Thai cinema has a rare quality in that it’s highly entertaining even if you don’t understand a single word of what they say. It’s an art form of sorts, prostrating every emotion through overacting and musical scores.The Unreasonable Man Short Trilogy Project falls into this category, although even if I could understand the language I believe the plot line would still befuddle me.
It’s a love story. A heartbroken, down-and-out barber shop employee, Phing, misses his ex-girlfriend and shows no restraints in bearing his pain. His fellow employees include a screaming mafia-type shop owner and an ice cream aficionado-throughout the entire film he sits in the same corner of the shop, licking an ice cream bar with a detached smile on his face. Phing’s colleagues show no sympathy to his woes, and thus a friend is born out of his tortured mind. It’s hard to distinguish if the whole movie is just a daydream. It’s like a wimpy version of Fight Club, where the characters cry over ex-girlfriends together and constantly ask the question, “To call or not to call?” Cell phones play a key role in the film, an accurate reflection of Thai lifestyle.
The mise-en-scene reminds me of a modern-day film noir. The shots are rough, as is the sound, more so than any other Thai film I’ve seen. I think it’s on purpose. Scratching the film during character revelations, using modern animation software, and cracked jump shots all attribute to the film’s art-house vibe. Not to mention the main character’s mentor turns out to be an artist, encouraging him to draw and not think. What’s produced are pictures of…. girls!
The film provides a creative spin on the soap opera by showing, through a male perspective, the confusion and downward spiral that can stem from heartbreak.
The Unreasonable Man Short Trilogy Project screened at the World Film Festival Bangkok, which ends tonight with a screening of Chilean animated short Earthly Paradise at the Village on Rama IX at 6pm
