THAI MOVIE

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The movie is built same a theatrical "Likay" (ลิเก) with traditional music. It portrays the Thai culture and way of life though a romance. Peasant Riem loves Kwan but the love is not reprocical. He loves singing Likay. Traditional peasant way of life, watching over buffalo, rice planting, getting fish from rice fields, ceremonies where young men invite girls they like to dance, Songkran ceremony with small pagoda made of sand are gracefully shown. They finally love each other with a promise in front of the local deities tree. But Riem family refuses this love story. Choi, local gangster, injures Kwan with his sword making a scar. This scar is the symbol of their love that nothing can break. Riem's father wants to sell her to the local gangster Choi. Riem's father is local "Kamnan" (กำนัน) but has many debts with Choi as he likes to gamble and drink alcohol. Riem is enslaved with chains. Kwan infliges a scar to Choi also but when he tries to free Riem, it is too late. Her father and Choi have brought her to Bangkok. There she is integrated to a rich Bangkokian family as she has the same face as their deceased daughter. A young man called Somchai is courting her. Riem discovers high society Bangkokian life with balls and European orchestra. The contrast is flagrant with village life and Kwan playing flute on his buffalo. Kwan arrives in Bangkok and searches for Riem. He cannot find her. He chases Choi to know where he sent Riem but during a sword fight, Choi is killed. Three years have passed. Knowing that her mother is sick, Riem goes back to visit her. Kwan has chance to meet Riem but Kwan also understands that she forgot him. He asks again for the support of the local deities. Riem misses her home and Kwan. She finally comes back as her mother is dying. In the past, her mother marries her husband for money in order to be secure but was never happy with him. So she advises her daughter to listen to her heart as love is more important than money. Riem promises to tell Kwan her decision in front of the local deities tree. On the same day, seeing that his father is getting older and older, Kwan promises him to honor his wish to see his son in yellow robes (ชายผ้าเหลือง) as a monk. Learning that Riem is forced to go back to Bangkok, he decides to help her but faces opposition from Riem's family and Somchai. Finally Somchai shot Kwan fatally and he drowns in front the local deities tree. Riem stabs herself and drowns with her beloved Kwan. Kwan's father will never see his son in yellow robes (ชายผ้าเหลือง) as a monk. Historically, Cherd Songsri's movie is a classic tale of star-crossed lovers and was one of the first Thai films to be a success internationally due to the precise representation of rural Thailand. It got Top award at Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, France in 1981. This movie is part of the first 25 films heritage list announced on October 4 2011, which is Thai Movies Conservation Day.

ThaiWorldView film database contains 1523 movies.

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