LOVE OF SIAM revisited. There's still NO GREATER LOVE.

Despite the current GLOBAL economic upheavals, mindless wars and political furore, THAILAND is still very much THAILAND - land of wonders.

Putting aside the plastic people, the advertising tagline AMAZING THAILAND is still so apt.

You just can't keep curious people away - the tourists come in droves, millions of them each year, recession or not, for budget scenic charms, the ready sex and massages - on the cheap.

SEX and the CITY?  Yes, plenty.

In THAILAND, you can get cheap thrills without having to burn a hole in your pockets.

You name it, THAILAND has it.

What of the THAI CINEMA?

Well, there are gems and there are forgettable disasters, just like in every other country.

The THAIS are proud of preening their craft.  They are indoctrinated to self-proclamation that they are the best around.

TRUE?

CERTAINLY NOT, industry insiders beg to digress.

CREATIVITY is always subjective, and to each his own. 

There's always a ready pool out there in the rest of ASIA, waiting to be tapped.

Unlike SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA and the PHILIPINES where most films are being shot on the HD format to curtail production costs, THAILAND is quick to differentiate that their features (mostly) are still produced on 35 mm film.

In the last 18 months, there were  notable THAI films such as the first ever THAI investment of 200 million baht- ONG BAK 2 which garnered mixed reviews - great bone-crunching fight scenes - but a weak storyline.

TONY JAA the action star has a darkish complexion, lacks screen charisma and has only a stoned one-dimensional look.

His acting clearly lacks emotive depth, unlike the current HONG KONG rage DONNIE YEN who has wowed us with his vivid performance in IP MAN.

Now, let is talk about the LOVE OF SIAM, produced at less than one-tenth of the ONG BAK 2 budget but is still raking in news and money.

It's the most memorable film-to-date and has touched the hearts of most everybody who has seen it.

Now, who is saying that only colossal budget features carry the best weight?

You need a great storyteller gura like CHOOKIAT who's master-of-the-art at rendering beautiful treatments.

LOVE OF SIAM scored for MARIO MAURER and WITWISIT HIRANYAWONGKUL who went on to become teenage icons even long after all the brouhaha has died down.

Never before has a THAI movie carried so much "steam".

It's one that you have to watch with your eyes, see with your heart and experience the remarkable tenderness of LOVE OF SIAM.

Even I was amazed.

The audience's response was unpredicted and unprecedented as the film was originally slated to be "just a simple love story" to tug at your heartstrings.

LOVE OF SIAM did more than just that.

It brings home a message that:

IF IT'S LOVE or IF YOU ARE IN LOVE,

JUST FOLLOW YOUR DREAM.

LIFE HAS NO FINER MOMENT.

The film's signature song KAN LAE KAN or translated as "JUST YOU AND ME, MY LOVE" sums up the many facets of love.

Love can lift you up, and let you down sometimes.

Love is agony, hurt and longing all rolled into one.

But what is life without love?

KUDOS to WITWISIT and MARIO for their superb sensitive acting in their debut feature.

The scene whereby WITWISIT sings to MARIO, you can almost feel the intensity of their love. The exchange of adoring glances between them speaks a thousand words.

It's like embarking together on a journey of life and hope.

NOW, here's the condensed version of the lyrics of "JUST YOU AND ME, MY LOVE" that I have translated personally as a befitting tribute to this wonderful film LOVE OF SIAM by CHOOKIAT SAKVEERAKUL:

"IF I had told you that this SONG was penned specially with YOU in mind,

You may not have believed,

It might not have been as lovey-dovey as the other ballads,

Yet love songs cannot be written

without true feelings from the heart,

As it was for you,

The words just flow freely......

You could have listened to a thousand ballads,

Some may touch you deep inside

And mean nothing more

But the moment you hear this song,

You'd know at once that the lyrics are dedicated to you only,

We have this beautiful memory that we should cherish.

It's as though we are embarking on life's journey

by listening to the pitter-patter of our own heartbeats,

Wasn't I there for you?

And I know you'll always be there for me too,

Having you by my side,

I believe there's no obstacle I cannot overcome,

I see our world as .......

JUST YOU AND ME, MY LOVE."

REALLY SAPPY, isn't it?

As I have said, if you believe in LOVE,

JUST FOLLOW YOUR DREAM,

BECAUSE LIFE HAS NO FINER MOMENT.

TEENAGE ANGST and "INAPPROPRIATE" LOVE = surefire BOX OFFICE SUCCESS for LOVE OF SIAM movie.

Let's give KUDOS to the THAI FILM MAKERS.

They are really smart at horning their craft.

They research into what their audience wants.

They tirelessly and painstakingly continue to churn out endless scare movies (the type that unintentionally makes you laugh), crude country comedies (heck, if not for cheap thrills, are they really funny at all?) and soapy teenage dramas (sure…. with tears thrown in aplenty).

With a huge population of 61.5 million, when a movie “flunk” at the box office, sales from the VCDs (not DVDs) help to cover investment costs.

Because VCDs are much cheaper (so that those country folks who cannot afford the expensive cinema ticket) would buy these for home entertainment and keepsake.

What if 50% of the 61.5 million buy your VCDs?

Just imagine how rich you can get, right? What you have achieved at the local Box Office is just a bonus, really. Not to speak about foreign distribution outside of Thailand.

So film making in THAILAND, unlike Singapore, Hong Kong or Malaysia can hardly go wrong. If you do it well, you strike gold.

Viva lah, VCDs !

These days, the ghost thrillers are so laughable that you’re bound to leave the cinema in stitches.

Mostly the deadly scenes are bloodied and gruesome and the plot sucks so much that at curtain call, you’d still be wondering what the goofy tale is all about.

And when you “roar” at the rude rustic comedies, you’d probably be laughing at yourself - because the jokes are so self-deprecating mostly.

The teenage romantic films tend to “make you feel oh-so-young again”. In life, if there is a second chance at rejuvenation …… why not?

After all, film making is also a cash making machine, and which true blue investor do not want to see a good return for money spent?

So the cycle goes on.

THAI people generally enjoy movies about teenage love as reflected in past successes, and following hard on the heels of recent blockbusters such as FARN CHARN (My Girl), PERN SANIT (My Bosom Buddy) and SEASONS CHANGE, 26 year-old writer and helmer CHUKIAT SAKVEERAKUL takes over the reins of LOVE OF SIAM and weaves a sad albeit heartbreaking tale of teenage angst, "inappropriate" love and a Catholic mother’s coming to terms with the loss of her missing daughter, an alcoholic husband and her teenage son’s growing sexuality.

Film Director CHUKIAT laces the film with two pairs of pretty boys and girls in key roles so there are plenty of eye candies for us to gawk at.

Bangkok’s SIAM SQUARE is a hip, trendy and “happening” place for teenagers with tons of “swell” eateries, designer boutiques, open air jamming sessions, karaoke and ‘live’ sing-along bar restaurants. If you are young or young-at-heart, this exciting place is a “must” for you.

LOVE of SIAM has an energetic pulse throughout the entire movie.

The film takes off when MEW, a young child prodigy and talented songwriter re-encounters long lost buddy TONG who is experiencing first love with a cute girl in SIAM SQUARE (where else)? FRIENDSHIP and CHILDHOOD MEMORIES are soon rekindled to a point where their pubescent feelings for each other run far too deep, and spinning of out control, thereby culminating in a rift with their own girl friends.

This is a different kind of teenage romance and it takes CHUKIAT’s competent directing to frame family loss, growing up pains, confusion of sexual identities and Thai pop boy bands in 150 minutes of running time in LOVE OF SIAM. There's also a controversial lingering scene of the 2 boys kissing passionately.

The ending? Well, it's Christmas time and TONG persuades his mum to allow him to make his own "choice" of his friendship with MEW.

He goes to find MEW who has just finished a performing gig in SIAM SQUARE and hands him a Christmas present. The yuletide mood is deeply haunting and with misty eyes TONG tells MEW that he cannot be his boy friend anymore as it is an "inappropriate" relationship. But his decision has "never been a choice of not loving MEW". On the contrary.

Newcomers MARIO MAURER as TONG and WITWISIT HIRANYAWONGKUL as MEW give extraordinary performances in their roles. They share an affable chemistry, but it is TONG's distraught mother-in-distress played by veteran actress SINJAI PLENGPANICH who dominates screen presence in most parts.

There are 2 very lovely and lilting theme songs thrown in for a measure, the type that stirs the fall-in-love-again feelings in you, and you may want to reach for a tissue. Sniff....

To sum up, let's take a verse from JO HALE's poem:

"ANOTHER DAY PASSES,

MY LIFE GOES BY,

I THINK OF YOUR MEMORY,

AS I SIT HERE AND CRY,

I REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES,

THERE WERE MANY WE HAVE SHARED,

AND I ALWAYS KNEW

THAT FOREVER YOU CARED,

AND I'LL CARRY YOUR MEMORY

RIGHT HERE IN MY HEART."

LOVE OF SIAM movie picks up many accolades in different Thai festivals, and the latest is the 2008 STAR ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS where it bags:

BEST PICTURE

BEST DIRECTOR

BEST ACTRESS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

BEST SCREENPLAY

BEST COMPOSER

AWESOME, isn't it?