*Image from AsianMediaWiki.
Title: First Love/A Little Thing Called Love/Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Director: Puttipong Pormsaka Na-Sakonnakorn and Wasin Pokpong
Producer: Somsak Tejcharattanaprasert and Panya Nirankol
Distributor: Sahamongkol International and Work Point
Language/Country: Thai/Thailand
Think back. Back to your high school days. Back to the days when the most important task for you was to survive high school. Now, think of your fondest memories from those days. That one moment you topped in class, probably? Those crazy antics you pulled with your friends. Those little things you considered triumphs. Then, somewhere in the middle of homeroom and recess, there may be a boy (or girl, whichever strikes your fancy). The one who made you a little bit more fluttery and idiotic at the same time.
That is how First Love: A Little Thing Called Love or Crazy Little Thing Called Love makes you feel. It reminds you of the charm of first love. Set in a small province in Thailand, the story follows Nam (Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul), a girl with a "bug face" who did everything she could so Shone (Mario Maurer), the boy she likes, would notice her. For three years, Nam did everything to improve herself. She tried to be fairer, got braces, joined the drama club, tried joining the dance club, studied harder, became a band majorette and pretty much everything else.
This movie was such a pleasant surprise. One friend recommended this for me to watch and I thought it was some regular run-of-the-mill foreign language film to see. It wasn't. It's a classic feel-good movie. I remember thinking as watched it that this is how feel-good movies should be. This is how it's supposed to make you feel. Happy, giddy, cheeky and melancholy in one sitting. This is the kind of movie I'd like to see after a long day going through the motions of quarter-life.
I particularly liked how Nam's character was played. She did justice to every high school girl that did crazy little things for love. She was lovely throughout it all. From the awkwardness to the triumphs. Shone, was pure eye candy. In that moment where he was flipping through the pages of his journal, though, you see the depth of his love for Nam. For about three minutes, you see his side of the story in the entire length of the film, complete with background music (Someday by Maria Sukosol) and flashbacks. One of my favorite characters in the film would have to be Teacher Inn (Sudarat Budtporm). She was unbelievably funny. I have to admit that she may have reminded me of a teacher or two back in the days. Honestly, the entire support cast was wonderful. Everyone played their part well for me.
I was immensely pleased with this movie. From the fun parts to the down parts. It takes you back to a whole lot of feel-good memories. It's quite impossible not to relate to Nam. There wasn't just one instance when I looked at her in a certain scene and saw myself. There she was, looking just like I did (and mind you, I did have just that kind of hairstyle), doing things I have done. Going to unbelievable lengths to see a crush, not really saying anything, just trying to catch a glimpse of him. Calling up just to hear his voice, still not saying anything, and hanging up after. Finally getting the courage to talk to him, five sentences at most, and going somewhere no one else will go to where you can jump up and down and scream like a crazy banshee. Ah, well, the pureness of young love.
However, not all of us would have the same kind of ending as Nam had with Shone. Sure, she had that painful first heartbreak after confessing her love. Time proved to be her ally, though, because in the end, Shone still waited for her. Unfortunately, majority of us in the real world are not equipped with the same kind of patience. I think that it's also what makes this movie so charming. It gives you the thought that the ending you thought of may not be the ending at all. Maybe nine years down the road, you'll find out that whoever that boy you did crazy little things for have loved you, as well. Who knows, right?
I highly recommend this film. If you notice, I do not really blog about anything unless I really liked them. This is one of them. Lately, my interest in films do not really require a whole lot of hard-hitting content. Given that I do not have the time, neither do I want, to think hard when I'm watching a film created to entertain me. I'd like to reserve that energy to other things in my life. I honestly think that a film do not necessarily have to be deep, sad and disturbing for it to be considered intelligent. I think that this film is intelligent. The intelligence lies in it's ability to show and simplify the complicated thing that mystifies us regardless of our age. This film is for every girl who did crazy little things for love, and for every boy who recognize the same little thing.
