[yasr_overall_rating]
Follows a couple through their completely different journeys in Thailand and simultaneously reveals their past in New York through flash backs.
I’ve traveled to Thailand three times. At first overwhelmed by the boisterous, chaotic and extremely polluted City of Bangkok, I allowed the culture shock to wear off, until glimpses of the city’s magnificence began to peek through: its extraordinary culture, history, people and food (OMG, the food!). By the time I left the capital to travel down to the islands of Koh Samui and Phuket, I was head-over-heels in love with the country. Its spiritual tranquility, its luminous golden steeples, its natural beauty, its gentle people speaking the soothing language of the gods formed a stark contrast to its poverty-stricken areas, political unrest and the ever-growing flood of tourism. Lounging on a beach after a day of scuba diving with the sharks, while eating fresh red snappers, I stared at the giant crimson setting sun and wholeheartedly considered leaving Western civilization behind and succumbing to the magic of Southeast Asia.
Alas, I didn’t have the balls to do it. I still dream of Thailand and the uncanny-but-highly-pleasant feeling of being immersed in another dimension, all wondrous smells, exotic jungles and the spicy-tangy taste of Tom Yum Goong. The protagonist of director Bank Tangjaitrong’s micro-budget “Till We Meet Again,” at first comes off as a bit of a spineless twerp, but ultimately proves to have bigger balls than I do. (Is that too much testicle talk for a film review? It is? Well, then… BALLS!) While a bit unrefined – as in, unpolished, rough around the edges, you get the point – the film has a genuine, charming streak that runs through it, which I personally found rather contagious. It may not have the lasting impact of, say, “Lost in Translation” or “Eurotrip” (kidding!), but it certainly leaves a bittersweet aftertaste and is not the worst time to spend a few hours – similarly to lounging in a hammock by a beach.
I may have missed the exact profession of Joanna (Linnea Larsdotter), but I assume it’s some sort of “artistic college” type of work, as the film starts with her being criticized by a professor-type. “Your cultural references are a little too literal right now,” the alleged “academic” tells a disheartened Joanna, in reference to the travel pictures she put together that we never see. “I just feel like this is a bit naive.” Urged by her friend (“If you need to go,” the somewhat-forceful dude says, “you need to go now. Forget about the money. Just go.”), Joanna embarks on a journey to Thailand. Her boyfriend of five years, Erik (John Matton, who also co-wrote and produced the film), generously buys her the ticket – well, two tickets, as he sort of invites himself too. We never really get to see what her “research” is, as the rest of the film focuses solely on their relationship.
In Thailand, tension between the couple amounts; Joanna tells Erik to finish his paid-for scuba diving lessons, and leaves the poor dude to go see some friends “seven hours away.” Waiting for her is sexy hunk David (Emrhys Cooper), whose girlfriend – wouldn’t you know it – had to unexpectedly go back to New York. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Joanna reasonably asks. “You were on your way and I didn’t have time!” comes the highly unreasonable response. It seems to satisfy Joanna though, who smiles at David seductively and absconds back to her bungalow. Erik is understandably distressed at the news that his girlfriend, whom he bought a freakin’ expensive ticket to Thailand for, bailed to go sleep with a single, handsome, presumably Australian (!) dude.
But then Erik meets the uninhibited Miranda (Astrea Campbell-Cobb) – and, instead of reuniting with Joanna, goes off exploring the market with the beautiful blonde stranger. Sneaky, presumably Australian David spots the two of them flirting, gives them a disapproving look and proceeds to not tell Joanna about it, instead convincing her that she doesn’t need “an anchor holding [her] down.” We follow Erik and Joanna on their two paths until… well, “til [they] meet again”.
Tangjaitrong and Matton’s film conveys the feeling of paradise tainted by personal issues, how doubly alienating it can be to be left alone in an unfamiliar, albeit gorgeous, environment, its exotic nature just accentuating the isolation. The allure of the swaying palm trees, azure ocean waters and elephant rides through the jungle gets tainted by loneliness. I liked the juxtaposition of two separate breakfasts, served to Joanna by Erik and David, displaying the warmth of the former and the adventurous-but-somewhat-cold vibe of the latter. The acting is uniformly decent, if unremarkable, with Joanna (perhaps purposefully) coming off as self-obsessed and cruel and Erik as a pansy – but that may be purposeful, as he does gradually transform into a ballsy dude (BALLS!).
Two particular moments stand out. The first one comes during a skinny-dipping sequence in a lagoon, when Miranda spontaneously kisses Erik. “Now you don’t have to be mad at Joanna,” she says, and swims off. It’s a small but profound detail, where a tiny little kiss may resolve a convoluted mess of emotions and set one on the right path. The second moment comes during the ending, which as we all know is the hardest part of the film to pull off, and in this case verges on the profound, putting the aforementioned events in a new perspective. Stick with Tangjaitrong’s feature till the end and you may just like it that much more.
Sure, “Till We Meet Again” lacks true novelty and depth, contains some clunky dialogue – and it’s freakin’ slow here and there. But while it provides next-to-no fresh insight into how relationships work, it doesn’t resort to clichés either. Most crucially, it shows how a change in a physical environment can spur a change in one’s personal life, act as a catalyst, its structure – the inception of romance vs. the “now” – bringing to mind films like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Kudos for pulling it off, on what I assume was a minuscule budget. I’m booking my flight as I write this.
Now available on Video On Demand
