THE JUDGE (2010, Wachara Gunha, A++++++++++)

FILM SEEN OUTSIDE THE FESTIVAL:

PREDATORS (2010, Nimrod Antal, A-)

THAI FILMS SEEN IN THE FESTIVAL ON SATURDAY, JULY 10:

1.THE JUDGE (Wachara Gunha, 25 min, A++++++++++)
คำพิพากษาของความรัก (วชร กัณหา)
My comment in Thai on THE JUDGE:
http://vimeo.com/13248284

2.LAST OF THAILAND (Teeraniti Siangsanoh, 24 min, A++++++++++)
ความทรงจำของเศษดาว (ธีรนิติ์ เสียงเสนาะ)

3.CHAY, GAYVAH-RAR 'N' THE MACHUPICCHU (Chaloemkiat Saeyong, 20 min, A++++++++++)
คำพิพากษาของซาตาน (เฉลิมเกียรติ แซ่หย่อง)
I like the sudden emotional shift at the beginning of this film. The first minute of this film is very funny. We see a view of grassland in Thailand, while the text says that this is a view of Latin America. Suddenly, the film turns very serious, and ends up causing an extreme sadness for me. I feel very sad because this film makes me think about:

3.1--How Thailand is like Latin America in the 1970's, because of all the political conflicts, the problems of dictatorship, the problems of injustice, and the struggle of the poor

3.2--The endless suffering of the poor. Some of them lose their land because of some greedy capitalists. Some of them have to find work far away from their hometown. Maybe they are like "elephants", which have to move to Bangkok or big cities to find food.

3.3--The cold-blooded murder of some Thai activists or some people who try to protect their own piece of land

3.4--Maybe the end of the problem will not come when the oppressed rise up against the oppressor. But it may come when there is no natural resource left anymore and no one can survive. I think about this thing because in the early part of this film we can see some texts about Schomburgk's Deer, which is a kind of extinct animals. The last wild Schomburgk's Deer was shot dead by a Thai policeman in 1932. It is a kind of "hunted" animals. But in the later part of this film we can see some texts about "tigers", of which some kinds may have also become extinct. In the end, even the "hunters", no matter whether they are animals or humans, won't survive, too.

My friend makes an interesting observation that Chaloemkiat is great in capturing the images of machines or things which are machine-like, and creates some kinds of rhythm from them. The beginning and the end of POLITICALLY LAWYER AND NARRATIVE CINEMA (2009, Chaloemkiat Saeyong, 27 min) presents us some captivating images of a machine at work. CHAY, GAYVAH-RAR 'N' THE MACHUPICCHU presents us some captivating images of a woman who works like a machine.

4.THE SOUND OF SILENCE (Palakorn Jiamtiranat, 45 min, A+++++)
เงียบ (พลากร เจียมธีระนาถ)
I like this film very much, and I'm not sure why. Maybe I just like this kind of surreal psychological films.

5.MY FORTRESS OF HAPPINESS (Prawmalee Songmuang, 19 min, A+++++)
ความทรงจำในม่านตาของเธอ (พราวมาลี สองเมือง)

6.SHADES OF SHADOW: SAGA FROM THE JUNGLE, STRANGER AT KHUN YUAM (Suporn Choosongdech, documentary, 55 min, A+)
เงา: อดีตจากป่า คนแปลกหน้าที่ขุนยวม (ศุภร ชูทรงเดช)

7.DHARMA CAMP (Supakit Seksuwan, documentary, 24 min, A+)
ค่ายธรรมะ (ศุภกิติ์ เสกสุวรรณ)
I like the way Supakit juxtaposes the images from a Buddhist institution with images from a Christian institution, without judging anything. The film seems to neither denounce nor affirm anyone's religious beliefs. As for some viewers who may have no religion like me, this film feels very friendly (though it may not be as friendly as MY TEACHER EATS BISCUITS), or at least not as threatening to atheists as the title may imply. I think the film doesn't try to say to me that religion is great or try to convert me to be anything. It just observes the way things are.

8.DREAM OF THE DEATH (2010, Wiwat Lertwiwatwongsa, 25 min, A+)
ความฝันของคนตาย (วิวัฒน์ เลิศวิวัฒน์วงศา)
Is this film partly inspired by Lav Diaz, like ENCANTOS (2009, Wiwat Lertwiwatwongsa, 8 min, A+)? This partly-political, partly-spiritual(?) film lets us watch some landscapes for a long time. I don't think I could attune my wavelength to this film's wavelength in my first viewing, unlike THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT (2009, Wiwat Lertwiwatwongsa, 18 min, A++++++++++) which captivates me totally in my first viewing. I'm not trying to say that DREAM OF THE DEATH is inferior to THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT. What I'm trying to say is that I may need to see it a second time before I can say that this film is the kind of film I really like or not. Maybe it is like Bruce Baillie's films. I remember that the first time I saw Baillie's films, I thought they were "average". A week later, I saw Baillie's films for the second time, and they gave me one of the greatest cinematic pleasures I have ever had.

DREAM OF THE DEATH accidentally reminds me of these films:

8.1 FOR ALEXIS (2009, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
http://vimeo.com/6408991
This film also deals with the journey of the spirit of the dead.

8.2 SMILES OF THE FIFTH NIGHT (2005, Sonthaya Subyen)
This film also talks about our mortality, and lets us watch the images of the world, which have existed long before we were born, and will continue to exist after our death.

I think it would also be interesting to compare DREAM OF THE DEATH with NO ONE AT THE SEA (2005, Tossapol Boonsinsukh, A+) and AGATHA AND THE UNLIMITED READINGS (1981, Marguerite Duras, A+++++). These three films let us watch the images of the sea and the seashore for a very long time, but each of them brings about very different feelings. The "content" of the images in these three films are the same: the sea and the seashore. But the "feelings" are very different: loneliness in NO ONE AT THE SEA, calmness of mind in DREAM OF THE DEATH, and unexplainable feelings in AGATH AND THE UNLIMITED READINGS.

You can watch NO ONE AT THE SEA here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/nangtoszlong#p/u/23/8vB7yCQURj8


9.LET IT FLOW (Eakapojd Jangkijkul, 22 min, A+)
ความจริงที่...ไม่มีใคร(อยาก)รู้ (เอกพจน์ แจ้งกิจกุล)

10.THE MOTHER WANNA GO TO CARREFOUR (2010, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, 6 min, A+)

11.THE WHITE DARKNESS (Akapat Intuprapa, 18 min, A+)
ความมืดสีขาว (อรรคพรรษ อินทุประภา)

12.KARAOKE: THINK KINDLY (Scene 22, 5 min, A+)
คาราโอเกะเพลงแผ่เมตตา (ฉาก 22)

13.UNFORTUNATELY ME (Kanitcha Apiamornkant, 7 min, A+)
ความจริงแล้ว...คือผมเอง (คณิตชา อภิอมรกานต์)

14.THE_SUN (Siripong Sowanna, 4 min, A+)
คือดวงอาทิตย์ (ศิริพงษ์ โสวัณณะ)

15.MISSION (Siripong Sowanna, 5 min, A+)
คือภารกิจ (ศิริพงษ์ โสวัณณะ)

16.A LAUDABLE EFFORT OF LITTLE GIRL WANNASA (2009, Eakarach Monwat, 8 min, A+/A)
ความพยายามอันน่าชื่นชมของเด็กหญิงวรรณษา (เอกราช มอญวัฒ)
You can watch this film here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhwtFscSJCY

17.THE PARTY OF MY GRANDFATHER'S WIFE (Phumraphee Sae-tang, 4 min, A+/A)
งานเลี้ยงแฟนปู่ (ภูมิรพี แซ่ตั้ง)

18.HAPPINESS (Jinna Rujisenee, 9 min, A+/A)
ความสุข (จิณณะ รุจิเสนีย์)

19.THE LETTER OF MR. COLOUR BLINDNESS (Sorayos Prapapan, 10 min, A+/A)
จดหมายของนายตาบอดสี (สรยศ ประภาพันธ์)
Sorayos also directed MAGIC LOVER SHOW (มนต์รักนักกล) (2008, 27 min).

20.MY GRANDFATHER'S FISHING ROD (Attakorn Muchnuntiksamai, 6 min, A)
คันเบ็ดของคุณตา (อรรถกร มัชณันติกสมัย)

21.THE PARTNER 3 (Sartthar Tharchai, 18 min, A)
คู่หูป๊อดปอด 3 (ศรัทธา ทาไชย)

22.DREAM (Phumraphee Sae-tang, 5 min, A)
ความฝัน (ภูมิรพี แซ่ตั้ง)
Phumraphee also directed DO IT BY MYSELF (ทำเองสบายเอง) (2008, 4 min, A+) and WOULD YOU LIKE TO BUY VOICE? (ซื้อเสียงไหมครับ) (2008, 4 min, A+/A).

23.WINTER REMINISCE (Tanutpun Palakawong Na Ayudhaya, 14 min, A)
ความทรงจำดีดีในหน้าหนาว (ธนัทภัณ ปาลกะวงศ์ ณ อยุธยา)

24.SYNTHESIZED MEMORY OF A LINGERING YEARNING FOR ONE'S ROOT (Norachai Kajchapanont, 10 min, A)
ความทรงจำสังเคราะห์แห่งความรู้สึกโหยหารากเหง้าของตัวตน (นรชาย กัจฉปานนท์)
I think the images in this film are not as powerful as I wish they could be. The film is fine, but I wish it could be a little bit more haunting, atmospheric, extreme, strange, or enigmatic than this one.

25.WAITING (Paween Kittikovit, 4 min, A)
คอย (ปวีณ กิตติโกวิท)
I'm not sure if I like the ending of this film or not. I may have given this film A+++++, if the man is frozen to death (or something like that) while waiting.

26.BAT, BANANA, AND BANGKOK (Puripun Rujikajorn, 4 min, A/A-)
ค้างคาวกินกล้วยกรุงเทพ (ภูริพันธุ์ รุจิขจร)

27.UROBOROS (Maythanee Chaiyasithi, animation, 2 min, A/A-)
งูกินหาง (เมทนี ชัยสิทธิ์)

28.THE HAPPINESS OF BOABOA (Roamrun Jongjab, 10 min, A-)
ความสุขของโบว์โบว์ (โรมรัน โจงจาบ)

29.DIFFERENCES IN CONFORMITY (Wittaya Poosawat + Nawan Piboolnorasait, 30 min, A-)
Wittaya also directed THE RUN JUMPER (ปัญหา อุปสรรค ทางแก้) (2008, 25 min, A-)

30.CAFFEINE (Sittikorn Wongwuttianant, 19 min, A-)
คาเฟอีน (สิทธิกร วงศ์วุฒิอนันต์)

31.THE KILLER (Prem Plittapolkranpim, 6 min, A-)
ฆ่าคน (เปรม ผลิตผลการพิมพ์)

32.TEACHING (Sasitorn Rungratoak + Siripong Sowanna, 5 min, A-)
คือคำสอน (ศศิทร รุนกระโทก + ศิริพงษ์ โสวัณณะ)

33.HOPE AFTER PINIJ (Wannisa Wongwan, documentary, 12 min, B+)
ความหวังหลังพินิจ (วรรณิศา วงแหวน)

34.MEN MAKE TO MIX (Paibool Aksornnumpeung, 27 min, B)
ฅน คน คนหลาย ฅน (ไพบูลย์ อักษรน้ำผึ้ง)