Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Mon-Rak Transistor is part of a mini-wave of Thai films that have won acclaim on the film festival circuit in recent years. Pan (Suppakorn Kitsuwan), a young man with dreams of pop stardom, enjoys a simple life with his new wife, Sadaw (Siriyakorn Pukkavesa), in their country village. The two are separated, however, when Pan is drafted into the army. Unhappy on the front, Pan soon goes AWOL to join a pop music troupe and pursue his dreams of becoming a singer. Meanwhile, the pining Sadaw manages to track her husband down just as he gets his big break. Their reunion proves short-lived when a mishap forces Pan to go on the run from the law. After a detour working at a sugar cane farm, Pan ends up begging on the streets of Bangkok and eventually lands in jail. Having all but given up on Pan, Sadaw falls for the charms of a traveling salesman. Years pass and Pan is finally released from prison. Chastened by his experiences in the city, he returns home to Sadaw for an unexpected and tearful reunion. Featuring songs by Surapol Sombatcharoen, a popular Thai country singer from the 1960s, this bittersweet musical comedy won several Thai film industry awards in 2001. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide
Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
is neutral about it.
Among the more notable exponents of the recently resuscitated Thai cinema is this offbeat musical by Pen-ek Ratanaruang, known as Thailand's foremost satirist. Mon-Rak Transistor traces the woeful trajectory of two lovers whose simple country life is ruined by the temptations of celebrity and the city. The movie plays out in episodic fashion, as the genial Pan (Suppakorn Kitsuwan), an impressionable rube with dreams of pop stardom, stumbles from one misadventure to another in his quest to become a singer. Left behind in the country is his pining wife, Sadaw (Siriyakorn Pukkavesa), who holds out hope for her husband's eventual return. Although the picaresque plot is timeworn and unexceptional, Mon-Rak Transistor proves to be truly unclassifiable. Ratanaruang is a resourceful visual stylist with a flair for the anarchic. Characters arbitrarily break the fourth wall and address the camera for goofy asides. Meanwhile, Ratanaruang displays a scatological streak with a string of sight gags that would make the Farrelly brothers blush. (The movie actually opens with an ominous close-up of a laxative bottle.) Holding it all together are musical numbers featuring the songs of Surapol Sombatcharoen, a Thai country and western star from the 1960s. A good-natured trifle, Mon-Rak Transistor could use a bit of a trim -- at two hours, it's 30 minutes too long. Despite its longueurs, the movie ends with an unexpected punch, as the songs and silliness give way to a tearful and moving conclusion. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide