One of Thailand's absolute finest. Ratanaruang loves to combine light crime elements with impeccable styling and ethereal moods. His films could be a little too slow for some, other than that his entire oeuvre's an easy recommend.
Movies
For a long time, you may wonder what the fuss is all about, but then the end credits start to roll and you suddenly realize what a truly wonderful film Ratanaruang delivered.
Compared to LLitU just about everything is more polished. The visuals look tastier, the soundtrack is even more profoundly present and the acting is just about perfect.
Nymph is a good film by all means, it's just not all that commercial.
In the end, Ruang Talok 69 is a very fun ride, nicely shot and awesomely scored, presented with a great sense of humor and key scenes that are wonderfully executed.
Not quite a return to form for Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, but a good film nonetheless. Combining thriller elements with a more arthouse aesthetic, Samui Song is a film that keeps you on your toes. Well made, well acted and not at all predictable, but ultimately lacking some stand-out moments.
A good film, but Ratanaruang clearly struggled without Doyle behind the camera. It's not that the cinematography is bad, but for a film that put emphasis on long and slow takes, it's not quite refined enough. The score compensates and adds oodles of atmosphere, it's just wasn't quite enough to keep me engaged all the way through. There isn't much in the way of a plot, just a central cast of characters who cross paths. The soundtrack is moody, the cinematography is polished, and the performances are flawless, but for a film like this, everything needs to be perfection and that's not quite the case. Still worth a watch though, especially if you liked Ratanaruang's other work.Read all
60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero
Another micro-shorts anthology. They were relatively popular for a while, but they rarely lived up to their potential. With just a single minute to make an impression, directors were given a tricky challenge. One that proved a bit too daunting for most involved, as too many of the entries failed to make an impact. There are some interesting names here, but few of them stand out. The goals of the project are lofty, but it's all very conceptual and the films themselves never really match or strengthen the project's ideals. It's a good thing that the score is pretty interesting, which at least kept me going. Not all that interesting.Read all
