"Ahimsa: Stop to Run" is one of the bizarre movies I've ever seen....When I saw it with a Thai friend in the movie theatre last year, we sat there for at least 30 seconds watching the credits roll before I said to him "I have no idea whether I enjoyed that movie or not..." To my surprise, he replied that he totally agreed! The best way I can describe this movie is a "Buddhist karmic thriller". (People also said this about Andy Lau's "Running on Karma") The movie takes genre-bending to the next level...Absurd teen comedy, violent thriller, touching drama..."Ahimsa" has everything, and it doesn't always work. The plot? Ahingsa (his Thai name; not Ahimsa) is a party boy living in Pattaya, Thailand, a tourist city known best for the sex and drug trade. He and his best friend do drugs and hit the club scene at night, wander around the city during the day, and generally lead a hedonistic life. One day, a man with bright red hair and a red tracksuit begins to appear to him, and tells him that he must pay for his sins from a previous life. In other words, Ahingsa will soon die. The Mysterious Man (who nobody else can see) is Ahingsa' "karma". He tells him that he was meant to die as a child, but his mother's prayers bought him some time...which is now up. Ahingsa starts to see disturbing premonitions in fits and starts, and his life and that of his friends, starts to fall apart. He recognizes his love from a previous life
but it's a 35-year old female doctor, who is also set to die soon. More original than almost any other Western movies I've seen, "Ahimsa" isn't always easy to watch, and it's not always well-done (I could have done without the evil, effeminate drug dealers)...but it comes together with a rather, brilliant and surprisingly moving ending. Earlier this week, Thailand decided to send this movie as its representative to the Oscars for 2007 (they originally chose "Invisible Waves" but changed their mind at the last minute). The Foreign Film committee will probably have a heart attack, but if you're looking for something different, check this movie out. It's available on DVD with English subtitles.
