In Youth We Trust

Puttipong Nakthong's 2024 Thai film follows Puek, who grows up in a slum. He does not consider himself the equal of anyone and stays silent about the bullying he faces at school in order to survive. The film is set in Bangkok at the start of the two thousands, and the original title points to that year. As Puek moves closer to a gang he believes he has found protection; the narrative shows this is not a way out but the same violence in another form. The fight scenes are long and shot for realism; there is little camera movement and the blows are not cut away from. The narrative does not glorify youthful energy and the close is bitter. Who it's for: those who like Thai crime drama and narratives of youth. Who it's not for: viewers for whom bullying and hard beatings would sit heavily.