Midnight My Love

Kongdej Jaturanrasmee's 2005 Thai film follows Sombat, a taxi driver working nights in Bangkok. He listens to old radio broadcasts, keeps the habits of an earlier time and is thought strange by those around him. He meets a woman working at a massage parlour. The film does not build the relationship as a rescue. Both have an order of their own and neither changes; the closeness is temporary and the film shows it not with regret but as it is. Petchtai Wongkamlao, the lead, was known in Thailand as a comic performer; here he is in an entirely serious role. Bangkok at night and the lighting are the film's strongest elements. Who it's for: those who like Thai independent cinema and quiet urban drama. Who it's not for: viewers expecting clear closure; the film leaves the relationship unresolved.