Stockholm Film Festival

When does a film go from being a film set in a city, to being a film about a city? A great city film doesn't just hit the right landmarks, but catches some essential quality that lovers of that place instantly recognize. A love letter in the same vein as "Paris, je t'aime", "Sawasdee Bangkok" captures all the splendor and intensity of Bangkok in a sequence of shorts from Thailand's hippest filmmakers.

Each director - Assaray, Jaturanrasamee, Ratanaruang and Saanatieng - is given roughly 25 minutes to come up with his unique interpretation of the city, and it is a vivid, colorful portrait. The audience is taken on a visual adventure that includes blind sightseeing, sensual and impossible love, a man who collects sounds and unorthodox angels. But it isn't all peaches and cream. The movie also shows the audience glimpses of the cities darker side - prostitution, homelessness, poverty, and thugs. But the movie never dwells on these facts; instead it makes an effort to portray the warmth and humanity inhabitant in all aspects of the city including those down on their luck.
NIKLAS ERIKSSON

Orig. title

 «— ¥’∫“ß°Õ°

Cast

Bongkoch Kongmalai/Ploy Horwang/Nopachai Jayanama/Ananda Everingham/Louis Scott/Karolin Supalak Nemayothin

Producer

Saksiri Chantarangsri, Wicha Khokarpun, Jetnipith Teerakulchanyut

Script

Wisit Sasanatieng, Aditya Assarat, Kongdej Jaturanrasamee, Pen-ek Ratanaruang

Cinematography

Chankit Chamnivikaipong, Naruepol Chokkanapitaks, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Ampornpol Yukol

Music

Akaritchalerm Kalayanamitra

Spoken language

Thai

Subtitle

English

 

Other films from the Asian Images section

See all the festival films from 2009