Bangkok Traffic Love Story (Thai, 2009)

Directed and written by Adisorn Trisirikasem
Starring Sirin Horwang, Theeradeej Wongpuapan and Unsumalin Sirasakpatharamaetha

One can find love on any place at any given time. Take this Thai movie as an example. Who would have thought that one would found her one and only in a seemingly odd place - right inside Bangkok's sky train?

Bangkok Traffic Love Story is just a simple love story. 

In this movie, we have Muei Li (Sirin Horwang), a 30-year old Thai-Chinese who is so desperate of finding the man of her dreams. Because of peer and family pressure, she had no choice but to force herself to find her ideal man. Societal pressures are hard to ignore and Muey Li is about to set foot on a brand new adventure in search of her true love.

One late night, after her usual drinking session, she gets into an accident and meets Mr. Hot (Theeradeej Wongpuapan as Lung) who works as a night-shift engineer at BTS (Bangkok Transit System or Skytrain). Lung would have been just a passing 'dream' for Muey Li if he had not showed up at her house a few days later - as 'uncle' to the boyfriend of Muei Li's family maid.

She meets Lung again at the Skytrain every night but decided not to make a move... until her pretty neighbor Plern (Unsumalin Sirasakpatharamaetha) starts hitting on him. That made Muei Li furious. She made almost everything just to be with him. It turned out that after celebrating Songkran (Thai New Year celebration) with him, she discovers a heartbreaking news.

Acting was okay. Although I would like to commend Wongpuapan because he has the ability to charm his female audience without pulling an extra effort. Horwang, on the other hand lacks facial expression, maybe brought about her role, who is so shy, reserved and a pampered girl who lives with her parents and her Chinese-speaking grand mother. Co-star Unsumalin Sirasakpatharamaetha (as Plern) provides comic relief and a little tension to the plot.

The script and the film overall is a bit dragging but tolerable. The story could've been presented better and it shouldn't be THAT long. The running time of the movie is more than 2 hours. The odd thing about this movie is this: it didn't have any kissing scenes. Not even a single one. I mean, seriously? The writers however want to emphasize the nightmares on one of Bangkok's infamous mode of transportations- stressing on smelly armpits and others - and doing infantile gags involving Muey Li's boss and his solar-energy bras and other silly things.

Despite the flaws, the movie remained as one Thailand's highest grossing movies.

RATING: 6.1 / 10