Another under-the-radar movie that taps into Thai fissures will finally screen at home.
Nine months after its premiere in Japan, Thai-language film Cloud Cuckoo Country will show next month at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center – marking its first screening in Thailand – for only one day, though.
The movie explores deeply entrenched political ideologies through two women and former lovers. Its plot revolves around an unnamed, closeted conservative (Nantanat Thakudkul) who runs into her former girlfriend (Chayatanus “Cheraim” Saradatta), who is now a progressive journalist.
Over the course of the film, the two walk around Bangkok’s old quarter, catching up on career, family, and love life. That’s before the conversation shifts to the reason they broke up in the first place: politics.
When it released a trailer in February, Cloud Cuckoo Country already struck a chord among younger audiences for including the word “salim” in the dialogue. The slang, popularly used in Thai politics, refers to people who are ultra-royalists or supporters of the military junta.
The 48-minute movie premiered at the Osaka Asian Film Festival earlier this year. It was directed by recent graduate Aim-ei Polpitak and her fellow classmate-turned-producer Tamonwan Ratanapongumpai.
“Thai politics is very similar to a toxic relationship,” Aim-ei told Coconuts in an earlier interview.
Cloud Cuckoo Country will screen for one day at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. The screenings are available six times throughout the day: 10:30am, noon, 1:30pm, 3pm, 4:30pm, and 6pm.
Tickets are THB100 and available for purchase online.
The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre is located on Rama I Road and can be reached from BTS National Stadium.
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