Hello Stranger

Two Thai tourists meet on a coach in Korea. Both came alone and neither gives a name; they set a rule: no names, no phone numbers, no past. They start visiting the places where Korean television dramas were filmed. She knows the shows by heart, he has never watched one. In a few days there is a flight home. Banjong Pisanthanakun directs. The starting point is the Korean wave. Korean dramas were extraordinarily popular in Thailand in the two thousands and tour companies ran trips to the locations; the narrative takes that real form of tourism as its subject and uses the template of the dramas while mocking it. Banjong Pisanthanakun was known in Thailand for horror; Shutter is his. This is a move into an entirely different area. The rule of the narrative is namelessness. Both are running from their own lives and not knowing who the other is makes it possible; when the rule breaks, so does the relationship. The locations are real. Seoul, Nami Island and the Korean countryside are visited in turn and the film also works as a travel guide. It was a large commercial success in Thailand and circulated widely across the region. Who it is for: viewers who like Asian romantic comedy and relationships built along a journey. Who it is not for: the template is entirely familiar, it runs long, and some jokes are lost without a knowledge of the dramas.