Chookiat aims for laughs with Grean Fictions

Chookiat Sakveerakul, the acclaimed director of the teenage coming-of-age romantic drama Love of Siam and last year's award-winning three-segment sentimental drama Home, turns to light-hearted comedy with Grean Fictions (เกรียน ฟิคชั่น). It opened in Thai cinemas yesterday.

Dealing with high-school boys in Chiang Mai, the story centers on a kid named Tee ("Fiat" Pattadon Jan-Ngern) who finds an outlet for his teen angst when he joins the school's film club. With his pals, he starts making short documentaries and posting them on YouTube under the name "GreanFictions". Grean (also transliterated as krian), is the slang word for the style of short hair that Thai schoolboys must wear. It's also used to describe anything that's uncool or unfun. The videos attract a following among other teens but melancholy Tee finds himself struggling with a crush on a female classmate.

Wanida Termthanaporn (a.k.a. Gybzy Girly Berry) from Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Nymph, also stars. She portrays Tee's older sister and gets involved in shenanigans of her own when she catches the eye of one of Tee's teachers (Boriboon Janruang) but she already has a boyfriend.

I've been looking around for an English subtitled trailer, but no luck finding one. However, Chookiat's own Studio Commuan cut special extended trailer. You can give it a watch below.

With Grean Fictions out of the way, will Chookiat return to work on the big-budget 14 Beyond, his long-awaited sequel to the psycho-thriller 13: Game of Death? Of course there are also fans who want to see a Love of Siam 2.

Chookiat is slated to be among the guests of the Udine Far East Film Festival over the next week. Home makes its European premiere there. If you see him, say hello and ask him what's next on his plate.