To discover, share, or give your opinion on Thai films and films shot in Thailand.
Uncle Boonmee, a film about reincarnation
Uncle Boonmee is a Thai film that tells the story of a man who, through visions, finds himself confronted with his past, even his previous lives. The story of a man forced to take stock of his lives before dying.
Description
The magical apparitions of his deceased wife and his son, who disappeared years ago, confirm to Uncle Boonmee that his end is near. In his beekeeping estate, surrounded by his family, he then remembers his previous lives. Accompanied by his family, he crosses the jungle to a cave at the top of a hill, the birthplace of his first life. Of this first life, Uncle Boonmee remembers nothing, whether he was animal or plant, man or woman; but he now knows that he is ready to approach death with peace.
Uncle Boonmee Trailer
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul With Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, Sakda Kaewbuadee... Original title: Lung Boonmee Raluek Chat French, British, Spanish, Thai, German feature film. Genre: Drama Duration: 01h53min Year of production: 2009 Distributor: Pyramide Distribution Palme d'or: Cannes International Film Festival 2010
Ong Bak, a Thai film celebrating Muay Thai
Ong Bak is a Thai film that tells the adventures of a young villager, Ting, a somewhat naive countryman who knows Thai boxing well and who must confront the city, its bandits and its traps.
This film, which was a huge worldwide success, made Tony Jaa a bit like the Bruce Lee of Muay Thai .
Summary
Description of Ong Bak
Trailer of Ong Bak
Film details
The genesis of the Ong Bak project
Exhausting preparation for Ong Bak
Tony Jaa's words
Maximum risk during the filming of Ong Bak
Record box office in Thailand for Ong Bak
Photos of the film Ong Bak
Summary of Ong Bak
Nong Pradu, a small, peaceful village nestled in a wooded valley in Thailand, is in mourning after the theft of its sacred Buddha Ong-Bak . Ting, secretly trained in Muay Thai, the ancient art of Thai boxing, is assigned to retrieve it from the furnace of Bangkok . But the young countryman is betrayed by his naiveté from his first steps in the city. He meets George, a small-time crook who robs him of his money. Fortunately, Ting quickly finds him and makes him his friend. It is George who convinces Ting to participate in violent clandestine fights...
Ong Bak Trailer
Film details
Release date: April 7, 2004 Duration: 1h 45min Directed by: Prachya Pinkaew With: Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Pumwaree Yodkamol... Genre: Martial Arts, Action Nationality: Thai
The genesis of the Ong Bak project
Ong Bak was born from the encounter between Panna Rithikrai, a Thai action film star, and Tony Jaa, a rising star of martial arts. The former quickly became the latter's mentor and teacher. An intense collaboration that quickly bore fruit: together, they managed to create a new form of action cinema based on the sport of Muay Thai. When the two men met director Prachya Pinkaew in 1999, they decided to start work on Ong-Bak , with the stated goal of creating a film that glorified Thai martial arts.
Exhausting preparation for Ong Bak
Actor Tony Jaa trained for four years for Ong-Bak . During those four years, the young man focused primarily on practicing Muay Thai Boran, an ancient form that is much more violent than modern Muay Thai. So violent that he almost gave up several times. But he persevered, training eight hours a day!
Tony Jaa has the floor
"Learning Muay Thai is very demanding. You have to know how to fall, get up, use your knees, crawl, slide, roll, know how to string all these movements together by heart and then be able to apply them. (...) The main objective was for the film to remain the star of Muay Thai. We wanted a strong show, which pushes the boundaries of what has already been presented. That's why we all worked so hard."
Maximum risk when filming Ong Bak
Ong Bak 's stunts were performed without special effects or protection, giving the film a rare authenticity. Everything seen on screen is real. Actor Tony Jaa, a perfectionist at heart and determined not to cheat with the martial art he defends and promotes, insisted on performing his stunts without the protection of any cable whatsoever. As a result, he nearly drowned in a river, severely sprained his foot, and burned his eyebrows, eyelashes, and nose during a sequence at a gas station. This didn't stop him, in the latter case, from doing two additional scenes to complete the scene!
Record box office in Thailand for Ong Bak
Ong Bak , released in January 2003 in Thailand, is the biggest success in Thai cinema. As proof of this enormous success, it notably accumulated more than two million euros in the city of Bangkok alone in just two weeks of release.
Photos from the film Ong Bak
Source: allocine; Film Facebook page
The Dragon's Honor (Tom-Yum-Goong) with Tony Jaa
The Dragon's Honor (or Tom-Yum-Goong) is a film starring Tony Jaa that tells the story of Kham, a young Thai Muay Thai who finds himself in Australia in search of his stolen elephants.
The Dragon's Honor: The Story
When he was little, Kham had only his father and his elephants for family.
Songkran Water Festival approaches , Kahm's father is convinced that his beloved elephant is princely enough to roam the king's gardens.
He visits the village chief who persuades him to have his elephant carefully examined to see if it meets all the criteria.
It's actually a ruse designed to steal the elephant... A fight then ensues during which Kham learns that his beloved elephants are destined to be sent to... Australia.
Traveling outside his country for the first time in his life, Kham goes to Sydney in search of the elephants, now in the hands of Madame Rose, a ruthless gang leader with a particular fondness for endangered creatures...
Trailer
Film details
Release Date February 8, 2006 Duration: 1h 34min By Prachya Pinkaew With Tony Jaa, Petthai Wongkhamlao, Bongkoj Khongmalai Genres Martial Arts, Action Nationality Thai
Tony Jaa is back!
After the huge success of Ong-Bak , Tony Jaa confirmed his talents. As with his first film, he also choreographed the fight scenes, with Panna Rittikrai, the director of Born to Fight.
Dragon's Honor or Tom-yum-goong?
The western name is Honor of the Dragon but for the Thai version the title is Tom-Yum-Goong (or Tom yam koung ), it is the name of a delicious shrimp and lemongrass soup considered a great classic of Thai cuisine . In the film, Tom-Yum-Goong refers to the restaurant run by Madame Rose (Jing Xing) in Sydney.
Tribute to Jackie Chan
A Jackie Chan lookalike appears in the film, and the Chinese martial arts star is given a fitting tribute by Muay Thai star Tony Jaa.
Appearance of singer Sek Loso
The famous Thai rock star, Sek Loso appears twice in the film, once drinking M150, an energy drink he advertises, and the second time ????
Photos from the film
Source: Allocine
The Tears of the Black Tiger
"The Tears of the Black Tiger" tells the love story between a shy countryman who becomes a great bandit and a girl from a good family.
Description
Since childhood, Rumpoey, a girl from a good family, and Dum, a shy country boy, have only aspired to live a beautiful love story, but fate decides otherwise.
Years later, much has changed. Dum has become the dreaded Black Tiger , a bandit in the pay of the terrible Fai, and Rumpoey must, against his will, become engaged to the handsome Captain Kumjorn.
Yet their love did not die. Rumpoey remained faithful, and Dum never betrayed her honor. During an attack on Fai's headquarters, Captain Kumjorn was taken prisoner.
Out of respect for Rumpoey, Dum spares his life.
The young man is unaware that his actions will trigger a vicious cycle...
Tears of the Black Tiger: Trailer
Release date: December 25, 2002 Duration: 1h 50min Directed by: Wisit Sasanatieng With: Chartchai Ngamsan, Stella Malucchi, Supakorn Kitsuwon... Genre: Drama Nationality: Thai
The Tears of the Black Tiger: Sala Raw Nang
The sala is a typical Thai shelter. The one in the film is called Sala Raw Nang and means "waiting for the virgin."
This name refers to a legend telling the story of a rich young girl who fell in love with a poor woodcutter.
Although they had arranged to meet at the very place where they had met, the young woman's father prevented her from leaving, leading to her suicide.
The young man, knowing nothing about it, waited for her forever, never ceasing to embellish the sala he had built for her.
An original advertising campaign
Wisit Sasanatieng used a promotional technique that matched the decidedly retro style of his film.
During post-production, the director's wife had the adaptation of the script published in a popular magazine as a serial, before compiling the episodes into a novel.
The series was also accompanied by photos of the actors which were published as postcards.
After the film was released, the director also made it into a radio drama, which was a huge success.
Tears of the Black Tiger: A film under the influence
A blend of Asian film, western, tragedy, comic strip and photo novel, Tears of the Black Tiger is both a parody of and a tribute to post-war Thai films.
The most notable feature being a saturated film, with bright and washed-out colors. Wisit Sasanatieng was notably influenced by Likay (a genre of Thai folk theater), the burlesque films of actor Mitr Chaibancha, but especially the works of an independent director from the 50s and 60s: Rattana Pestonji.
Last Life in the Universe, a Thai comedy thriller
Last Life in the Universe is a Thai film that follows the encounter of a Japanese librarian and a Thai woman who have one thing in common: they both committed murder.
Description
Kenji is a neurasthenic and mysterious Japanese librarian living in Bangkok.
After killing a yakuza, Kenji meets a young Thai woman who has also just committed a murder.
For three days, the two of them will hide together and get to know each other.
Kenji and his companion in misfortune are very different. She smokes like a chimney, dresses badly, and is completely untidy: in short, she is everything he is not. But she will reveal some gray areas about his past.
Last Life in the Universe Movie Trailer
Release date: March 17, 2004 Duration: 1h 52min Directed by: Pen-ek Ratanaruang With: Tadanobu Asano, Sinijtra Boonyasak, Yutaka Matsushige... Genre: Thriller, Comedy
Last Life in the Universe: A Tribute to Traditional Thai Films
Some dreamlike scenes in Last Life in the Universe are directly inspired by traditional Thai cinema.
We can also see, on a television screen, extracts from Chua Fa Din Lai by Rattana Pestonji.
Baptism of fire
Last Life in the Universe is the very first film from the production company, Bohemian Film Company.
In the end, several countries such as Singapore, Japan, France and the Netherlands participated in the production of Pen-ek Ratanaruang's fourth film.
The production company, founded by Fran Rubel Kuzui, Kaz Kuzui, Wouter Barendrecht and Michael J. Werner in May 2002, specializes in "multicultural" works, mainly Asian.
The next projects the new company will work on are expected to be a remake of Pen-ek Ratanaruang's second film and a thriller starring Oxide and Danny Pang. 
Citizen Dog, Mah Nakorn: A Crazy Comedy
Citizen dog, Mah nakorn is a Thai comedy that follows the adventures of Pott, a young Thai man who left his native countryside to try his luck in Bangkok .
Description
Pott is employed at a sardine packing plant. One day, the pace picks up and he accidentally cuts his index finger.
This incident will trigger a number of encounters: first of all that of Yhott who works at the factory and becomes his best friend.
Both resign and Pott is hired as a security guard at a company where he meets Jinn, a young cleaning lady who constantly reads a book she doesn't understand.
He falls in love with her, but winning her over will prove difficult.
Citizen dog, Mah nakorn: an unreal world
In this adventure it rains motorcycle helmets, the characters of a photo novel take shape before his eyes, he meets a descendant of the Ming, a little girl who is a video game champion, an undead biker (who never wears a helmet), a heavy-smoking teddy bear, in short, a funny atmosphere guaranteed!
Trailer for Citizen dog, Mah nakorn
Release date: August 23, 2006 Duration: 1h 30min Directed by: Wisit Sasanatieng With: Mahasamut Bunyaraksh, Sanftong Ket-U-Tong, Sawatwong Palakawong Na Autthaya... Genre: Comedy drama Nationality: Thai
Photos of Citizen dog, Mah nakorn
Syndromes and a Century, a film about memory
Syndromes and a Century explores how we remember; how our heartstrings can be tugged by the smallest things.
Description
It is a film in two parts which sometimes echo each other.
The two main characters are inspired by the director's parents, in the years before their romantic relationship.
The first part focuses on a female doctor, and is set in an environment reminiscent of the one in which the filmmaker was born and raised.
The second part focuses on a man, also a doctor, and takes place in a more contemporary environment close to the world in which we live.
Trailer for the film Syndromes and a Century
Release date: June 13, 2007 Duration: 1h 45min Directed by: Apichatpong Weerasethakul With: Arkanae Cherkam, Nantarat Sawaddikul, Jaruchai Iamaram... Genre: Drama Nationality: French, Austrian, Thai
Photos from the movie Syndromes and a Century
Blissfully yours
Blissfully Yours is a Thai film that tells a complicated love story between a Thai woman and a Burmese man.
Description
Rong, a young Thai woman, falls in love with Min, an illegal Burmese immigrant.
She pays Orn, an old woman, to take care of Min while she looks for a place where they can live out their happiness.
One afternoon, Min takes Roong on a picnic in the jungle, where they feel free to express their love.
Orn, for her part, also went into the jungle with Tommy, the man who works with her husband.
Could an overdose of happiness have side effects?
Blissfully yours trailer
Release date: October 9, 2002 Duration: 2h 5min Directed by: Apichatpong Weerasethakul With: Kanokporn Tongaram, Min Oo, Jenjira Jansuda... Genre: Comedy drama Nationality: Thai
Photos from the movie Blissfully yours
Chocolate, an autistic martial arts enthusiast
Chocolate is a Thai action martial arts film about a young autistic girl who is skilled in martial arts.
Description
Jen is an autistic child, addicted to her chocolate cookies, who lives with her mother Zin near a Muay Thai school.
She divides her time between watching boxers and watching television, which allows her to develop her skills and natural aptitude for martial arts.
She will help her mother, who has cancer, to recover the money owed to her using a notebook in which the names of the debtors are recorded...
Problem: They all belong to an organization called "Number 8" and are unwilling to cooperate.
Movie trailer
Directed by: Prachya Pinkaew Starring: Hiroshi Abe, Pongpat Wachirabunjong, Jeeja Yanin... Genre: Action, Nationality: Thai
Photos from the film
Very Bad Trip 2, the sequel in Thailand
In this second installment, the heroes of The Hangover take a trip to Thailand to celebrate Stu's wedding. But of course, and to our great delight, nothing goes as planned...
Description
Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug treat themselves to an exotic trip to Thailand for Stu's wedding.
After his unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu wants to leave nothing to chance and opts for a light, risk-free brunch before the ceremony.
But things don't always go as planned.
What happened in Las Vegas is imaginable in Las Vegas, but what is happening in Bangkok is beyond imagination...
The Hangover 2 Trailer
Directed by Todd Phillips With Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms.... Original title: The Hangover Part II American feature film. Genre: Comedy Duration: 01h42min Year of production: 2011 Distributor: Warner Bros. France
The long-awaited sequel
The Hangover grossed $467,483,912 at the worldwide box office, a record for a comedy rated R-rated in the United States. A sequel was therefore highly anticipated.
The shooting
The Hangover Part 2 was filmed during the fall of 2010. The Thai shoot took place in two cities, Bangkok and Krabi .
Photos from The Hangover 2
The Impossible, a film about the 2004 tsunami
The Impossible tells the story of a family caught in one of the most terrible natural disasters in recent times, the tsunami of December 26, 2004.
Separated during the disaster, finding themselves among hundreds of thousands of other people, they will try to survive and find each other again.
The Impossible Trailers
Release date: November 21, 2012 (1h 47min) Directed by: Juan Antonio Bayona With: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland... Genre: Drama Nationality: American, Spanish
The Impossible, a true story
The Impossible is based on the story of María Belón, the Spanish woman who inspired Naomi Watts' character.
She and her family found themselves, among tens of thousands of people, in the chaos of a gigantic natural disaster: the tsunami of December 26, 2004 in Thailand.
The Impossible, a film about the human condition
"This is not just a survival film," says Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona, continuing:
"[The film] also raises the question of who we want to survive for and how.
There's something really powerful there that goes beyond the tragic and has to do with the human condition, something that touches people deeply when they hear this story."
A long preparation
The preparation of the film took place over almost two years, between Spain and Thailand, in more than 60 different locations, many of which were the actual sites of the disaster.
It was an unusual shoot because we regularly interrupted ourselves to prepare the next takes.
"The infrastructure required was so massive that we couldn't have shot it all in a row," explains director Juan Antonio Bayona.
One year for 10 minutes
"Digital water wasn't considered for very long because it wasn't realistic enough," said Félix Bergés, the film's special effects specialist.
To recreate the gigantic tsunami as faithfully as possible, the production team worked with six companies specializing in special effects.
And in all, it took a year to create the impressive 10-minute sequence in which the first tidal wave submerges the coast.
The Impossible: between safety and realism
Félix Bergés' team originally wanted to create a 60-meter channel in order to create the most realistic and violent flood in cinema.
However, he quickly realized that the actors were at risk of drowning... "We saw that it was only possible to create a channel of 10 to 15 meters," Bergés laments, continuing:
"But it allowed us to guide them without any problems when we were going to use elements like trees, debris or other things."
130,000 liters of water per day
Significant efforts were made to recreate the effect of the giant wave.
The film crew had to move more than 130,000 liters of water every day.
Tsunami survivor present on set
The film is inspired by the true story of Spanish woman María Belón, who was present on the set.
She even became very close to the actress Naomi Watts who plays her character.
The Impossible: Critics under its spell
Early reviews of the film have been very positive, with much praise for the performances of Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, and a young Tom Holland.
The movie review and information website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 89% of users gave the film a positive rating, with an average score of 7.3/10. Metacritic, another review site, reports that The Impossible .
A historic Hispanic start
A Spanish production, the film was first released in Spain, where it achieved the best opening in the history of the Hispanic box office.
With more than $13 million in cumulative revenue, The Impossible has shattered the previous record held by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
The Impossible: Oscar in sight?
Even before the film's release in the United States, there is already talk of an Oscar nomination for lead actress Naomi Watts.
The film is also reportedly in the running for a nomination for the statuettes, as the distributor has consciously chosen to schedule it in the United States for December, the release period for Oscar favorites...
The Impossible Billy Elliot
Tom Holland won a Hollywood Spotlight Award for his performance in The Impossible.
The young actor, dancer and singer gained attention thanks to his performance in a London musical based on the film Billy Elliot.
Guest star in the film The Impossible
During the film, a famous guest star makes an appearance: Charles Chaplin's eldest daughter, actress Geraldine Chaplin.
Photos from the movie The Impossible
See also:
Documentary on the 2004 Tsunami
Carabao: Tsunami, song in tribute to the victims
Good morning.
I really appreciate Thai culture. Among the list of films, there are several that I have watched. It is very rare not to like a film that talks about a culture in general, especially if you like to discover new things. Through all these feature films, we discover the beautiful landscapes that Thailand is full of.
Hi Jean,
Yes, it's true that it's also a way to discover the country and its culture.
If you'd like, you can comment below the movies you've seen by tapping "Add a comment" instead of at the bottom of the page.