When I was a kid, my mom forced me to take a summer-long swimming course, which I ended up failing.
On the last day of class, the instructor had to dive into the pool to save me from drowning to death. So one thing's clear. I would never be able to take the teaching assignment that the two main characters are given in the romantic comedy,The Teacher's Diary(2014), the last Movie produced by Thailand's powerhouse studio, GMM Tai Hub/GTH,
before it shut down for good.During the course of two different academic years, feisty Ann (Laila Boonyasak) and fumbling Song (Sukrit Wisetkaew) are sent tothe Phetchaburi province in Thailand(approximately 93 kilometers/58 miles southwest of Bangkok) to teach a handful of children at a floating School; i.e., basically a large houseboat outfitted with desks, a chalkboard, and other bare necessities.Though
Kaeng Krachan National Park
(where the film was shot) is as beautiful as natural landscapes get—with its picturesque lake and lush mountain greenery—it seems like the middle of nowhere, which is why it's understandable why Song at one point scribbles how lonely he is in a notebook. (And why someone like me, who has the swimming skills of a piece of wood, wouldn't last past the first day.)The isolation isn't the only threat to Ann and Song. There are lizards hiding in water spigots, snakes that come out of nowhere, raging storms that tear roofs right off, and even a dead body that's been floating in the water undetected for days, maybe weeks.
Song finds solace in reading Ann's diary, which she left behind the year before. In it, she documents her challenges with the school's remote location, the students that she grew to care for deeply, and her troubled relationship with her long-distance boyfriend, Nui (Sukollawat Kanaros), who lives inChiang Maiand only sees her on weekends. (The kids attend and sleep at the school throughout the week, returning home on weekends, just like their teacher.)
Song of course identifies with all of this (he has his own fizzling relationship), so now we have the perfect set-up for a romantic comedy with a unique premise, as the two don't even meet for most of the movie's running time. (Shades of 1993'sSleepless in Seattle
are here, butThe Teacher's Diaryis way better.) Their stories and separate timelines alternate as the film moves forward and then takes a clever narrative turn in the middle.
The Teacher's Diary Official International Trailer
I first saw the movie's lead actor, Sukrit Wisetkaew (nicknamed Bie), when he performed inthe Broadway-bound stage musical, Waterfall, at the Pasadena Playhousein California in 2015. While he gave a spirited performance, he was weighed down by middling material. (The show never did make it to Broadway.) It seemed unbefitting for a such a bonafide Thai pop star, who broke into the music business after becoming runner-up in the third season ofthe Thai talent reality show, The Star.
However,
The Teacher's Diary, which is his film debut, does right by him. It's funny, smart, and grounded in real ache. His character's charm and goodwill shine through, past his clumsiness (he breaks his wrist in a boating accident at one point) and past his awkwardness with the kids (in record time, they're laughingathim, notwithhim). And he's got the perfect match in Laila Boonyasak, a veteran of more than a dozen movies, most notably in director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang'sLast Life in the Universe(2003) andThe Love of Siam(2007), alongside heartthrob Mario Maurer of
Pee Mak (2013)fame. InThe Teacher's Diary, she shows plenty of spunk and, eventually, vulnerability. Yes, they're both lonely, but they also have remarkably similar values. You root for them.
Thai Movie Central Rating
How to Watch the Full Movie (with Thai Audio and English Subtitles)
—Watch on iTunes (rent/buy for US$2.99 & up).
Additional Notes
—The Thai title of this movie is คิดถึงวิทยา, which means "thinking of Wittaya." Baan Gang Wittaya School is the name of the floating school in the film.
—Director Nithiwat Tharatorn is one of the six directors credited to the hit movie,My Girl(2003), a co-production between three separate companies that eventually merged to become GMM Tai Hub/GTH. The merger was prompted by the overwhelming success ofMy Girl. Tharatorn also directedSeasons Change(2006), a romantic comedy about a jazz drummer who secretly goes to music school despite his parents wishes, and a segment in the three-film anthology,A Gift(2016).
—Director Nithiwat Tharatorn wouldn't let the lead actors read the screenplay ahead of time. He would show them each scene on paper only shortly before filming, in an attempt to capture the most natural reactions as possible.
—Laila Boonyasak is also known as Ploy Chermarn. Her birth name is Cherman Boonyasak.
—AfterThe Star, Sukrit Wisetkaew's rise to fame continued with his debut single, "I Need Somebody," released in 2006.
In the music video, it's easy to see how his pleasant voice, smooth dance moves, and good looks captured the attention of a nation. He's like a one-man boy band. But it's the following clip from his concert that captures his sex appeal and the screaming fandom it inspires. Here he is, singing the bilingual "I Need Somebody," while writhing around on a bed in a tank top. You've got to admire the stagecraft of it."I Need Somebody" Live Performance by Sukrit Wisetkaew
—The school in the film is based on a real school named Bann Ko Jatson School (Floating Classroom Branch), which floats on rafts inMae Ping National Park, within the Li District ofthe small province of Lamphun in northern Thailand.
—The movie set was built atKaeng Krachan Dam, which creates a lake that spans 45 kilometers/28 miles, withinKaeng Krachan National Parkinthe Phetchaburi province of Thailand.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
—The movie's romantic storyline was inspired by a true story. Director Nithiwat Tharatorn knows a producer (GTH's Keng Jira) who has a friend who found a woman's abandoned diary in a desk drawer. The friend fell in love with her because of her entries. The couple eventually met and married.
—The movie was nominated for a number of Thailand National Film Association Awards. It won several, including Best Original Song, "Mai Tang Kan" ("Not That Different") by the Thai rock band,25 Hours. It's a pretty ballad that perfectly captures the film's sense of longing. This music video includes English subtitles.
"Mai Tang Kan" Music Video by 25 Hours
—25 Hours also performed the main theme song forthe hit romantic comedy, Hello Stranger (2010).
—The movie was Thailand's official submission to the Best Foreign-Language Film category of 87th Academy Awards in 2015.
—Screenwriters: Sopana Chaowwiwatkul, Supalerk Ningsanond, Nithiwat Tharatorn, Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn
—Director: Nithiwat Tharatorn
—Cast: Laila Boonyasak (Ann), Sukrit Wisetkaew (Song), Sukollawat Kanaros (Nui), Chutima Teepanat (Nam), Chalee Sricharoen (The Principal)
—Genres: Comedy, Romance
—Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
—Movie images and video © GMM Tai Hub/GTH; music video © GMM Grammy Official
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