I Fine Thank You Love You is the latest romantic comedy film from GTH to hit cinemas nationwide next Wednesday. The film centres on a teacher, Pleng, who is asked by a student leaving for America to tell her boyfriend Yim she wants to break up with him. Yim blames Pleng for perfecting his girlfriend's English skills and nags her to teach him to speak English so that he too can go to America and get his girl back.
Life
How did the film begin?
It happened when two of my producers, Jira Malikul and Wanruedee Pongsittisak, tried to merge two different inspirations into one story. Jira overheard a woman talking in good English and a man talking in broken English in a café. When he turned around to look, it turned out to be a Thai teacher tutoring conversational English to a Japanese man. Wanruedee got his idea after hearing of a break-up service that helps people end relationships on their behalf.
All of the three films that you have directed so far are comedies. Why do you like the genre so much?
It's my penchant. If I have to choose between an award-winning but humorless film or an entertaining one, I will choose the latter. I have always had a thing for comedy films. They define me. So when I make a film, I want to make the kind of films that I like watching.
What is your movie 'signature'?
It is something that people will see. I just like fun, comedy films, and I think that as moviegoers are those who spend Monday to Friday struggling with their jobs, traffic, early mornings and late night sleep, they could use a two-hour break to rejuvenate themselves.
How is I Fine Thank You Love You different from other romantic-comedy films?
For me, the idea of conversational tutoring is interesting because it exposes a teacher and a student to each other's personal information from their lesson by accident. If you close your eyes and listen to a conversation that happens in tutoring, it sounds exactly like two people flirting with each other on their first date. Because of this idea, the film offers a fresh love story.
People have been saying GTH just cannot get away from making romantic comedy films with the same clichéd style. Does this film fall into that category?
People may say GTH makes films from the same formula, I instead feel that every time I make a new film, it is not really as easy as people think. When I start a new film, as a director, I always find it difficult. A new film comes with a new story and new characters with new habits.
When it comes to making comedy, do you have to forget about logic?
We care about it in a different way. Comedy films have their own logic. It also has to do with how an audience gives value to comedy films as well. If they don't see the value of comedy films, they will see my films as 'crappy', saying characters do things with no reason. But for me, I add reason to my characters. It depends whether the audience judges it before they watch my films or not. If they don't like comedy films, they may think I am not attentive when I write my screenplays. But I'm attentive in writing screenplays in every genre.
How do you cope with criticism?
Normally, I don't care about negative comments. But if there is someone really willing to make a constructive comment, I'm ready to listen because it will be good for me. But if we look at different points, like if I make gaeng som and you criticise the taste because it is different from bua loy, it is not something that will help me improve. But if you say my gaeng som is too sour or the fish pieces are too big, then it is an understandable criticism. If you say it does not taste like bua loy, well of course it doesn't, that's because I make gaeng som.
Mez Tharatorn and Preechaya Pongthananikorn, director and lead actress.
I Fine Thank You Love You leads Sunny Suwanmethanon and Preechaya Pongthananikorn.
