Pursuing your dream is often easier said than done. While there are certainly exceptions to the rule, for the most part people tend to settle for an option that presents an end to financial struggles or emotional arguments with relatives or friends. With time, this option becomes our life and we tend to not look back to what we once wanted. However, there are instances when we remember this feeling we once had, and sometimes we may encounter another one of those moments that could bring us closer to the dream we had chased so many years ago. In his directorial debut “Cautionary Tale” director Christopher Zawadzki, who previously worked in the post-production industry for companies such as Vice and Criterion, chooses such as a story as the foundation for a narrative about second chances as well as dealing with grief and trauma.
Cautionary Tale review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Neil Kefalas (Ted Limpert) is a successful children’s TV show host. However, after the tragic death of his ex-wife and daughter, he is not only struck with grief, but also feels he has had enough with the persona he portrays on TV. He starts writing his own music again and plays the guitar, but since a wealthy company has brought the right to his TV character as well as his show, he has to fly to Bangkok to meet his new producers. Upon arrival, he takes the first chance to escape, leaving behind all means to contact him.
Wandering the streets of Thailand’s capital, he runs into the owner of a nightclub and Cherry (Napak Boonruang), the lead singer of a rock band that regularly performs at the club. Upon hearing she needs somebody to help her with the translation of her songs, Neil offers his help and they become friends. Through Cherry, Neil’s passion for music is re-ignited and he also gets to know the rich music culture of Bangkok. Little by little, Neil recognizes his life is about to change, and it is up to him to embrace that new opportunity or go back to the way things were.
In his directorial statement, Christopher Zawadzki states “Cautionary Tale” “means the world” to him and his passion shines through from the first moments on. This is especially true for the scenes shot in Bangkok which portray the richness of Thai culture, highlighting its music and its culture. Through the eyes of the main character, an outsider to this culture, the viewer is introduced to this new world, while at the same time we notice a sudden shift within this experience as Neil learns more about Bangkok, its people and its culture.
The scenes when the two characters are playing music or the long segment taking place during the Songkran Water Festival stand out as examples of the often quite beautiful cinematography by Filipe Bessa. These are the moments “Cautionary Tale” truly shines, as its narrative and the handling of its themes is quite predictable.
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At its core “Cautionary Tale” tells a story about how music can be the key to a new world as well as the beginning of the healing process for people. Neil and Cherry are both dealing with serious issues in their lives, with their encounter and passion for music representing a means to deal with them. Considering both are musicians in real life, not only adds to the authenticity of the movie, it also emphasizes the emotional impact of some scenes, especially, of course, the finale. Neil Kafalas manages to highlight the various issues of his character, his grief and his frustration with the path he has chosen in life, and the longing to start over or, more precisely, to get back to an original passion of his. Napak Boonruang also gives a solid performance, but her character sadly comes off a bit short and would have certainly benefited from more depth within the screenplay.
“Cautionary Tale” tells a story about second chances, about dealing with grief and trauma. Christopher Zawadzki directs a movie that has its strongest moments when it shows the richness of Thai culture, especially music, while its characters and plot would have benefited from some more fine tuning.
