My favourite Thai films

Thai series and films, especially those with a ghost, sometimes do something I especially love. I'm going to need to see it a few more times before I'm able to talk coherently about it without giving too much away. Like I need an excuse for that :)

And this was a big box office hit in Thailand?!? I am so living in the wrong country.

Goofy Thai humour mixed with perfectly set up jump scare ghosts but never too scary mixed with a sweet friendship/love story, breath-taking tropical forest settings, great music and a female lead who wears glasses.

Keep watching for the behind the scenes too.

This may be my new favourite film... Looks at list. Oh right. :D :D :D Anyway, another unhurried gem. Simple story but so well told.

2nd time through. It really is perfect in its gentle, quiet, funny, heartfelt way.

Everything I love in Thai movies, and done so well. The space it gives to emotions, how unhurrid it is, the shift into its poignancy, the scenes with only the two leads. And the soundtrack.

I may have a new favourite Thai movie (part 3).

Perhaps the definitive version of a much loved classic Thai legend given how many adaptations reference it directly. It's creepy, atmospheric and a tragic love story.
Must watch for anyone who cares about Thai film. It's been very much worth returning to again and again as I learn more about Thai story-telling and the place this film holds.

Excellent comedy horror adaptation of Nang Nak. Stands alone  but you'll miss a layer of humour if you've not seen Nang Nak.

Gentle, sensitive film about a kind boy who befriends a ghost. There are a couple of effective jump scares and good use of horror music around the students making fun of the new one but it's not horror. Perhaps the best coming of age film I've seen from Thailand so far.

Goofy, clever, funny, warm and kind. Super-charged teenage emotions rendered as literal electricity and manga that's integral to the story.

Quietly, gently, heartbreakingly beautiful.

A masterpiece of economic story-telling. Rich enough to easily have been a full length film, but the acting and directing are strong enough and skilled enough to tell it through a few words here, a look there, and together that makes for a very powerful work.

It's 31 minutes. Just watch it, cannot recommend it highly enough.

I don't have adequate words for this. The more this story progressed, the more I loved it. 

As with (nearly) everything from Nattawut Poonpiriya, highly recommended. 44 minutes, available here

Found the three hour cut, not daunted but expected to take a break or two. By the end I did need to pee. Excellent film.

Baifern and Nine in a low stakes comedy with some very effective serious scenes. Characters who know each other's flaws and are still devoted to each other. The  first hour wandering about takes in something like nine Asian countries. Lovely way to spend some time.

Mai Davika channeling Audrey Hepburn channeling a very feisty, occasionally outrageous gran. Quirky fun but also touching. I like the balance they got with it all. Great use of music.

The least scary 'horror' film ever made with a FL who's scary face is a kitten trying to roar. Big on comedy with a tender love story tucked inside.

It took 17 months, 16 lakorns and some 60 Thai movies (plus the deeply flawed SK original) between 1st and 2nd time seeing this for my brain to know what to do with the utter immensity of the emotions in this. But this 2nd time, those emotions fit into their intended places. It is a magnificent, if heart-wrenchingly difficult, film.

Several of the things I've come to love about the Thai way of telling stories - unhurried pace, slice of life, silly start which gains depth, and so much generosity of heart, with kindness and acceptance of our imperfections.

Slow, quiet coming of age focused on high school girls trying to find their way into adulthood. The visual story-telling is so strong I'm struggling to find adequate words. Patience required but highly recommend.

The sort of looking back youth movie which feels like it had to come from personal experience.

Sometimes a story doesn't need to be complicated, just real.

The sweetest coming of age movie with teenage girls figuring out themselves and their love.

Found family of dogs helping each other.  Fun, endearing, it even made me teary <3
I didn't think to look for an srt file for subtitles but this will be my annual rewatch without to see how much more Thai I've picked up.

This is not a great film. It's not trying to be a Great Film. It's 82 minutes of low-brow humour and loud ladyboy madness overflowing with spark and energy and sometimes that's exactly what you need. Mor lam soundtrack too.

With Ananda Everingham and Jennis Oprasert my hopes were high. If nothing else, I'd learn a bit about a Muslim community in Thailand.

It was better than that. Unhurried, - it refuses to rush anything, just layers on the what is going on until it's ready to tell us - atmospheric and creepy. Less horror, and more a particular Thai theme.