It seems Thais are really into crime thrillers this year, as this is the second one I've watched on Netflix. It's also the second starring Chakrabongse Chulachak, and I must add that the role is quite similar for this half-British, half-Thai actor. Everybody Love Me When I'm Dead tells the desperate story of a father named Toh, trying to make ends meet for his daughter, Snow, who came into the family almost miraculously.
Toh struggles to provide his family with the lifestyle they dream of, and when his daughter needs to get into a prestigious school, he becomes desperate for money. It's then that his subordinate, Pet, who is also in need of money, suggests to Toh the idea of stealing from the deceased's accounts. What ensues is a convoluted tale of greed and shocking plot twists.
Director: Nithiwat Tharatorn
Writers: Sopana Chaowwiwatkul, Nithiwat Tharatorn
Stars: Vachirawich Aranthanawong, Chulachak Chakrabongse, Naracha Chanthasin
The film starts off very crudely, leaving you wanting to see what's next, but, to be honest, the rest of the film doesn't live up to expectations. It's a heist movie, but there's also a lot more to it. While that sounds like it would be a very gripping film, it actually has the opposite effect: it makes you feel like things are dragging on and leaves you quite bored at the end.
I mentioned The Stone earlier, and I think there are other similarities as well, aside from the casting of said actor. Luckily, Everybody Love Me When I'm Dead isn't a comedy at all. They're both complicated for no reason and introduce random characters mid-movie to make it more exciting. However, this doesn't have the desired effect.
Well, technically they're not random characters; the bank employees get involved in Pattaya's criminal underworld, and this completely changes the atmosphere of the film in the second half. To be honest, I quite enjoyed the first half because it felt more naturally stressful than the sudden burst of blood and gore when the criminals entered. To be fair, it's definitely exciting, because a lot of shocking things happen in the film's two-hour runtime, but I felt it tried to be unnecessarily convoluted. I guess we don't usually see Pattaya as the centerpiece, but it's beautifully shot in this film, making you feel like the city is alive. I really enjoyed the lighting at times.
I think the actors do a great job trying to work with what the script offers them. Kane Theeradej Wongpuapan is a well-known actor who has appeared in many romantic films and series, but this role seems like it's uniquely his (although I'm not entirely sure). On the other hand, Ryu Vachirawich Watthanaphakdeephaisan is a singer who was part of the group 9x9 and has now turned to acting. The two actors work well together and convey a brotherly atmosphere. I mentioned Chakrabongse before, and her role is quite minor compared to others, as is Earnearn Fatima Dechawaleekul, who plays a similar role. I call them minor, but they have a huge impact at the end of the film. The girl who plays Snow is adorable, and Yuyee Alissa Intusmith as Jit is, for me, the most intriguing character in the film.
However, it's the end of the film that really elevates it to a higher level, with a dull middle section. I don't know if it's enough for a film to have a good beginning and a good end. Also, although the protagonists' decisions are rushed (and rightfully so), I couldn't help but feel they were making mistakes as the film progressed. I guess that's the life of a simpleton who wants to succeed (we can relate, right?). The point is this: the connections are, honestly, quite interesting, and it's a film you have to pay full attention to, or you'll miss a lot of the context.
There's a lot of blood and violence, so if you get motion sickness easily, I recommend avoiding it. Some violent sequences are quite entertaining, especially if you like arsonists (on screen, of course). The point is, it may seem like I'm being very positive about the film, and I am. There's a lot of good stuff, but in my opinion, it tries too hard, and some of these ideas could have been standalone films. There's artificial intelligence, family planning, the working-class lifestyle, education and the struggle for life today, and much more, all mixed into the thriller genre, thanks to the criminals our protagonists fight. It's in the execution where the film loses itself a bit, simply because it can't capture all of this in two hours.
Still, I think it's a pretty brave effort, and there's something very Thai about this approach that I've noticed many times before. It's always cluttered, so you find yourself glued to the screen and not looking away because you know you'll eventually miss some small detail. I feel like this adds a layer of cultural context. Plus, the music is composed by the same guy who won an award for How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, although, despite a similar concept in the titles, it's a completely different film, tonally. At the end of the day, I find it hard to rate this film because I know there's an audience out there who will definitely enjoy it, but for me personally, it was a bit much. So I'll give Everybody Loves Me When I'm Dead three out of five stars. Oh, and that includes bonus points for the intriguing title.
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