Today is New Year’s Eve, though lèse-majesté suspects, and those who have fled the country to avoid lèse-majesté charges, are unable to celebrate with their families. Chatchawan Thongchan, director of From Forest to City (อรัญนคร) — who also spells his name Chatchawal Thongjun — has made a new short film for the new year dedicated to lèse-majesté prisoners: To a Friend I Have Never Met (แด่เพื่อนที่ไม่รู้จัก).
The documentary shows protesters campaigning for the release of Arnon Nampa and all other political prisoners. In one sequence, Chatchawan appropriates footage of a state occasion, altering the framing for a satirical effect. In another witty shot, he films the back of a protester; the strap of the man’s bag partially covers the “112” logo on his t-shirt, making it look like a sign with a different message.
The film’s soundtrack is a conversation about the plight of those in self-exile who are unable to return to Thailand. The speakers compare the dire situation to dystopian fiction: “It’s as hard as in Squid Game [오징어 게임]. If you want to stay here you have to bow your head and respect them. No questions allowed. No doubts allowed. Because otherwise, it’ll be like in 1984.”
With its compassionate focus on the plight of those charged with lèse-majesté, To a Friend I Have Never Met is similar to Koraphat Cheeradit’s Yesterday Is Another Day, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Ashes, and Vichart Somkaew’s Contemporary Thai Political Trilogy (ไตรภาคการเมืองร่วมสมัยไทย). (Thai Cinema Uncensored discusses the impact of the lèse-majesté law on Thai filmmakers, and their responses to it.)
The documentary shows protesters campaigning for the release of Arnon Nampa and all other political prisoners. In one sequence, Chatchawan appropriates footage of a state occasion, altering the framing for a satirical effect. In another witty shot, he films the back of a protester; the strap of the man’s bag partially covers the “112” logo on his t-shirt, making it look like a sign with a different message.
The film’s soundtrack is a conversation about the plight of those in self-exile who are unable to return to Thailand. The speakers compare the dire situation to dystopian fiction: “It’s as hard as in Squid Game [오징어 게임]. If you want to stay here you have to bow your head and respect them. No questions allowed. No doubts allowed. Because otherwise, it’ll be like in 1984.”
With its compassionate focus on the plight of those charged with lèse-majesté, To a Friend I Have Never Met is similar to Koraphat Cheeradit’s Yesterday Is Another Day, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Ashes, and Vichart Somkaew’s Contemporary Thai Political Trilogy (ไตรภาคการเมืองร่วมสมัยไทย). (Thai Cinema Uncensored discusses the impact of the lèse-majesté law on Thai filmmakers, and their responses to it.)
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