Sia dai 2

Thailand's Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol has done some great movies, ranging from the epic "Suriyothai" to his critically acclaimed dramas "Daughter" and "Song for Chao Phraya" or the ecological adventure "The Elephant Keeper". "Daughter 2" (aka. "Sia dai 2" or "Sei dai 2") doesn't follow aforementioned "Daughter" but offers another look at Bangkok's youth. In "Daughter" Yukol focused on drug problems, in "Daughter 2" he focuses on Aids.

Yukol's primary goal with this film seems to be to enhance the acceptance of HIV positive people by the society. As often with Yukol's films, the topic comes a cross a little preachy, but I found his approach to be more subtle than in "Daughter" which ended sort of over-the-top moralistic. "Daughter 2" is not really better than "Daughter" (I'd rate them about the same) but a well done and entertaining companion piece.

The director's style is interesting because he uses different cinematic tools to tell the story - black and white, flashbacks etc. It's a very assured direction and definitely has Yukol's stamp on it. And as so often in Yukol's case, the film has a big heart and a social message - which is by itself already a good thing. "Daughter 2" is a superior Thai movie that fans of Thai cinema should not miss.

My rating: 7/10