I was having trouble getting past the name of a new Thai film called Nymph, which screened three times at the Toronto International Film Festival. Maybe you know the drill: anything set in Thailand; “nymph” short for you know what. I admit I had read very little about the film beforehand, because I don’t like to let others’ interpretations give rise to certain expectations. I pretty much went in blind. A film should stand on its own, without the need for long flowery introductions such as those found in the TIFF 300-plus film catalogue each year. I will briefly scan the beginnings and ending of reviews to get a mere hint of the scenario. I do like a good article on the creator him/herself, not the work, although the writer, as a matter of course, will highlight a couple of the work’s themes. And that’s okay.
I like Asian films because I like how they take you along with a gentle hand and at a gentle pace. (Hmmm, how do I explain my enjoyment of a good old open-palm thrust to the chest in Hong Kong Kung Fu films. Unh, later.) It feels like a good friend is telling you a particularly interesting tale without the contrived ups and downs of Hollywood films.
The lead characters May (Wanida Termthanaorn), her husband Nop (Jayanama Nopachai) and her boss (Chamanun Wanwinwatsara) eventually become entangled as May spends a lot of (off-screen) bed time with her boss. Nop finds out. That’s really all that “happens” in town.
The long opening shot is full of the sounds of the jungle, both animal and plant. It’s all very pleasant, as you would imagine non-threatening jungle sounds. The density and complexity of sound increases, and rolls in and out of the scenes in a kind of beautiful dance with your head. At times, unusual hard and soft sounds are woven into the track to change the tone of the scene. Nothing of any great Hollywoodish volume spoils the atmosphere. The soundscape should have got an acting credit! The whole thing works brilliantly.
Nymph, called Nang Mai in anglicized Thai, was accepted in the Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard category last May and received good reviews -- I know this because I did some more research after writing my report. It was 15 minutes longer than the now-branded Director's Cut, which Toronto and other festival audiences saw. I can't imagine why I'd need to see 15 minutes more except to listen to more of the rich, evocative sound track. (Go to the entry page of the film's web site to get a taste!) Instead of going on and on here, just visit Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal (link below) and plug in the Thai or English title. The film opened in Bangkok in July.
Note: I hope to catch Thai film Sawasdee later today (Saturday). Also playing is the Vietnamese film, Adrift, too early in the day (10:15 a.m., which means lining up at 8 a.m.) for me! Ong Bak 2: The Beginning plays tonight, which you have all seen (I hope) in Bangkok, where I first saw it last fall. I'm just not going to pay $21 Cdn for a film I saw for a couple of bucks already. I'm sure you can understand. TIFF single ticket prices are kind of outrageous.
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