One Day

Denchai works in IT at a company and nobody notices him. He has been in love for years with Nui, who works there too, and has never said a word. On a company trip Nui has a skiing accident and develops a rare form of temporary amnesia: what she remembers lasts only a day. Denchai tells her they are together. He has one day. Banjong Pisanthanakun directs, from a screenplay written with Chantavit Dhanasevi and Nontra Koomwong. Dhanasevi plays Denchai and Nittha Jirayungyurn plays Nui. It opened in Thailand on 1 September 2016. Banjong was known for horror, for Shutter and Pee Mak; this is a move into an entirely different register. What is interesting is that the film will not defend what its protagonist does. Denchai is lying, and the film does not present it as a romantic gesture; as the story goes on the discomfort grows, and the last section addresses it directly. The snow sequences were shot in Hokkaido in Japan, an unusual location choice for a Thai production. It was a large commercial success in Thailand, and a Bollywood remake has been announced. Who it is for: viewers who like Asian romantic drama and films built on a single narrative device. Who it is not for: the amnesia is not medically credible and the final section pushes the emotional register very hard.