One for the Road

Boss runs a bar in New York. One night a call comes from Thailand: Aood, a friend he has not spoken to in years, says he has cancer and does not have long. Boss goes back. Aood has a request: to see each of his old girlfriends before he dies and return what belongs to them. The two get in a car and set out. Nattawut Poonpiriya writes and directs. Thanapob Leeratanakachorn plays Boss. Wong Kar-wai is among the producers; the Hong Kong director's company came onto the project and the influence stands openly in the film's visual language. It had its world premiere at the Sundance film festival in 2022 and took a special jury award in the world cinema section. At first sight it looks like a farewell journey, but there is a turn in the middle; who owes what to whom changes, and from that point the film is describing something else. Nattawut Poonpiriya was known for Bad Genius; this is his second feature and sits in an entirely different genre. Its limit is length; it runs past two hours and some of the sections in the past slow the narrative. Who it is for: viewers who like Thai cinema, road films and drama built on friendship. Who it is not for: it is long, the style is showy at times, and the emotional emphasis rises in the last section.