Phuean (mai) sanit

Damn that wrecked me in such a clever, unexpected way.

I have seen plenty of Asian melodramas, and you kind of see them coming, you know the regular beats, but this one just hits you over and over again when you least expect it. I'll say it's clever. Which you certainly don't expect of your average teen movie. But this is so much more than that. Yeah, it's got your cheesy lines about dreams and the future, but that's just a minor part and even that hits pretty hard in the context of everything that happens. Let's just say the script is really clever with its twists and tonal shifts and maybe the only thing that didn't resonate was the forced comedy in the beginning, but that was short-lived too. The successive revelations in the flashbacks are heartwarming or heartbreaking, sometimes at the same time.

Thailand is having a good year on Netflix. Also, Oscar submission damn!!!

And it turns out Pae had actually been a friend to Joe. It was the beginning of something beautiful. Damn Joe, why d'you have to die on us like that?

I like the movie and watched it more than once

Thanks to the director who is also the film scriptwriter, the brilliant screenplay has interesting & touching twist and turns and great (sometimes even humourous) dialogue/movie lines.

It is really a great film about joe, the ingenious screenplay gradually reveal how the ordinary but sunny character guy (joe) is loved and missed by his friends and deeply by Bokeh around him

The main characters are all acting great. Tithiya shines in her acting as lovely Bokeh in the movie who has deep and subtle feeling for Joe.

Also tributes to the other supporting cast: the movie team, ohm, liew, moms of pae and joe, and the principal in the movie.

After watching it, I found the movie to be good, but not as good as I expected since it's pretty simple. I personally like the simplicity. The very nature of a movie that we can enjoy with the movie. I liked the first part towards the middle, rather than the end of the movie, which was more of a tight start between the early days of the movie (but I was somewhat remiss from high school) and when it came to my friend (not), it became quite as dramatical as my style of GDH. You're burning up, like, a lot more natural.

All in all, a movie that takes me back to thinking about my friends again very well, they are still close now, or close friends who have become friends (not) are close enough. But the movie itself was nothing more than what we expected.

There are movies whose trailers conveniently summarise the entire plot. When I first saw the trailer before the screening of The Boy and the Heron, I could connect the dots and map out the plot: a bitter student named Pae (Anthony Buisseret) is befriended by Joe (Pisitpol Ekaphongpisit) much to his displeasure. Soon, Joe dies in a car accident and Pae sees the perfect opportunity to get into the good book by making a short film to commemorate Joe's death even though he has no real connection to Joe. To complicate matters, Joe's friend Bokeh (Thitiya Jirapornsilp) knows Pae is using Joe's demise for selfish reasons.

But I still wanted to see the movie because there is something about character redemption arcs that I love. Seeing a bad person break good sounded like a nice way to spend 2 hours, but I was totally blown away and completely bowled over by a third act twist I never saw coming. The trailer wisely never gave away any hint of this and when the revelation dropped the movie became emotionally complex, my favourite territory in narratives.

Even if the initial setup of and the cascading events are formulaic, there is something affable and relatable about the characters. It reminded me of the friends I once had and the friendships forged during that period of life were never cosmic events. They tend to be based on common and aligned interests, and defined by fun and social activities. I am still friends with many, friends I made in my adolescent years.

The first two acts of the movie coast along like carefree laughter in the school canteen and it is also a love letter to cinema. Then it evolves to examine the nature of friendship between teenagers - like what constitutes a close friend, how does others define you as a good friend, how you define friendship for yourself and how one can never truly know another whom you called a friend. I loved some of ideas of friendship presented like a scene in a bus when Pae shares with Joe a secret he is ashamed of and Joe affirms him by saying he is a friend to him from this moment onwards and not from that episode in the past.

The performances by the two leads are fantastic and even Ekaphongpisit in the flashback sequences is great. They are very natural and wacky in their roles. In them I see myself in the past, a time when the pressures of life still do not have a stranglehold on me.

Not Friends is one of those rare movies that trod lightfootedly towards a pre-ordained destination, then suddenly swerved unexpectedly from the left field and totally charmed my socks off and even earned some tears. It also happens to be chosen by Thailand to compete in next year's Oscars in the Best International Film category. I doubt it will land up in the long list because it is not the type of film the Academy typically votes for. Don't let that stop you from checking it out and it might remind you of a time when you have friends like Pae, Bokeh and Joe.

"Not Friends" delves into the complexities of friendship, love, and identity. The narrative explores the blurred lines between friendship and romantic attraction, especially in the context of young adulthood and self-discovery. The story is engaging as it tackles these emotional and sometimes tumultuous experiences, making it relatable to anyone who has navigated the uncertainties of young love and friendship.

Characters and Performances: The cast delivers heartfelt performances that bring depth to their characters. Poompat Iam-samang and Pawin Kulkaranyawich, in particular, stand out for their ability to convey the nuanced emotions of their roles. Their chemistry is palpable and drives the story forward, making their journey compelling to watch.