Down the River (2004)

Simple but Poignant: A Tale of Unrequited Love

Krit's longtime crush on his questioning best friend has started to drive a rift between them. But in one last bid for time together, Krit invites Vin to join him on a journey in the wilderness to 9 Buddhist temples and the 7th tier of the neighboring waterfall. He had only planned for a journey filled with Vin's company, beautiful flowers to collect and press, and a wish to granted at the end of his quest. What he didn't anticipate was 2 other guests, as well as a journey that inspired feelings of nostalgia and lostness, before teaching him of peace and acceptance.

Despite a brief morbid moment and concerns over how the film would end, I found this to be a beautiful exploration of an unrequited first love. The backdrop of wilderness and Buddhist temples was well-chosen. And I'm not sure that this film would have had the same oddly comforting vibe had the music not been so well chosen (which, honestly, seems to be a trait of P'Nuchy's productions). And then there's our main character Krit: a young boy who sees beauty in everything and always wishes for happiness for everyone, and an eternal love for himself - wishes that Buddhism tells him is impossible. Wishes that society shuns. When he starts to feel lost, we can tell. There may not be explosive anger or giant tears, but we can tell.

It's simple. But it's poignant. The script, directing, and music left nothing to be desired for viewers. But the acting was a little stiff and I feel like Vin should have gotten more character development. I also think that there was a scene that was a bit too morbid, at least for my tastes anyway.

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"Let go so you will be happy"

Down the River told the melancholic story of first love through the eyes of Krit, an openly gay high school student. This film was Director Nuchy Anucha Boonyawatana’s graduate school effort so I was lenient in my rating and criticism of it. The story was heavy with Buddhist and natural symbolism interwoven with the boys’ decisions about their futures and whether they would be together or apart.

Krit is convinced that if he gives offerings and prayers at nine different temples that his wish to be with Win forever will be granted. The two have bonded since childhood and their friendship has crossed over into something more intimate. Win is going to the academy in order to join the military which would end any type of relationship they might have. Win also refuses to believe he is gay despite their friendship blurring lines with being lovers. He has a girlfriend and knows the military and society will not be accepting of him as a gay man. Krit presses flowers and his memories of Win into a book that he keeps with him that becomes a symbol of his love. On the trip to the temple and hike to the Elephant Waterfall, the seventh of the falls, Krit hopes to convince Win to stay, but to his dismay Win invites two girls to go with them. Further dimming Krit’s hopes are the monk at the temple telling him at the beginning of the trip that in order to be happy he has to let go.

Nuchy filmed numerous scenes of water and the woods set to a score that perfectly matched the mood and natural background. Sadly, several scenes were too dark to see much of anything. I don’t know if that was by design, age, or poor equipment. The film was held back between the dark scenes and rudimentary acting. While Krit came across as more fully developed, Win was a bit of an enigma. Despite the more amateur issues, I enjoyed the film especially as the meaning of the title became clear.

Krit reminisced about his relationship with Win in an almost spiritually poetic manner. While the film had a universal theme of first love, it also showed how first love between members of the same sex faced even more hurdles in a time and place where their love wouldn’t be accepted. Sometimes a person can hold onto their first love and other times they have to let it go to the river of time.

12 August 2024

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