In her previous, critically acclaimed, award-winning film By the Time it Gets Dark, Thai director Anocha Suwichakornpong already experimented freely with ways of storytelling. During the last Berlinale her new film Jai jumlong had its world premiere, a film in which she goes one step further: the narrative takes second place to the film’s atmosphere. An atmosphere she creates with stunning black-and-white images, all equally beautifully lit, while the sound design also makes viewing the film very special. Four friends in their twenties travel to Kanchanaburi in western Thailand to visit the museum dedicated to the construction of the Burma Railway in WWII, only to discover that the museum is closed for renovations. They still manage to have a good time in the house they rented. They turn out to be actors performing scenes from a play. Back in Bangkok, they re-enact their experience.
Anocha Swuichakornpon (1976, Thailand) is a scriptwriter, director and owner of production house Electric Eel Films. Her short Graceland (2006) was the first Thai short in Official Selection at Cannes and her feature debut, Mundane History (2009), picked up numerous awards. She co-directed Krabi, 2562 – a blend of documentary and camp – with Ben Rivers. Jai Jumlong is her fourth feature .
