As Thailand splinters, friendships tested in ‘Fate-ocracy’

Three friendships forged by six years of med school. Three friendships shaken when they each join different political parties to compete for votes. 

“From friendships on the same campus to opposite sides in parliament,” reads the tagline on posters for Chatathiptai (Fate-ocracy), an experimental documentary feature taking a personal look at Thailand’s political scene.

Set in the run-up to the 2011 election, the story unfolds through the intimate lens of Deja Piyavhatkul, whose three university friends entered politics. Six years after the film was completed, it will finally screen in Thai theaters next month. 

The movie had been set to show in 2013, near the end of the civilian government brought to power in 2011, but its release was pulled due to the political unrest at the time. 

Written and directed by Deja, the film follows his former classmates at Mahidol University’s med school as they join three mainstream rival political parties — Cholnan Srikaew for Pheu Thai Party, Phumin Leeteeraprasert for Puea Pandin Party and Bunyat Jettanajan for Democrat Party.

All three then head toward the heated general election of 2011 as the worst flooding in half a century hits the country. 

According to Deja, who said he traveled the country to shoot the film’s scenes and spent over two years completing it, the film promises to go “beyond politics” by examining friendships, community hopes and more. 

“I look through their political masks and see the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly that are within all of us,” Deja said in an interview. “I don’t know if my friends are good politicians. I only know in my heart that they’re good friends.”

Deja said his motivation has nothing to do with profits (“it’s already a loss”), but what audiences will take home after seeing the film. 

“If they blame the Yellowshirts, Redshirts, the rich and the poor; I’d be so sad. The movie doesn’t blame anything or anyone. We all are a part of what happened, of the country’s tragedy,” Deja said. “If a viewer, only one of them, can understand what I was trying to say, I think my film has done its job. It’s successful.”

Chatathiptai screens Oct. 3 through the end of the month at Lido Connect. Tickets are THB150 and can be purchased online. The movie will show in Thai with English subtitles.