Thanakorn began modesty in the film industry but promptly rose to become an assistant director and, subsequently, a director. He loved films and filmmaking. His renown among filmgoers stemmed from his brilliantly captured images of Bangkok as well as cinematography. He was versatile across genres, including romantic, drama, comedy, supernatural and action. His works includes Fake, The story of X-circle, Opapatika, Fireball, Single Lady, and his last feature, “Supposed“. He had finished editing the first draft of the film before passing away of cancer in 2020.
Supposed is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
Noom, a finance-related office worker, has a hobby of snapping cool photos of Bangkok’s landscapes and people, occasionally when he is working as an Uber driver, and posting them on social media under the account’s name of “Non”. His second hobby is hooking up with women that follow his profile on Instagram, without being attached to any of them. One day, he stumbles upon a comment by a girl named ‘Dear’, whose IG only reveals some parts of her body and face. His curiosity stirred, he decides to go out on a date with her, and the two decide to continue meeting, on the condition that they both create new identities and not reveal who they are while seeing each other. Eventually, though, Noom finds himself wanting more.
“Supposed” is a somewhat weird mix, as it unfolds as a romantic movie before it turns into something completely different, which includes drama and some scenes that move slightly towards the thriller, particularly through Noom’s obsessive behavior. While individually, these parts work, there is a sort of disconnection between them when looked upon as a whole. Furthermore, some of the actions of both protagonists do not make sense, with the way the violent incident is instigated and continued being the apogee of this aspect. Lastly, the frequent music video scenes do not work at all after a point, occasionally bordering on being cheesy in their audiovisual approach.
The aforementioned, though, do not mean that the movie is without merits. On the contrary, the charisma and acting of the two rather good looking protagonists, Chayanit Chansangavej as Dear and Ananda Everingham as Noom, is an attraction by itself, with the two also exhibiting a wonderful chemistry throughout the movie. Particularly the scenes inside the taxi, as much as the subtle erotic ones, are bound to stay in mind. Furthermore, the enigma of Dear is quite intriguing, while the comments about the concept of the impact of social media in current relationships, and the alienation they can offer (impose also) is explored in a very interesting fashion.
The cinematography, although too polished on occasion, works well for the majority of the time, with the scenes in the car and the intense reds being quite appealing. The editing results in a relatively fast pace that suits the mainstream aesthetics of the movie.
“Supposed” may be more impression than substance, but considering the level of impression here, it actually works well as a whole, in flick fashion.
