The Tesseract (2003)

A psychologist, an Englishman, a bellboy and a wounded female assassin have their fates crossed at a sleazy Bangkok hotel.

Director:

Oxide Chun Pang

Writers:

Oxide Chun Pang (screenplay), Patrick Neate (screenplay)

Stars:

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Saskia Reeves, Alexander Rendell

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Sean
Saskia Reeves	...	Rosa
Alexander Rendell	...	Wit
Carlo Nanni	...	Roy
Lena Christensen	...	Lita
Veradis Vinyarath	...	Sia Toh
Tunpicha Simasathen	...	Cat
Pitakpong Sillapasorn	...	Hea Mah
Larkana Vatanawongsiree	...	Fon
Somlee Phiboonpun	...	Hoi
Nimponth Chaisirikul	...	Hotel owner
Chalempron Kaprat	...	Tui
Wesley Homjan	...	Jo
Sorasak Phatumsiri	...	Sia Toh's men
Tawan Nomjun	...	Sia Toh's men

Storyline

In Bangkok, in a low-budget hotel called "Heaven", the fates of four guests are interconnected due to a theft in a room: Sean, a paranoid English drug dealer, who is dealing with a powerful local drug lord; the British psychologist Rosa, who is grieving the loss of her son and conducting research with poor children in Thailand; a seriously wounded killer, hired to kill the mobster; and Wit, an abused thirteen-year-old bellboy, who steals from the guests. In the end, we see that it is almost impossible to control life and, sometimes, a subtle incident may lead to fatality.

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Plot Keywords:

bellboy | hotel | psychologist | drugs | drug lord | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language, drug content and some sexuality

Did You Know?

Quotes

Sean: [grabs Wit and pins him to the wall] You! Shit!
Fon: [In Thai] You stole my friend's belongings, didn't you? Time to hand it back.
Wit: [In Thai] What are you talking about? I have no idea.
Fon: [In Thai] You have no idea how important it is. Hand it back!
Wit: [In Thai] Come on, how can I steal it?
Fon: [In Thai] Liar!
Wit: [In Thai] I didn't steal anything. Honestly!
Fon: [In Thai] Liar! Hand it back now!
Wit: [In English to Sean] Mr. Sean, you know me right? I wouldn't steal from you, I'm a good boy.
Sean: [...]

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Soundtracks

The Tesseract end theme
Written by James Iha
Performed by Maya

User Reviews

Elvis in Bangkok

I'll have to admit, I was pretty much confused by this film. All the flashbacks and flash forwards had me reeling. Nevertheless, I was fascinated at the same time. It isn't quite the same story as the Alex Garland novel. To begin with, it's set in Bangkok, rather than Manila. I've seen "Bangkok Dangerous," which is a film by some of the same crew, and I think this is the better film. However, there are some incongruous elements. For instance, the boy "Wit" seems to have wandered in from another movie. He reminds me of one of those mischievous Third World sidekicks from one of the later Elvis films (fans of Rhys Meyers may appreciate the irony here). He can't really act, and he's obviously not Thai, but he's a winning presence nonetheless. The opening scene in the hotel room reminded me of "The Matrix," with its slow motion bullets. Later scenes were out of the "Reservoir Dogs" factory. Sandwiched in between were a couple of interesting stories, especially the one involving Saskia Reeves, as the psychologist who had lost her child. I also liked Jonathan Rhys Meyers, whose character is a mass of contradictions but who seems to grow as an actor with each film. See it for the film it could have been, but enjoy it for the experiment it is.

Details

Country:

Japan Thailand UK

Language:

English Thai

Release Date:

9 June 2005 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Tesseract

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artist Film, Pang Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1