Saturday, February 18, 2012

THE SHADOW BOX เงามัจจุราช (2012, Damkerng Thitapiyasak, A+++++++++++++++)

There are many things I like in this play, including:

1. The ending of the play, which seems to tell us that, "Whenever you are happy, don't forget you are going to die in the future." This kind of ending corresponds to my philosophy on life. It also reminds me of the ending of the film 5x2 (François Ozon), which seems to tell us that, "Whenever you are falling in love, don't forget it can end badly."

2.I like the stage decoration in this play very much. There are only two main props on the stage: a white chair with seems to hide a black chair in it, and a strange two-part wall which can be moved around in numerous ways. I like the moving around of this strange wall very much.

3.I like the character played by Peerapol Kijruenpiromsuk the most. This character is a money boy with a heart. There are three stories in this play. The story about this money boy somehow reminds of the films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

4.The story about a dying father, a mother (Sumontha Suanpolrat), and a son/daughter in this play is theoretically the least interesting in my point of view, but the play somehow makes this dull story very watchable, thanks to the great performance of the ever-reliable Sumontha. Though the story seems to present nothing new for me, the emotions of the actors are very strong and convincing. The moment that I like very much is the moment that Sumontha tries to talk about the airhostesses, but she cannot control her emotions anymore and bursts into tears. I also like the unreasonable quarrel between the wife and husband over the pestle very much.

5.The story about an old woman and a spinster daughter is very interesting. I admire the patience of the daughter in this story very much.

In conclusion, I worship the script and the performances in this play. If I have to match this play with a film, I will match it with COMING TO TERMS WITH THE DEAD (1994, Pascale Ferran).





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