It was a warm Christmas in Bangkok last year. Taiwanese tourist Kyan Zheng and friends decided to catch a movie there and chanced upon The Love of Siam.
Top of page: Billboards in Taipei. Above: Press coverage of the movie (click here to read) and scenes from the movie.
The Thai film, which combines family drama and a teenage romance between two boys (played by Witwisit Hiranyawongkul and Mario Maurer who is of Thai-German heritage) who had lost touch but reunited in later years, touched Zheng so much that he and four other friends decided to pull money together to make it into the big silver screen.
They had to invest US$15,000 to repurchase copyrights from a local movie distributor, who decided not to release the movie on concerns of a sluggish box office market.
Generally, major Hollywood productions would fare well in Taiwan, despite a ticket price of NT$270 (US$8.50). There are a handful independent theaters that screen non-mainstream foreign titles, including those on LGBT issues, but box office takings tend to be unpredictable and typically lacklustre.
These five friends - who happen to be colleagues - are determined to make the movie accessible to the public. They made use of their network in their advertising firm, pitched proposals to different movie houses, produced promo billboards and wrote publicity material for the screening.
They had even managed to fly actor Witwisit Hiranyawongkul and director Chookiat Sakveerakul from Bangkok to hold a meet-the-fans autograph session last Saturday on Sept 20.
"It is all hard work... We are all inexperienced in distributing a movie, but it is worth it," said Wendy Chen, one of the five who have brought the film to theatres.
All the bills add up to NT$1 million (US$31,000) in total, meaning they each have to shoulder NT$200,000.
But their efforts have not gone unnoticed.
Three hundred toys, replicas of a toy featured in the movie and remade for Taiwan's premiere, were nearly sold out before the first screening. Over 1,000 tickets were also pre-sold in the first week, an achievement considering Thai flicks aren't really crowd pullers in Taiwan.
Now, box office is their least consideration as these five young executives are ready to part with some of the investment - if not all.
"We knew that some have watched the movie on the Internet, but we want to make it into the big silver screens for public viewing," Chen said.
Opening on 146 screens in Thai cinemas last November, The Love of Siam was the No. 1 film at the Thai box office that weekend and dominated domestic film awards last year. It won Best Picture category in all major awards: Thailand National Film Association Awards, Starpics Magazine's Starpics Awards, Bangkok Critics Assembly Awards and Star Entertainment Awards.
Bangkok Post commentator, Nattakorn Devakula, said the film contained important lessons for Thai society. "The point that the film attempts to teach viewers - and a largely conservative Thai society - is that love is an evolved form of emotional attachment that transcends sexual attraction of the physical form."
When director Chookiat (flanked by actor Witwisit) met fans in Taipei, he told the audience what gave birth to the tear-jerking title: "I wanted to find out what is love. And if two boys have feelings for each other, does their love count?"
The two and a half hour story intended to connect to the audience by also touching on the love of family, parents and siblings, he said.
Indeed, one moviegoer was moved by the film's depiction of "love in all forms."
"I saw the music video in Thailand and it aroused my curiosity of the movie," Lin, a 25-year-old, told Fridae while queuing up to get the poster autographed in Ximending - a hip-and-happening teenage hangout in downtown Taipei.
So when he learned of the movie premiere in Taiwan, he was eager to purchase tickets to feel the big screen impact.
讀者回應
i have the movie. very nice n touchy... movie's soundtrack is nice too. although do not really understand the true meaning.
anyway in summary of this movie is two childhood neighbourhood playmate (Mew & Tong) met again after a seperation. a nature love story between the two of them, Mew dedicated a Love song to Tong on a house gathering, ended up Tong reply was a Prolonged Kiss with Mew. although that's the starts of the r/s but happy moment do not last long.
if you looking for the links to the movie... you can get it in my blog.
http://toshiyaki.blogdrive.com/archive/376.html
The two female leads in the film make this more than just another coming of age gay flick (family relations drama - whichever).
Sinjai Plengpanich plays the concerned benevolent mother to Chermarn Boonyasak's dual role missing daughter.
Witwisit Hiranyawongkul makes an affable sweet Mew while porcelain Mario Maurer is the expressionless Tong. I dont know if this was his character's personality or just bad acting, because the kid who played the young Tong was much more enjoyable.
Overall good, but not great 3 Stars :)
This movie moved me because it shows so many levels of society, culture, family and friends and how some of us struggle to not only be ourselves, but in learning just who in fact we really are and how hard it sometimes is to accept AND embrace that knowledge. Call me a hopeless romantic, but this flick is a movie about loving oneself as much as anything else.
As an aside, Mario Mauer's performance may appear wooden, but I live in this magical Kingdom and I can say from experience that his performance was life-like compared to a large number of young Thai men, just as Donut is life-like compared to a large number of young Thai woman...and please note I did not specify "all" or "most" so no stereotyping is intended. Besides, if you ask people that have suffered failed relationships, I think you will find most will complain that an ex-partner was "emotionally unavailalbe" which, like love, is not gender specific.
Please let me know ...thank you
Why can't any director or writers come out with realistic plot that we human are dealing with in daily life? Like our fight for equal rights, etc.
Enough already with the love plots and deal with reality please. And please no more cutesy leads. I am sure the reason the Taiwanese wanted the picture to be shown is no more than the lead good looks and the love plot
Get back to the basic please!
A + movie. Back to the basic.
Enjoy!!!
I want to watch on the big silver screen!!!
Last year Thai people had very good time around Siam Squre ,so this year hope taiwanese have a very good time as us too
Gonna b perfect if Ximending show Music video ,and play those movie music around,,,those song from this movie also very good
Great time in Ximending for Taipei people
Kevin,,Bangkok
my first kiss
my first bf
my first gf
growing up hanging out at siam square
my music band in high school
my conservative parents
growing up in a chinese family
school uniforms
my uni by the chaopraya river
...
...
it's the best i've ever came across.... each time i listen to the songs, my heart is so touched and sad......
the songs are very meaningful.....
please let me know where to get if any of you know... thanks..
and thanks to all the people who has contributed..
Any one who loves story about family relationship; brotherhoods; friendship; love ; hate and tears.... you got it all here!
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