“You & Me & Me” was one of the better Thai movies we have seen lately, and the fact that their protagonist duo are reunited in Atta Hemwadee’s feature debut “Not Friends” is an attraction in itself. Let us see what it is all about though.
Not Friends is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
After suffering a disgraceful expulsion from his school, Pae, a teen with serious attitude issues, ends up sitting next to Joe in his new school, whose non-stop positivity soon starts rubbing off on him. Their bromance, however, as the initial scene in the movie shows, is abruptly interrupted when Joe dies in an accident. In the present, Pae is instigated to attend a technical school after high school, but in order to do so, he needs to submit a short film. The short film he comes up with, however, is based on an idea of Joe, and soon Bokeh, who had a nice relationship with Joe, forces him to either drop the whole thing or tell the truth.
In a cheeky fashion, Pae announces to the whole school that he will make a film in order to honor his passed friend, and soon has Bokeh joining him as his DP. The shooting goes well, but eventually Pae discovers another secret, this time having to do with a dying student, Ohm, who puts him, once more, in a rather intense dilemma. Meanwhile, Bokeh’s pressure to make the right decision according to her, piles up.
Check the interview with the director and cast
Starting in the usual style of Thai commercial films, somewhere between the drama and the comedy, Atta Hemwadee’s work soon finds its apogee in the meta element, when the crew starts shooting the movie. The way they overcome the obstacles in their way, including having an actor shave his head to look like Joe, and the music-video like approach that Hemwadee implements here, work quite well fof the film.
Furthermore, the way Bokeh felt for Joe and their actual relationship, and the subtle will-they-won’t-they element between her and Pae, add another set of appealing aspects here, with the rom-com element being quite well-handled. As the story unfolds, the dilemmas Pae has to face add even more to the context, particularly in the way they force him to grow up and mature, with Bokeh essentially being the voice of logic, despite the fact that she also exhibits her age on occasion. Lastly, the concept of plagiarism is well presented, essentially being one of the basis of the narrative.
On the other hand, outside these elements, there are a number of moments the movie falters. The intense lagging and the repetitiveness that become particularly evident in the last part are quite annoying, essentially stripping the movie from the oomph it could have. That they extend the duration to 130 minutes is also a problem, in a film that could easily be 20 minutes shorter or more. Particularly the ‘fight’ between the two main protagonists gets tiring after a point, while some scenes, such as the one Bokeh finds herself on the floor, or the initial one that have Pae kicked out, seem disconnected from the characterization and the narrative in essence. Lastly, the last twist does go a bit too far, although its importance for the economy of the story justifies its presence to a point.
The acting is good in general, even if the writing in that regard could have been a bit better. Anthony Buisseret handles his inner struggle and the transformation he undergoes nicely. Pisitpol Ekaphongpisit as Joe highlights his kind nature convincingly. Thitiya Jirapornsilp’s charisma as Bokeh is evident throughout the movie and she is quite good as both the voice of logic and the girl who cannot bring herself to express her real feelings.
Pisit Tandaechanurat’s cinematography can be a bit too polished on occasion, particularly in the school environment, but in general works quite well, while some scenes, such as the one in the rain for example, are truly impressive to watch. Chonlasit Upanigkit’s editing results in a mid tempo that is fitting in general, but as mentioned before, the movie would definitely benefit from some trimming.
In the end, “Not Friends” emerges as a mixed bag, as its prolonged last part borders on cheesiness on occasion and in general, harms the quality of the movie. On the other hand, the comments are well presented and the meta aspect quite good, in a film that will probably appeal to fans of teenage rom-coms and is definitely entertaining for the majority of its duration.
