go), by Benjamin Prüfer), don't know if it is translated yet...
Mick, the trailers look pretty good, and your personal add-in is appreciated and makes me all the more curious to see the film, despite its title. Thanks.
I recently saw Love of Siam (รักแห่งสยาม) which was released in late 2007, by the director Chookiat Sakveerakul, but which has not been mentioned here. Perhaps because it features a teenage gay romance.
They initial advertising apparently disguised this fact and deliberately suggested it was a straight love drama (there are a couple of cute girls in the film who have unrequited crushes on the two boys). This slight of hand created some controversy and (I think understandably) some irate viewers who were duped into watching a gay drama.
My problem with the film is that it is painfully dull. Even for an LOS addict like me. The movie is too long, the scenes are too slow, and the whole enterprise never really has the edge it should have given its central premise. But it won lots of best picture awards, and I suppose should be credited for not being just another ghost movie.
Still, I would recommend seeing Bangkok Dangerous (Thai version), "69", and Last Life in the Universe (by far my favorite of the three). And I can't recommend this film (I had to fast forward through too much of it). I also couldn't stand the nose job on the mother. But that is just a pet peeve of mine, I hate bad nose and boob jobs. Self-mutilation.
A few months ago, I saw the Elephant King that TD mentions, and I agree with his comment on the best line in the film. The parents back in wintery Northeast USA are absurdly, sadly hilarious. (And the lead actress is VERY attractive and compelling.)
It is not a great movie, but it captures some truth about how easy it is get lost in LOS, in alcohol, its languid pace, or, or course, a beautiful girl's eyes. It's a messy movie, with Elephant dung all over the place, but it works somehow, despite its cliches. I did not fast forward through it, if that says anything, but the ending was predictable and whatever. Still worth a look.
Off Limits, a 1988 pot-boiler set in Saigon in 1968, directed by Christopher Crowe
William Dafoe and Gregory Hines play a couple of military plainclothes cops investigating the murder of Vietnamese prostitutes. Filmed on location in Bangkok, although they do a good job of making it look like Saigon. Some of the scenes are shot in Patpong. Lots of TG extras.
There is one bizarre scene in the movie where they are interrogating a Vietnamese prostitute who answers all the questions in Thai, while the American actor asks them in mock Vietnamese.
i really like the trailer you posted- beautiful scenery. slow languid stories which I like sometimes. the girl in same same looks familiar to the girl in a movie called Ploy. slow realtionship movie- kind of interesting if in right mood but a little too dream-like. in the vague way.
my favorite thai movie is Last Life in the Universe. not sure if mentioned here, by penkarang or somthing like that, moody movie of a japanese guy in BKK and a thai girl and their relationship. I really enjoyed it but not for everyone- more for the Lost In Translation fans
Quim, yeah off-limits is a really underrated film. great chemistry between the 2 and good action for its day. I think people were thrown by the 2 "funny guys" being action guys. I want to see it again now. off-topic, but great FR's. really enjoyed them.
I just watched the trailer for "The Elephant King" you posted and I have never heard of that movie before, and I am movie "nut," thanks!
Is it good? or just one of those indie films that has a great 2 minute trailer but very slow? Whatever, since it takes place in Thailand I will check it out, cheers!
"69" is still my fav Thai movie of all time! I bought like 7 dvd's on suk a few weeks ago and asked for "hoke sip kow" but the guy said "we no have Thai movies!"
Welcome to Thailand!