By Lyberis Dion
‘’Headshot’’, the critically successful adaptation of the novel ‘’Rain Falling Up the Sky,’’ by acclaimed Thai author Win Lyovarin, is a gritty neo-noir that transcends its genre’s boundaries by raising important questions about morality, and using a handful of allegorical situations that almost work as a subtle sociopolitical statement. It is not a great film, but a very good one from Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, one of the greatest Asian directors working today.
Tul, an ex-cop turned hit-man, gets shot in the head and wakes up from a coma three months later, only to realize he now sees everything upside down. What follows next is a fairly familiar noirish tale of betrayal and revenge that rings quite a few similar notes with classic film-noirs (e.g. the femme fatale presence), while showcasing a handful of westernized film influences. For instance, the protagonist faintly resembles the...
‘’Headshot’’, the critically successful adaptation of the novel ‘’Rain Falling Up the Sky,’’ by acclaimed Thai author Win Lyovarin, is a gritty neo-noir that transcends its genre’s boundaries by raising important questions about morality, and using a handful of allegorical situations that almost work as a subtle sociopolitical statement. It is not a great film, but a very good one from Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, one of the greatest Asian directors working today.
Tul, an ex-cop turned hit-man, gets shot in the head and wakes up from a coma three months later, only to realize he now sees everything upside down. What follows next is a fairly familiar noirish tale of betrayal and revenge that rings quite a few similar notes with classic film-noirs (e.g. the femme fatale presence), while showcasing a handful of westernized film influences. For instance, the protagonist faintly resembles the...
- 4/8/2020
- by Lyberis Dionysopoulos
- AsianMoviePulse
Pen-ek Ratanaruang is a name already recognized and respected inside Asian cinema culture. His filmography has gone from less to more, and lately, his level has remained at a very appreciable level. Samui Song is the new film that he directs after “Headshot” from 2011, and “Samui Song” maintains the good stylized quality that film had. It has been 6 years of patient waiting for us to see a new movie of his, but to be honest, it was worth it.
“Samui Song” screened at San Diego Asian Film Festival
Pen-ek Ratanaruang is sometimes known for mixing different genres, like in “6ixtynin9” or in Last “Life in the Universe”, where he mixes drama with comedy. Here, Pen-ek Ratanaruang is more focused and tells the story in a stylized noirish way with some thriller elements, as it occurred with his previous film “Headshot”.
Samui Song is about Viyada (or Vi), a well-known soap...
“Samui Song” screened at San Diego Asian Film Festival
Pen-ek Ratanaruang is sometimes known for mixing different genres, like in “6ixtynin9” or in Last “Life in the Universe”, where he mixes drama with comedy. Here, Pen-ek Ratanaruang is more focused and tells the story in a stylized noirish way with some thriller elements, as it occurred with his previous film “Headshot”.
Samui Song is about Viyada (or Vi), a well-known soap...
- 4/2/2019
- by Pedro Morata
- AsianMoviePulse
Pen-ek Ratanaruang is a name already recognized and respected inside Asian cinema culture. His filmography has gone from less to more, and lately, the quality of his work has reached a very appreciable level. “Samui Song” is the new film that he directs after “Headshot” from 2011, and he definitely maintains the good stylized quality that one had. It has been 6 years of patient waiting for us to see a new movie of his, but to be honest, it was worth it.
Samui Song is screening at Five Flavours
Pen-ek Ratanaruang is sometimes known for mixing different genres, like in “6ixtynin9” or in “Last Life in the Universe”, where he mixes drama with comedy. Here, he is more focused and tells the story in a stylized noirish way with some thriller elements, as it occurred with his previous film “Headshot”.
Samui Song is about Viyada (or Vi), a well-known soap opera...
Samui Song is screening at Five Flavours
Pen-ek Ratanaruang is sometimes known for mixing different genres, like in “6ixtynin9” or in “Last Life in the Universe”, where he mixes drama with comedy. Here, he is more focused and tells the story in a stylized noirish way with some thriller elements, as it occurred with his previous film “Headshot”.
Samui Song is about Viyada (or Vi), a well-known soap opera...
- 11/20/2018
- by Pedro Morata
- AsianMoviePulse
Bangkok-based Five Star Production has picked up international rights to biopic F.Hilaire, about a French priest who wrote a famous Thai language textbook.
Francois Touvenet Hilaire visited Thailand in the early 1900s and not only mastered the language but wrote the Darunsuksa textbook that is still used in Thailand today. Directed by Surussavadi Chuarchart, the film tells his story through a present-day teacher who is using the book and researchs Hilaire’s life for a Masters Degree.
Jason Young, a Bangkok-based actor who is fluent in Thai, plays Hilaire, while the teacher is played by Pharunyoo Rojanawuttitham (Still 2). The script was written by Chuarchart and Ek Iemchuen.
“We decided to distribute the film because we were impressed by the quality of the script and the acting. We’ve already had a lot of interest from Asian buyers,” said Five Star’s Amy Iamphungphorn.
Schedueld for Thai release in July, the project was produced by Bluering Company and Omac...
Francois Touvenet Hilaire visited Thailand in the early 1900s and not only mastered the language but wrote the Darunsuksa textbook that is still used in Thailand today. Directed by Surussavadi Chuarchart, the film tells his story through a present-day teacher who is using the book and researchs Hilaire’s life for a Masters Degree.
Jason Young, a Bangkok-based actor who is fluent in Thai, plays Hilaire, while the teacher is played by Pharunyoo Rojanawuttitham (Still 2). The script was written by Chuarchart and Ek Iemchuen.
“We decided to distribute the film because we were impressed by the quality of the script and the acting. We’ve already had a lot of interest from Asian buyers,” said Five Star’s Amy Iamphungphorn.
Schedueld for Thai release in July, the project was produced by Bluering Company and Omac...
- 5/15/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
This is a reprint of our review from the Vancouver International Film Festival.
The hitman genre has been done to death. If cinema can be a reflection of the times we live in, and a recorded piece of history of what the filmmakers are concerned with at the time of inception and production, then it’s amazing any of us are still alive. When done well, the genre can be a lot of fun – as well as dramatic, escapist, cool and artful – but there’s just too many professional killers running amok in the movies.
So if every story in the genre has already been told, then why make a hitman film? For one, you could argue that about every single genre out there. There are no new stories. But there is always a new, inventive and/or clever way to tell a story. And cinema is nothing if not a referential medium,...
The hitman genre has been done to death. If cinema can be a reflection of the times we live in, and a recorded piece of history of what the filmmakers are concerned with at the time of inception and production, then it’s amazing any of us are still alive. When done well, the genre can be a lot of fun – as well as dramatic, escapist, cool and artful – but there’s just too many professional killers running amok in the movies.
So if every story in the genre has already been told, then why make a hitman film? For one, you could argue that about every single genre out there. There are no new stories. But there is always a new, inventive and/or clever way to tell a story. And cinema is nothing if not a referential medium,...
- 4/20/2012
- by Erik McClanahan
- The Playlist
Headshot is from director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, considered one of Thai cinema’s leading “new wave” auteurs. He is best known for his 2003 film Last Life in the Universe and if his new film is half as good, than it is well worth your time. Based on a novel called Rain Falling Up the Sky by a well-known Thai writer, Win Lyovarin, who actually originally intended it to be a sceenplay.
Intresting progam note from Tiff:
Working with his regular cinematographer, Chankit Chamnivikaipong, Pen-ek evokes Tul’s journey into the underworld in unusually muted and dusky tones. Vichaya Vatanasapt’s music gives us a sense of perpetually downward movement. And in Jayanama, with whom the director has now worked twice, Headshot finds its perplexed soul, always struggling to make the closest thing to a moral choice in a deeply immoral world.
Previous Next...
Intresting progam note from Tiff:
Working with his regular cinematographer, Chankit Chamnivikaipong, Pen-ek evokes Tul’s journey into the underworld in unusually muted and dusky tones. Vichaya Vatanasapt’s music gives us a sense of perpetually downward movement. And in Jayanama, with whom the director has now worked twice, Headshot finds its perplexed soul, always struggling to make the closest thing to a moral choice in a deeply immoral world.
Previous Next...
- 9/8/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
#11. Headshot Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang Cast: Nopachai “Peter” Jayanama, Sirin “Cris” Horwang, Chanokporn “Dream” Sayoungkul, Apisit “Joey Boy” Opasaimlikit, Krerkkiat Punpiputt Distributor: Rights Available Buzz: I've been keeping tabs on Ratanaruang oeuvre since 99's 6ixtynin9 and while his most recent work (2007's Ploy and 2009's Nymph) only wetted my appetite, I've got a feeling that Toronto programmers will serve a full plate with this number shot from the perspective of the film's lead. With dp Chankit Chamnivikaipong once again onboard, we can at least expect this to visually deliver. The Gist: Adapted from the novel Fon Tok Kuen Fa (Rain Falling Up The Sky) by award-winning writer Win Leowarin, this tells the story of a hitman (Nopachai Jayanama) who wakes up after a two-month coma to find that he literally sees everything upside down (and so does the point of view of the camera). He tries to quit his job, but...
- 9/3/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
#35. Headshot Director/Writer: Pen-ek RatanaruangProducers: Pawas Sawatchaiyamet and Raymond PhathanavirangoonDistributor: Rights Available. The Gist: Adapted from the novel Fon Tok Kuen Fa (Rain Falling Up The Sky) by award-winning writer Win Leowarin, this tells the story of a hitman (Nopachai Jayanama) who wakes up after a two-month coma to find that he literally sees everything upside down. He tries to quit his job, but the past starts to catch up with him.....(more) Cast: Nopachai Jayanama and Cris Horwang List Worthy Reasons...: Despite not being big on his last pair Ploy and Nymph as we mentioned before, we damn well love the concept of shooting from the perspective of the film's lead and with dp Chankit Chamnivikaipong once again onboard we expect this to visually deliver. Release Date/Status?: Somewhere in post-production, Ratanaruang (a Cannes regular) will be back in May...but the big question is which section will it fall in?...
- 1/14/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
Thai film was celebrated in Cannes last year with when Apichatpong "Joe" Weerasethakul won the Palme D'or with Uncle Boonmee, and next May Cannes should be seeing the other prolific Thai director in Pen-ek Ratanaruang. Currently filming Headshot, French distributor Wild Side Films has picked up the film, which further indicates that a Cannes premiere is very likely. Nopachai Jayanama, who starred in Ratanaruang's Nymph, will be cast alongside an actress going by the name of Cris Horwang. Pawas Sawatchaiyamet and Raymond Phathanavirangoon are producing. Gist: Adapted from the novel Fon Tok Kuen Fa (Rain Falling Up The Sky) by award-winning writer Win Leowarin, this tells the story of a hitman (Nopachai Jayanama) who wakes up after a two-month coma to find that he literally sees everything upside down. He tries to quit his job, but the past starts to catch up with him. Worth Noting: Ratanaruang is what we call a Cannes regular.
- 12/16/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
When we last reported on the article over at WiseKwai he was asked to report about Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's next film as a rumor. Rumor or not, the idea of Pen-Ek going back into crime film territory had us very excited indeed. So this was back in the summer and the rumor/news would have had production beginning somewhere in July.
Lo and behold it would appear that nothing has really happened since until I spotted this bit of news over at ThaiCinema.org. Whether or not any of this is substantiated the test of time will tell.
So. The film will be called Headshot. Chris Horwang [Bangkok Traffic Love Story] and Peter Noppachai [Nypmh] are the leads. Yes, it is adapted from the novel Rain Falling Up The Sky and will be a film noir about a hitman who gets shot in the head, goes into a two month coma, then awakens to discover...
Lo and behold it would appear that nothing has really happened since until I spotted this bit of news over at ThaiCinema.org. Whether or not any of this is substantiated the test of time will tell.
So. The film will be called Headshot. Chris Horwang [Bangkok Traffic Love Story] and Peter Noppachai [Nypmh] are the leads. Yes, it is adapted from the novel Rain Falling Up The Sky and will be a film noir about a hitman who gets shot in the head, goes into a two month coma, then awakens to discover...
- 11/4/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Much of the attention at Cannes this year went to one Thai filmmaker, next year's edition is most likely going to welcome the other Thai helmer (hint: Last Life in the Universe). Pen-ek Ratanaruang who last directed Nymph and more recently contributed to Sawasdee Bangkok, will according to Twitchfilm via (Wise Kwai) tackle a novel by award winning author Win Lyovarin which would move the director into a noir filled world about a hitman. - Much of the attention at Cannes this year went to one Thai filmmaker, next year's edition is most likely going to welcome the other Thai helmer (hint: Last Life in the Universe). Pen-ek Ratanaruang who last directed Nymph and more recently contributed to Sawasdee Bangkok, will according to Twitchfilm via (Wise Kwai) tackle a novel by award winning author Win Lyovarin which would move the director into a noir filled world about a hitman. Look...
- 6/28/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Much of the attention at Cannes this year went to one Thai filmmaker, next year's edition is most likely going to welcome the other Thai helmer (hint: Last Life in the Universe). Pen-ek Ratanaruang who last directed Nymph and more recently contributed to Sawasdee Bangkok, will according to Twitchfilm via (Wise Kwai) tackle a novel by award winning author Win Lyovarin which would move the director into a noir filled world about a hitman. Look for Chankit Chamnivikaipong to lense the project -- which for practicability proposes goes by the translated title of Rain in Blue, is apparently set to begin filming next month. It this becomes fact, look for more info to break out in the following weeks ahead. Here's the book cover. ...
- 6/28/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Tina Mabry's "Mississippi Damned," an independent American production, won the Gold Hugo as the best film in the 2009 Chicago International Film Festival, and added Gold Plaques for best supporting actress (Jossie Thacker) and best screenplay (Mabry). It tells the harrowing story of three black children growing up in rural Mississippi in circumstances of violence and addiction. The film's trailer and an interview with Mabry are linked at the bottom.
Kylee Russell in "Mississippi Damned"
The win came over a crowed field of competitors from all over the world, many of them with much larger budgets. The other big winner at the Pump Room of the Ambassador East awards ceremony Saturday evening was by veteran master Marco Bellocchio of Italy, who won the Silver Hugo as best director for "Vincere," the story of Mussolini's younger brother. Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Filippo Timi won Silver Hugos as best actress and actor,...
Kylee Russell in "Mississippi Damned"
The win came over a crowed field of competitors from all over the world, many of them with much larger budgets. The other big winner at the Pump Room of the Ambassador East awards ceremony Saturday evening was by veteran master Marco Bellocchio of Italy, who won the Silver Hugo as best director for "Vincere," the story of Mussolini's younger brother. Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Filippo Timi won Silver Hugos as best actress and actor,...
- 10/23/2009
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
Hawaii International Film Festival
HONOLULU -- Romantic jealousy leads to vicious suspicion in Ploy, Thai director Pen-ek Ratanaruang's follow-up to Invisible Waves, as a couple attempt to come to terms with the remnants of their faltering relationship.
Factoring in critical support and Ratanaruang's Asian auteur cachet, this 2007 Cannes Directors' Fortnight selection should be assured a healthy fest run and with savvy marketing could see modest success in niche markets.
Wit (Pornwut Sarasin) and his wife Dang (Lalita Panyopas) return to Bangkok after seven years in the U.S. to attend a funeral, taking a hotel room to rest up after their red-eye flight. Wit goes down to the lobby bar to buy a pack of cigarettes, where he encounters Ploy (Apinya Sakuljaroensuk), a waif-like young woman waiting to meet her mother later that day at the hotel. Their casual conversation reveals they share the same hometown, prompting Wit to offer Ploy the use of his room to shower and relax.
Dang, trying to get some sleep, is none too happy to meet Wit's new friend. Although she acts polite to Ploy, Dang quietly tells Wit to get rid of the girl. Their tense conversation indicates that all is not well after Wit refuses to ask Ploy to leave. Later, when Dang tries to discuss their deteriorating relationship, Wit avoids divulging too much about his feelings, prompting her to accuse him of infidelity.
In a parallel story line, hotel bartender Nut (Ananda Everingham) engages housekeeping maid Tum (Phornthip Papanai) in a steamy erotic encounter, setting up a telling contrast to the aridity of Wit and Dang's marriage.
Dang clearly feels threatened by the possibility that Wit might be attracted to Ploy, prompting a violent dream about smothering the girl to death. Upset by her disturbing fantasies and argument with Wit, Dang retreats to the hotel lobby, leaving Wit and Ploy alone as she embarks on a questionable assignation of her own.
Ratanaruang's unhurried pace gradually ratchets up the tension in this charged scenario by obscuring his characters' motivations and manipulating the narrative with telling dream sequences that reveal their ulterior intentions. Chankit Chamnivikaipong returns as cinematographer, conjuring a twilit lighting design that evocatively infers the early morning time frame and the characters' sleep-deprived state, while Ratanaruang's carefully plotted camera moves and deliberate framing emphasize their isolation and disconnectedness.
PLOY
Five Star Production Co. and Fortissimo Films in association with the Film Factory
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Producer: Rewat Vorarat
Executive producer: Charoen Iamphungporn
Cinematographer: Chankit Chamnivikaipong
Production designers: Saksiri Chantarangsri, Wittaya Chaimongkol
Music: Hualampong Riddim, Koichi Shimizu
Editor: Patamanadda Yukol
Cast:
Dang: Lalita Panyopas
Wit: Pornwut Sarasin
Ploy: Apinya Sakuljaroensuk
Tum: Phornthip Papanai
Nut: Ananda Everingham
Running time --107 minutes
No MPAA rating...
HONOLULU -- Romantic jealousy leads to vicious suspicion in Ploy, Thai director Pen-ek Ratanaruang's follow-up to Invisible Waves, as a couple attempt to come to terms with the remnants of their faltering relationship.
Factoring in critical support and Ratanaruang's Asian auteur cachet, this 2007 Cannes Directors' Fortnight selection should be assured a healthy fest run and with savvy marketing could see modest success in niche markets.
Wit (Pornwut Sarasin) and his wife Dang (Lalita Panyopas) return to Bangkok after seven years in the U.S. to attend a funeral, taking a hotel room to rest up after their red-eye flight. Wit goes down to the lobby bar to buy a pack of cigarettes, where he encounters Ploy (Apinya Sakuljaroensuk), a waif-like young woman waiting to meet her mother later that day at the hotel. Their casual conversation reveals they share the same hometown, prompting Wit to offer Ploy the use of his room to shower and relax.
Dang, trying to get some sleep, is none too happy to meet Wit's new friend. Although she acts polite to Ploy, Dang quietly tells Wit to get rid of the girl. Their tense conversation indicates that all is not well after Wit refuses to ask Ploy to leave. Later, when Dang tries to discuss their deteriorating relationship, Wit avoids divulging too much about his feelings, prompting her to accuse him of infidelity.
In a parallel story line, hotel bartender Nut (Ananda Everingham) engages housekeeping maid Tum (Phornthip Papanai) in a steamy erotic encounter, setting up a telling contrast to the aridity of Wit and Dang's marriage.
Dang clearly feels threatened by the possibility that Wit might be attracted to Ploy, prompting a violent dream about smothering the girl to death. Upset by her disturbing fantasies and argument with Wit, Dang retreats to the hotel lobby, leaving Wit and Ploy alone as she embarks on a questionable assignation of her own.
Ratanaruang's unhurried pace gradually ratchets up the tension in this charged scenario by obscuring his characters' motivations and manipulating the narrative with telling dream sequences that reveal their ulterior intentions. Chankit Chamnivikaipong returns as cinematographer, conjuring a twilit lighting design that evocatively infers the early morning time frame and the characters' sleep-deprived state, while Ratanaruang's carefully plotted camera moves and deliberate framing emphasize their isolation and disconnectedness.
PLOY
Five Star Production Co. and Fortissimo Films in association with the Film Factory
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Producer: Rewat Vorarat
Executive producer: Charoen Iamphungporn
Cinematographer: Chankit Chamnivikaipong
Production designers: Saksiri Chantarangsri, Wittaya Chaimongkol
Music: Hualampong Riddim, Koichi Shimizu
Editor: Patamanadda Yukol
Cast:
Dang: Lalita Panyopas
Wit: Pornwut Sarasin
Ploy: Apinya Sakuljaroensuk
Tum: Phornthip Papanai
Nut: Ananda Everingham
Running time --107 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 12/18/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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