Friend zone is a place nobody wants to be in. Stuck in a limbo between friendship and wanting more, friend zone is sometimes a prison people want out of but just can't walk away from. In GDH's latest flick, Friend Zone (now showing in cinemas), this complex and bittersweet relationship is hilariously explored by filmmaker Chayanop Boonprakob.
Chayanop Boonprakob. mallika
"It's a kind of relationship that is both happy and sad at the same time," explained Chayanop of his inspiration for the story that he has been developing for years since the time he joined a screenwriting workshop run by GDH. After wrapping his previous flicks, the teen romcom May Who and King Bhumibol's music-inspired Pohn Jak Fah (A Gift, In Love At Sundown Party), he dedicated his time to bring Friend Zone to life.
For this, he drew on experiences from both himself and his friends, plus his own imagination. He also used to work as a flight attendant, so he also drew on that memory to shape the career of his leading man Palm (played by the swoon-worthy Naphat "Nine" Siangsomboon). The job also allows Palm to virtually travel anywhere to be with his best friend Gink (Pimchanok "Baifern" Luevisadpaibul) as she hops from one Asian country to the next to see if her boyfriend Ted (Jason Young) is cheating on her.
Friend Zone, to Chayanop, is a big growing-up moment. The story is more grown-up than his previous flicks (including the 2011 teen rock romcom Suck Seed), which dealt largely with adolescent dreams and flings. The scale of the project is also bigger, with shooting going on in various locations in Asia that took the cast and crew anywhere from the bustling streets of Hong Kong to Myanmar's sacred Shwedagon Pagoda. The multi-country shooting was tiring, but enjoyable, according to the director.
Leading the cast is the talented Pimchanok who Chayanop has been a fan of since she starred opposite Mario Maurer in the sleeper hit A Little Thing Called Love (2010) that became a well-known title in Asia, especially in China.
"She is very versatile. During work, I think she's proven that she could do anything you ask, whether to go big, dramatic, realistic, even cartoonish in her performance. Her talent goes beyond Thailand," Chayanop said of his leading actress.
Friend Zone marks the first time he collaborated with Pimchanok, while also giving him a chance to reteam with his leading man Naphat after they previously worked together in Pohn Jak Fah.
"He is diligent and is a nice guy all around. He's always taking notes," said Chayanop. "Everybody loves him, really. He's perfectly handsome from all those ads we've seen him appearing in. And in this film, we also get to see his other side that sheds this perfect outer shell to simply be a human who can be sad, feel pain, and tell bad jokes. It's quite refreshing to see him this way, plus he also looks perfect in front of the camera."
Aside from attractive cast, one of the things that got audiences curious about the film is its inclusion of the song Kid Mak (Overthinking) as its main theme. Originally sung and made famous by Thai singer Palmy, the film's version of this catchy pop anthem sees various regional pop singers lending their voice to the song, as well as appearing in the film.
These singers include Namfon Indee from Laos, Claudia Barretto from the Philippines, Chi Pu from Vietnam, Meng Jia from China, Joyce Chu from Malaysia, Laura Mam from Cambodia, Audrey Tapiheru and Cantika Abigail from Indonesia, Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein from Myanmar, and of course Palmy herself from Thailand. The lyrics are sung in each singer's respective languages.
The song's music video was directed by Chayanop's brother, Nottapon, who previously helmed 2,215 The Movie that documented Toon Bodyslam's cross-country run. This international MV has been viewed over 2.6 million times on YouTube.
This inclusion of international languages and stars in the film is partly an initiative to attract more audiences within Asia to watch the film, said the director.
"Our previous films have been making their rounds regionally too, such as in Asean countries like Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia. People there do love Thai films, and it was quite exciting to see these stories being dubbed in different local languages even back then," said Chayanop.
"So, I think that if we put different culture, context and places into the film, perhaps people may be interested in it even more."
Does romcom as a genre sell well in the Asean market? The filmmaker said that depends on each individual film, too, to make a certain genre work. Countless romcoms are made each year to a different reaction and reception from the public. To make a film, Chayanop also tries to come up with a distinctive concept to set his story apart and make it more interesting for the audiences. Having a powerful cast is also a plus, he said.
Part of Chayanop's filmmaking process has to do with gauging the audience's feedback. After a few well-received romcoms under his belt, he has yet to find the perfect recipe in making a successful film, but this approach is getting him closer to it.
"Whenever I finish a film, I would always go to the cinema to see the crowd's reaction whether the film and different scenes work or not. Do people laugh at the jokes we add? Some failed. Some were a success. And so we learned from that to become more accustomed and familiar to what audiences respond to, in order to improve in the next film."
The director said he also follows comments and feedback of the film religiously on social media, but added that this feedback -- either positive or negative -- doesn't put pressure on him during work.
"After a certain period, I guess we get to learn how to distinguish what sort of responses are beneficial to us and our work. I don't read all the good ones and let the praise get to my head. At the same time, I take criticism when it's constructive and makes sense. I learn from that. But if it's just hate speech, pay them no mind," he concluded. "Take benefits from feedback. Not pressure."
