Cherm

I saw this movie at the 2006 International Film Festival of Rotterdam. The director was present at the screening for a Q&A. English title: "Midnight, my love"

Plot: Middle aged, courteous taxi driver loves his oldies radio station. His repetitive and simple life gets nicely interrupted after he meets a prostitute, who is more than 10 years younger. As their romance develops carefully, we get more background of them through flashbacks.

This excellently acted and beautifully shot tragic feel-good movie has relatively high production values. The movie disappointed at the Thai box office, according to the director. Because both lead actors are stars in Thailand, the studio had expected a high local box office revenue. Instead, it just broke even. Wongamiao (Ong Bak) is a popular comedian, so he is playing against type here, in a more serious part.

The movie had instant appeal to me because of the lovable characters and the marvelous scenery of Bangkok at night. The plot has enough twists and surprises to keep you wanting to see the end. During the last half hour or so, the film started to feel a bit lengthy for what in essence is a pretty simple tale. Also be prepared for some overly sentimental moments.

All in all, I can recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see an original romantic drama with a couple of laughs and smiles. 8/10

Technical trivia: the movie was shot in 1.85 :1 (roughly 16x9). When taxi driver Petchtai fantasizes about himself as the hero in old radio hear plays, the image is intentionally squeezed horizontally. E.g. actors get very slim faces. These squeezed images were obtained by filming in 2.35:1 with an anamorphic lens. The presentation of the wide 2.35:1 image into the 1.85:1 frame was done intentionally by the director, inspired by the way old Thai movies from the 70's are often presented on VHS tapes and VCDs.