The 8th Day

In every generation of directors, there is a rogue bunch setting out to demonstrate that the concepts of reality and truth are meaningless in movies, suspended in the eternal presence of the silver screen. If they fail, they fail by not going far enough. Trouble is you need the audience to believe in reality and truth, at least for a while, if only to mess with them in new and exciting ways. In his attempt to reconcile illusion and revelation, director Chatchai Yodsaranee walks a wobbly line. Imagine a kidnapping in which both the napper and the kid are victims, each in their own way. The basic plot idea of an unintentional crime is intriguing, but it doesn't carry for a whole week (in real life) or feature length (in a movie). Despite an interesting twist about half-way into the movie, this one should have been a short. Watsana Chalakorn, in the part of the witch, is overacting, grimacing like she's in a silent film. Interesting portrayal, by Thanavate Siriwattanagul, of a cold-blooded medical student who believes he can observe without interfering. As it stands, "The 8th Day" is a promising, but immature debut. Cool website though.