Tales of love and Understanding

ANUSORN Soisa-ngim’s debut feature “Present Perfect Khae Nee Kor Dee Laew”, now screening in local cinemas, tell the story of two strangers who run into each other in a peaceful place far from home. The place is a small town on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The strangers, both young men, are Oat, who is taking a final vacation alone before getting married, and Toey, a confused and depressed guy who has recently split with his girlfriend. They quickly become close friends, and when a flicker of romance develops into something more, the two are forced to figure out their true feelings and face the realities of their lives.
Anusorn, however, is adamant that “present Perfect” is not a gay film, but a romantic drama.
“Love goes beyond the boundary of gender, and in the film, it’s a feeling between two persons,” says the director, adding that he does not want to see his film stuck with an LGBT label.
“It’s a romance between two people, the sort of relationship that can happen to anyone. In fact, the story is inspired by personal experience,” he says. In 2011, the young Anusorn made a short film of the same name centred on a heartbroken young man who find sanctuary at a Khao Yai resort where he meets a straight guy living in the next room. The plot is much like the feature-length version
“But it is different. The short is very naive in the way it looks at the relational aspect. The feature is much more mature in terms of the characters and the way they look at the world,” says the director.
Luck and sheer hard work combined to turn the feature from pipe dream to reality. Anusorn, who had been working as a producer and on documentaries mostly shot overseas, mentioned to his friend, fellow producer Nuttachai Jiraanont, that he wanted to make a feature film. Nuttachai was studying Japanese in Higashikawa at the time in preparation for his participation in the Fly Project film workshop in Japan. The two pitched the project to Higashikawa city hall and received a promise of support.
Anusorn says the pair was surprised to receive approval for their project, especially given the gay overtones, as films about homosexuality remain taboo in Japan. “But there again there are no nude scenes. It’s just about a romance between two guys with the town and its surrounds as the backdrop.
“Higashikawa is known as the photo town. It’s where the Japanese people go to take photographs. It’s a quiet place and perfect for the characters to think about their lives. You walk along the street listening to the river and breathing in fresh air,” says Anusorn who spent time in the town developing the script after the project had been approved.
Anusorn and Nuttachai returned in the spring to shoot the film. “It was still so cold, only about 10 degrees Celsius,” Anusorn laughs.
Filming wasn’t easy given the differences in culture and working style, but the team cooperated and the city hall covered expenses throughout the 14 days.
Anusorn also received financial support from a Hong Kong businessman who he met while shooting a documentary in China and his contribution covered their airfares.
“Working with a foreign company was a good choice for us. The opportunity to do anything here in Thailand is small because of our youth but foreign partners tend to give young people many more chances,” he says.