Best Of Times has all the right elements for a quality film, but normally, very few of these guarantee box-office achievement. Interestingly, the film became a commercial success, making it a sleeper hit in March this year.
Based on the award-winning short film Welarak (Times Of Love), Best Of Times explores the relationship between two couples of different generations. Keng (Arak Amornsuphasiri), a veterinarian, has been secretly in love with his best friend's ex-wife Fai (Yarinda Boonnag)for a long time. By coincidence, Fai comes to be involved with Keng's life and the two develops their friendship for the first time, without Fai knowing of Keng’s love. Keng soon discovers that Fai cannot forget her ex-husband and still hopes for a reunion. At the same time, Keng also sees romance budding between two older, retired friends, Jamras (Krit Setthathamrong) and Somphis (Sansanee Wattananukul). Struggling with their age and environment, Jamras displays the first symptoms of dementia and Somphis has to move with her son’s family to the U.S., and the older couple finds it hard to live together.
Best Of Times proves that Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, a well-known director of light-hearted comedies such as The Iron Ladies, also has a talent for directing more serious films. He cleverly mixes his natural comic sensibilities with the dramatic encounter of the four lead characters, whose communal struggle in life is best described by a well-known saying from an old song: “We remember something that we want to forget, but we forget something we want to remember”. Thongkongtoon knows when and how to throw in several small, subtle gags and when to use slow or long sequences to build up the dramatic mood. At the same time, he also wisely uses the combination of conflicting elements to keep the audiences interested. Two older couples are, contrary to our preconception, modern people who learn to use computers, creating their own blogs, and enjoy chatting on MSN. Thus, the film can be considered a silent modern revolution, and perhaps this is the main reason why young viewers are attracted to this film.
However, the middle part of the film is a bit slow in its development and it is easy lose your concentration. Also, while most characters are portrayed with natural acting, some parts are a bit too overacted. A notable exception is former veteran TV actress Sansanee Wattananuku, a star in many popular series, who manages to overcome her instinctive overacting by using toned-down acting. The film also has many details which are perhaps a little too subtle to garner the appropriate response from the audience. But at least you will go home feeling good, something that will linger on for a while.
Anchalee Chaiworaporn