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Wonderful Town has what film festivals are
looking for. It's a naturalistic story of a subdued
romance set in an exotic location and keyed to a
devastating historic event. The beachside resort
town of Takua Pa in southern Thailand is green and
lush; a quiet breeze blows in from the Indian
Ocean. But the peaceful mood is deceptive. Four
years ago a monster tsunami swept the entire
region, killing 8,000 vacationers. The local
economy was destroyed and is only now beginning to
recover. Schooled at USC, the first-time Thai
director Aditya Assarat uses this modern setting as
a background for a pleasant romance between two shy
and respectful young people, who discover that the
psychic effects of the tsunami are still very much
alive. The 2007 feature made a positive impression
and won awards at festivals worldwide.
Young, pretty Na (Supphasit Kansen) would at first
seem to be the maid at a slightly dingy-looking
hotel. We soon discover that she's the owner, that
her parents were lost in the tsunami and that her
brother Wit (Dul Yaambunying) has left to become a
petty gangster in the nearby village. Na has a
couple of people helping her run the place, but
there are few visitors. Takua Pa looks like
paradise but is really a ghost town finally
beginning to show signs of economic activity. Ton
(Anchalee Saisoontorn) is a pleasant young
contractor's architect from Bangkok, come down to
spend two months overseeing the construction of a
new hotel on the mostly devastated beach. The
tsunami came seemingly erased what was once a busy
tourist area. Just next door is a ruin that is said
to be haunted.
Director Assarat takes his time developing his
romance. Na and Ton are immediately attracted to
each other but show it by exchanging polite small
talk and minor favors. The deliberate pace marks
Wonderful Town as iffy commercial material:
time moves at its own pace as we watch Ton drift
down the lonely road to the beach or observe Ton
help Na bring in the laundry. As in any romance, we
keep a keen lookout to see when this naturally
compatible pair will get together.
But the 'wonderful' town is deceiving; we keep
getting subtle signals of trouble ahead. Na
mentions that her neighbors are beginning to
gossip, a concern that doesn't bother big-city boy
Ton. He's only recently emerged from some rough
years of drinking and hasn't yet made up with his
father. To him Takua Pa and Na are a paradise. Na
contacts her brother Wit in the village. Wit
refuses to help her run the hotel and advises her
not to get involved with the outsider. We don't
understand what the issues are beyond Wit's cryptic
remark, "Once a gangster, always a
gangster." Ton's car is broken into not soon
thereafter. Ton and Na are harassed by the local
unemployed punks when they drive out of town for a
picnic. Is all this an expression of Wit's
possessiveness for his sister? Is he afraid that
he'll lose his part-ownership of the hotel?
Wonderful Town seems to suggest that the
tsunami has left an indefinable streak of
bitterness and rage in its wake.
Assarat begins Wonderful Town with a shot of
waves gently breaking on the shore. It's a reminder
that the ocean can turn deadly without reason and
without warning, but we're still not prepared for
the film's ending. The story advances are so
tentative, with little in the way of complex
communication between the dreamy lovers, that the
conclusion will take most of us by
surprise.
Critics lauded Wonderful Town's attention to
everyday details, and indeed it's all too easy to
simply relax and enjoy the pleasant changes in the
weather. Even the rains appear to be gentle; we
hear no complaints about tropical insects. The main
actors are likeable and attractive, and we have to
wonder if we're perhaps missing a level of cultural
communication that a native Thai would pick up on.
Just the same Wonderful Town is a remarkable
first feature, with a texture and visual rhythm all
of its own.
Kino Video's DVD of Wonderful Town is a fine
enhanced transfer of elements in excellent
condition, allowing us to appreciate the quality of
the tropical skies and the texture of the water
puddles on the hotel roof. The music score by
Koichi Shimizu and Zai Kunning favors the guitar.
Sadly, no extras are included.
For more information about Wonderful Town,
visit Kino
International. To order Wonderful Town,
go to
TCM Shopping.
by Glenn Erickson
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