Present Perfect

I almost gave up trying to watch this, but am glad I persevered. It was probably a mistake to have the Thai characters speak to each other in English; apart from being unlikely, their English is not easy to understand - subtitles were essential for me (and the first place I tried to watch the film had non-working subtitles). Maybe the filmmakers believed that using English would give access to a larger audience, but I think this backfired.

Language choice aside, this is a film with a number of strengths. The characters are believable, and the two leads inhabit their roles well. As another reviewer pointed out, the story starts slowly (maybe the breakup at the beginning is one of the film's weaker episodes), and a number of shots are held for far too long. But the emotional core of the script is strong, and its 'message' is well delivered, without being preached. It was not too far in before I felt myself caring for both the main leads, wondering and hoping where their journey would take them.

This film demonstrates that a small budget film can succeed in delivering a big emotional impact. Well crafted and sincerely acted. The film lingers with you like the long silent moments in the film and its heartbreaking collision with reality. It is well worth your time.

Have you ever watched a movie that has such an impact that it stays with you long after it's over? Yesterday I watched such a film, a 2017 movie, "Present Perfect" -- Thai with English subtitles -- that came up recommended on my Prime Video home screen. It started off slowly, but the writer/director built the story brick by brick until by the end I found myself emotionally drained and wanting more. It's a heart-wrenching love story, and as it develops you realize that at its core is the theme of a universal age-old struggle of one forced by conscience to choose between one's emotions and what one knows is right. With a contemporary twist.

The main characters, Toey and Oat, have wonderful chemistry and their portrayers are both good actors which helps make the story so real and believable. Toey in particular has such an air of naiveté and innocence, and at times the character projects such a doe-eyed vulnerability that it makes the viewer want to hold him, protect him, and fall in love with him. The same way that he affected Oat.

The direction of the film is both thoughtful and beautiful. There are times when Toey and Oat are talking and there is a long pause in the conversation. That is used so effectively, because those brief periods of silence between the characters itself speaks volumes and adds to the emotion and impact of the scenes. In fact, the way that the whole storyline is developed and woven into a beautiful tapestry slowly and inevitably draws us in and makes us care. The direction is really quite wonderful.

I love that the protagonists are gay (or maybe bisexual), but finally there is a film with gay characters where the focus is not on their homosexuality. Homophobia does not even enter the picture and their sexuality is not an issue. They are simply accepted for who they are by those around them; the fact that the people falling in love are two young men is almost incidental to the storyline. The challenges that they face in their relationship are the same that could challenge heterosexual lovers. in any movie about love and romance.

This film affected me. I felt the love, the joy and the pain. I think this is the first movie that I have ever watched three times in a row, and each time I understood more and more of each character's personality and motivations, and each time I was moved to tears by both the happiness and the sadness of the situations.

I was so happy when I found out that there was a 2020 sequel, "Present Still Perfect" which ties up many of the questions left by "Present Perfect", and which I also watched that three times. And taken as a whole, the two films are nothing short of stunning. Simply stunning

Just a note: Another reviewer said that there is hard-to-understand "unnecessary English spoken between Thai characters". I believe that reviewer misunderstood. In the movie, Toey is Thai and his friend Yuri is Japanese. English was the language that they had in common, ergo the necessity for their heavily accented English whenever they spoke to each other.

One of the honest and love and happiness gay film ever. People complaining that the film was too sad but for me it was realistic. It not sad but it the fact and I learn a lot from this movie .

For the first 20 minutes I almost fall to sleep because the film was very slow and boring but I absolutely wrong. This film had the magic of honestly and beautiful. The slow of the film doesn't mean the director try to make us bored but it telling how hurt from inside character and The silence between the two characters already speaks itself from the heart. The film not really a drama film, some part of the film very funny because of the honesty of the characters. Highly recommend to people all the world. I'm straight but this film made me realize love is no gender. Thank you.