The Cinematheque

In Person: Pen-ek Ratanaruang

“Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s most mature, measured film to date … A tasty slice of cinema, by turns oneiric, erotic, funny, and emotionally perceptive.”

Lee Marshall, Screen International

Marital jealousy, erotic desire, chance encounters, and concocted fantasy blur in this jetlag-fuelled chamber drama by Pen-ek Ratanaurang. Thai couple Wit (Pornwut Sarasin) and Daeng (Lalita Panyopas), visiting Bangkok after the death of a relative, check into a luxury hotel. When Wit goes to the bar for cigarettes, he meets the dreamy and youthful Ploy (Apinya Sakuljaroensuk) as she awaits her mother’s arrival. They quickly bond, and the sharing of earphones soon parlays into an invitation to Wit and Daeng’s room to shower and rest. Misunderstandings and jealousies abound, leading to Daeng’s exit and encounter with a fan from her past soap-opera fame. Meanwhile a tryst between hotel staff in stolen clothing transpires. The film’s early morning sequences feel hazy and drowsy, like awakening from a restless sleep. At once sensual and restrained, Ploy dangles a fishhook of possibilities that go from bad to worse to horrible.

In Thai and English with English subtitles

Advisory: Ploy contains a scene of sexual violence.

Post-screening Q&A with Pen-ek Ratanaruang.

“A daring, stylized mix of thriller, intimate play, relation drama, and mystery movie.”

Viennale 2007