Fans of popular Thai cinema often smile knowingly at its poor and easy-to-guess plots. But when it comes to the industry’s future, one never knows what’s just around the corner. That’s borne out by what happened in 2009 and the start of 2010. At first the industry seemed hit hard by the global economic downturn and domestic political upheavals. But surprisingly, several new companies emerged and a number of veteran directors returned to the scene. Some existing companies were forced to reorganize their team and improve their product quality. Ticket prices increased, and a new ratings system was introduced. To cap it all off, the government- backed Thai Film Fund finally proved effective.
There were 50 releases in 2009, slightly less than 2008. There were unusual factors in play. Political riots enveloped the country, and in the light of the Internal Security Act, domestic revenue figures dropped. This was especially true in the first eight months of 2009. Only three domestic films earned more than €1 million - the figure that’s considered the mark of success by most producers.
God Bless Trainees (Saranae Hao Peng) took €2 million despite poor image and sound quality. Audiences flocked to see how famous people would react to various set-ups in the style of Candid Camera - as they have done for a decade with the television series Saranae. Another comedy, Mum Jokmok’s The Dynasty (Wong Kham Lao) topped the box office with €1.90 million. It’s a parody of a famous and frequently adapted Thai novel, The Golden Sand House. It’s about a young girl fighting against her cousins who occupy a higher social status. Piyapan Choopetch’s My Ex (Fan Kao) is a horror film about a man and his current girlfriends who are pursued by the ghost of his ex. The lead actor, Shakrit Yamnam, had apparently made a comment about his co-star’s breasts, which he denied during a teary press conference. But the revelation was enough to see audiences rushing to the cinema to watch the film, which earned €1.08 million.
Some filmmakers were forced to turn to television productions to earn money. Nonzee Nimibutr oversaw two successful action series for television. Songyos Sukmakanan (Dorm) also plays as a weekly series on karma entitled Sin Chronicle. Even the successful GTH cut its film projects from five to four in 2009. In 2010, only three projects have been announced - one of which was delayed from 2009. Instead, the studio tried its hand at weekly sit-coms.
But GTH - with its well-prepared marketing plans - was still the most successful studio of 2009. Two production, Phobia 2 (Haa Praeng) and BTS Bangkok Traffic Love Story (Rodfaifa Maha Na Ther), revitalised the industry during the last three months of the year. Phobia 2 was anticipated to build on the success of Phobia, which had dominated the local box office and performed well internationally. The sequel was divided into five stories: Preta by Paween Purijitpanya, Backpackers by Songyos Sugmakanan In The End by Banjong Pisanthnakun, Salvage by Parkpoom Wongpoom and Ward by the film’s executive producer Visute Poolvoralaks. In September, Phobia 2 looked set to become the domestic box-office earner of the year, taking more than €2.46 million.
One month later, the figure was overtaken by the surprise hit BTS Bangkok’s Traffic Love Story. This was a romantic comedy about a thirty something salesgirl who tries to find someone to marry. She accidentally meets a good-looking engineer who is still single because he works the night shift for the capital’s skytrain company. The male lead Theeradet Wongpuapshan brought TV fans flocking to see the film, which was made to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Bangkok’s skytrain. It became the top grosser of the year, raking-in more than €3.1 million.
GTH is the best-managed studio in Thailand. It has loyal young fans who never seem to be disappointed.
Last year Best Of Times (Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, selected for the 2009 Far East Film Festival), and Dear Galileo were critical and box office successes. Dear Galileo was the third work of Nithiwat Tharatorn, one of the six young directors who rose to stardom on the back of My Girl in 2003. Nithiwat is an underrated director internationally because films like My Girl, Season Changes are neither horror nor comedy. Dear Galileo tells the journey of two young girls who go to England, Paris and Venice in despair. They find the meaning on their lives through the scientific laws of Galileo.
GTH’s good friend Five Star Productions didn’t rake-in as many banknotes. Two of their four productions - Pen- Ek Ratanaruang’s Nymph and Kongkiat Khomsiri’s Slice - received both international and critical acclaim, but flopped. Nymph is Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s attempt to challenge contemporary horror ideas by making a quiet ghost story in the jungle. An adulterous wife loses her husband in the jungle and then realises how much she loves him. To win him back she has to fight a nymph. The film played in Cannes’s Un Certain Regard in 2009. The thriller Slice explores the investigation of a prisoner who tries to track down a serial killer. Taen finds that the victims are all close to his childhood friends. The more he investigates the case, the more he finds he is involved. Created by Wisit Sasanatieng (Tears Of The Black Tiger, Citizen Dog, The Unseeable), Slice was nominated for 14 out of 16 National Film Awards.
The biggest studio, Sahamongkol Film, managed to make 15-16 titles as usual. But only three did well and they were all comedies - God Bless Trainees, The Dynasty, and Hello Yasothorn 2. The latter two were directed by top comedian Petchthai Wongkamlao - aka Mum Jokmok. Hello Yasothorn 2 is the sequel to Hello Yasothorn, a rural love story about Yam and Joei. This time the story turns to their daughter’s generation. Like the first version, the film plays with colour and Thai costumes from the 1960s.
Sahamongkol Film produced five actioners, too. Among these, Raging Phoenix, Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak 3 and Panna Rittikrai’s as yet untitled film are the most anticipated.Raging Phoenix is the second work from Jeeja Yanin, the new female martial artist. In her acting debut Chocolate, she took the role of an autistic girl who has a gift for martial arts and protects her ailing mother. She grows up to be a cute woman in Raging Phoenix, where she plays a girl in love with her trainer. The film flopped despite of its outstanding production design and the return of 1990s newwave director Rachen Limtrakul. Fans of Jeeja’s male counterpart Tony Jaa’s are still waiting to see whether Tien will be freed from capture in Ong Bak 2. The release of the sequel has been postponed several times.
Jaa’s trainer Panna Rittikrai is returning to directing in a yet-English-untitled project. The Thai title is called Khot So, an action film focusing on the lives of eight stuntmen, all of whom used to stand-in for famous stars. The film is expected to be released later in 2010.
In general, 2009 was quite a difficult year. The only successful genre was comedy, as people wanted relief from economic and political chaos. Of the top-ten box office hits, six were comedies - BTS Bangkok Traffic Love Story, The Dynaster, God Bless Trainees, Hello Yasothorn 2, Oh My Ghost and Smiling Gangsters. 2010 has a bunch of genre-bending comedies - action comedy, horror comedy and dramedy. Recent Thai cinema is defined by laughs and fun.
Omnibus films, though less popular, are still in demand.Five were released. My Valentine, by Pornchai Hongrattanaporn (Bangkok Loco), Songsak Mongkolthong (The Screen At Kamchanod), and Seree Pongnithi (Before Valentine) explores three kinds of love surrounding an insurance sales-girl. The tourism-themed Pai In Love tells different stories of people who are connected to Pai, the popular mountain area in the north of Thailand. Originally, eleven kinds of love were presented. But only five were selected to be released in commercial theatres.
The rest of the omnibus films were all horror. Haunted Universities looked at the legends of ghosts in four universities.
It was directed by Banjong Sinthanamongkol and Sutthiporn Tabtim. Still details the stories of four big accidents and murder cases that hit newspaper headlines in the last five years. Phobia 2 was the most successful omnibus last year - both in box-office and critical reviews.While studios hesitate to invest in new productions, a bunch of new companies have decided to take risks. These companies are already known in the film circles, either as international film distributors (Klongchai Pictures for As It Happens), TV program producers (Aqua Corporation for After School), or independent producers, directors, and actors (RMD, The Action). Most of them failed in their initial attempts, due to both international and external factors. Some seemingly moved into the business to make more bad productions in popular genres like horror and comedy. Even the more acceptable works founds it difficult to get good distribution.
Among the newcomers, M Pictures and Oriental Eyes have the brightest future. As the affiliate of the biggest theatre chains in Thailand Major Multiplex, M Pictures can pick up the best screening slots for their own production - which are under the wing of two companies NGR Pictures, and the newly-established M Thirty-Nine. M Pictures received either critical or box office success from its three initial works October Sonata, Best Supporting Actor, and December 32. October Sonata is directed by Somkiat Withuranij. It’s a romance about a couple whose relationship spans fifteen years - from the funeral of top Thai star Mitr Chaibancha in 1972 through the uprisings in 1973 and 1976. October Sonata swept all of the major domestic awards, including best picture, director and scriptwriter. Best Supporting Actor, crafted by MV director Alongkot Euephaiboon, used songs to tell the triangular love of two boys and one girl. But it was December 32 that gave M Pictures a box office success. It was the first big grossing film of 2010, collecting more than € 2 million.
Another new studio, Oriental Eyes, came into the industry to oversee the media business of Princess Ubunrat, the King’s Daughter. The company made television programmes, before expanding into film business. Three projects have been announced: a popular horror Secret Sunday by Saranyoo Jiralak, an actioner called My Best Bodyguard by Sirippakorn Wongchariyawat, and the epic The Legend Of The Queen.
Anchalee Chaiworaporn