“Kid Teung Wittaya” a.k.a. “The teacher’s diary” is my first Thai movie. I read that this was the official Thai entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, but was not selected as a nominee, and the story sounded heartwarming. Not only it did not disappoint, it was a very pleasant surprise indeed.
Ann (Chermarn Boonyasak) is not your usual teacher, she has more progressive thoughts about how one should teach children and doesn’t want to conform into the standard rules. One could say she is a romantic and an idealist. The actress was amazing conveying all her emotions and thoughts with so much subtlety and sensitivity. I haven’t seen her before, but I will definitely look for her other works.
Song (Sukrit Wisetkaew) is a former athlete who wants to take the job in order to save money. He starts as not so good teacher without patience, but with the company of Ann’s diary he transforms into an inspiring teacher, not in skills and knowledge, but in his will to help his pupils. The only time I had seen the actor before was in a lakorn “Dok Ruk Rim Tang”, a lakorn I refuse to even think about because I wasted my time to see it, where he seemed so talentless to me – truth be told, everyone seemed talentless to me in that lakorn. So here, he was a revelation to me. He never overacted; he was a good guy trying the best he could with what he got. He convinced me so much, I might even try a second lakorn with him.
The direction of this film was wonderful. The director, who was also the writer, showed the parallels of Ann’s and Song’s lives and created a bond between Song and Ann’s diary, and as a result with Ann herself, that was not weird, but touching and real. What I especially loved was a line in the movie saying that Song during his time in the floating school learned that he had to be not only their teacher, but also their parent. My parents were both teachers and I remember them saying how proud they felt when their students learned to read and write, so this was even more touching for me.
The scenery surrounding the floating school was stunning. You can feel the isolation the characters feel and the growing affection they start to develop as they bond with the children. The music score was always present throughout the movie, making every emotion clearer and deeper. The director used it wisely, creating scenes where no one says a word, yet all their feelings, all their thoughts, all their motives are crystal clear.
There are not any big dramatic scenes, but the focus is on the small scenes, the trivial things, making them important, because at that moment they are. Like the heartbreak of a kid not passing its exams.
What is this about:
Directed by Nithiwat Tharathom. Star Sukrit Wisetkaew, Chermarn Boonyasak. This movie follows two teachers, Ann and Song, who are assigned to a rural floating school, but with a year apart. Ann writes down her thoughts on a diary, her experiences with her students and her loneliness. When Song comes to the school finds that diary and it becomes his only friend during his hardships in his new position.My review:
This movie made my heart warm and aching in the best way. It reminded me why romantic comedies are such a popular genre, because when done right they are great.
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| The floating school is far from ideal |
Why you should watch:
- It is romantic comedy at its best.
- Excellent direction and cimematography.
- Excellent acting from the leads and the children.
- Beautiful music score.
Why not to watch:
- Frankly I cannot see any reason.
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