Heart Attack

Yoon is a freelance graphic designer. He turns nothing down, does not sleep, and can stay up four days in a row. An unexplained rash appears on his body. He goes to a public hospital and meets Imm, his doctor. As the treatment continues he falls for her, but to get an appointment he has to stay ill. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit writes and directs. Sunny Suwanmethanont plays Yoon and Davika Hoorne plays Imm. The English title is Heart Attack and the Thai title is Freelance; together they state the subject. Nawapol takes direct aim at freelance culture. Yoon's situation is presented as a choice and the film shows it to be a trap: work cannot be refused, there is no holiday, illness is lost time, and the body is reduced to a means of production. The telling runs at the same speed. Messages, file names, clocks and job lists stream across the screen continuously; the film carries the tempo of the work into its own editing. It was a large success in Thailand and won across several categories at the national film awards. Who it is for: viewers who like contemporary Thai cinema and comedy built on working culture. Who it is not for: the romance is the weakest part and the last section lands somewhere conventional, and the humour is very dry.