The Stone (2025)

The Stone - a riveting directorial debut for Pae Arak Amornsupasiri

STORY
Ake is down on his luck, trying his best to find money to treat his bed-ridden father, when he is suddenly thrusts into the world of amulet trading. He makes multiple frenemies as he finds himself in posession of a highly coveted authentic amulet. At first glance, I thought the vibes of this film would be similar to Netflix series The Believers which also involves amulets and elements of thriller/mafia but I was genuinely surprised and delighted to know that this wasn't the case. If The Believers focused more on the religion aspect, The Stone focuses more about the amulet industry of Thailand. It is not without its cliches, with the main murder mystery being easily predictable but I'm sure The Stone's charm lies more in its execution for those same old plots.

ACTING/CAST
I've been sold on Jaonaay's acting since his debut in Bad Genius and The Stone was just another phenomenal acting performance from him. However it's not just Jaonaay but all the supporting characters are equally superb, especially Jaii who plays Seng Paradise and Aheye in the role of Muay. It's hard to believe those two are more active as singers because their acting were so natural and effortless.

MUSIC
I expected nothing less from THE Pae Arak and I got so much more than my initial expectations. The rock-fused scores had me on the edge of my seat, especially during the action sequences. I would love to get the scores on STREAMING because it deserves way more recognition.

REWATCH VALUE
I feel like The Stone is a film that you can only fully enjoy it the first time you see on the big screen because of all the twists and turns that the story take during its running course. I'd love to watch it again when it comes out on Netflix though (@ Jungka do your magic)

PRODUCTION
Pae Arak does this film so stylishly. There are comedic moments definitely signature to Thailand's style of filmmaking but there are also editing choices which I felt were very creative and unique. Some of my favorite shots were the large wide shots of the Amulet Expo Convention and I'm in awe by that whole sequence in the film. It was crisp, fast paced, beautifully shot for an incredible turning point in the story. The last action sequence was also EVERYTHING and it felt earned without it being an unnecessary bloodbath cliche jammed in to satisfy the (toxic alpha) male audience who will perceive this film.

OVERALL
The Stone is an incredible directorial debut from Pae Arak. It's the kind of film where you can see the passion and determination of a debut filmmaker shining through while you see his signature in almost every aspects of the film be it from screenplay, cinematography, coloring, score, editing... it has tidbits and sprinklings of past works he's been in (such as Khun Phan or Doi Boy...). One of the most unique action thriller films, Thailand has had in the past few years I'd say (and I say this while acknowledging the existence of 4Kings universe so that's HUGE).

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