My Friendship (2020)

The main characters are classmates (they don't seem to be roommates despite what the MDL synopsis says), and it's not clear how close they are at the start. But after Jack places his hand on Bank's thigh, they frequently go on school toilet trysts.

How much of it is merely sexual desire and how much of it is mutual attraction or even love? We can't really tell, but the relationship is kept purely sexual for a while, with Jack barely speaking to Bank after the trysts. For Bank, it seems to be purely sex at first--he doesn't even consider himself gay (I guess what he means is that he hasn't considered a romantic relationship with another guy even if he enjoys sexual activity with one guy).

Despite Jack's aloofness, he seems to be the one who actually wants to be lover with Bank. Its also at this point where it becomes problematic to continue using the male pronoun for Jack because it is revealed that he is transgender. Despite having had sex with Jack, Bank claims that he isn't gay and tells Jack (dressed as a woman) to go away.

But perhaps the love was mutual. Eventually Bank realizes that he has lost someone he loves.

I must have seen mini series and short films that have more running time and yet end up telling much less of a story. Of course, My Friendship has its flaws. We learn too little of the characters too late to be more engaged. Yet, the actors have done surprisingly well in conveying the latent desire that the characters barely dare to reveal and their confusion while maintaining a relatively casual front to each other when they are not engaged in sexual activity. Oak, in particular, manages to portray Jack as someone who seems cold not because he is cold but because he fears revealing more of himself.

A sequel has been announced, but I'm not sure how the story is going to be linked, given that the Part 1 has already revealed the key events, including the death of one of the characters. I think a different cut can make things better, but I can't be sure about a sequel.

Read More

The teasers amped up the hype on this short film by promising a much more racier (think R-rated) film not normally seen in Thai series in this genre. What you get is an ok story, good acting, and teasers that were only adjunctly related to the story.

Let’s get this out of the way first, several of the scenes used as the basis for some of the teasers were not included in the actual film. So if you were expecting that, you’ll be disappointed, The teasers that weren’t used are somewhat related but don’t blend well into the timeline and narrative as shown. It’s almost like the director had two arcs to choose from. A more innocent, slower relationship development or a torrid love affair. He chose the later. Yes trying to meld the two arcs could have added more of a back story and depth to the character’s relationship but with the direction they decided to go these scenes frankly not necessary.

The film’s story of acceptance of self and the lack of acceptance from the ones you love was told just fine. There’s a bit of roughness and deliberateness with some of the scenes which begs for better editing and perhaps even one or two more scenes to add depth to the story..

The acting was good from the two actors. Mon Hatsawatchon is the better of the two in his portrayal of Bank. You can see where his acting has improved over the other short films that he’s done in recent years.

Music was kinda creepy and didn’t really fit the mood.

Overall, it’s an ok short film that’s worth the 30mins to watch. It definitely didn’t deliver on the hype of the teasers which is a bit of shame as it marginalizes the credibility of the film, producers, and directors. No need to sensationalize! Let the quality of the story and the acting stand on its own.

Read More