Heart Attack"

Communication and Media in Asia Pacific (CMAP) 97 When Art-house Director Enters Commercial Film Industry: A Case Study of the Film "Heart Attack" Kin Ho WONG Kin Ho WONG ([email protected]) is a Candidate for Bachelor of Arts in Humanities, expected in 2020, Hong Kong Baptist University Abstract Article Info This paper is a study on the film Heart Attack (also known as Freelance Received 1 January 2020 Ham Puay... Ham Phak... Ham Rak Mor) (2015) by Nawapol Revised 13 July 2020 Thamrongrattanarit which has attained success in the box office despite Accepted 30 July 2020 its alternative filmmaking style to the mainstream. Using textual analysis and intertextuality to study how the art-house director placed himself in the commercial industry with a film that demonstrates both the art-house Keywords: Thai Cinema, and commercial elements, results show that the director’s understanding Film Studies, on audience demands and his strategy of embodying the art-house spirit Art-house Cinema, underneath the commercial contents have been effectively performed in Film Industry, the film. Thailand Introduction Entertaining commercial films are not Thailand National Film Association Awards surprised to attain box office success. Yet the 2016 with eight awards in total and it film Heart Attack (also known as Freelance was screened at various film festivals Ham Puay... Ham Phak... Ham Rak Mor) (Thamrongrattanarit, n.d.). Therefore, this (2015) written and directed by an art-house paper will discuss how Heart Attack attained film director, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, has its commercial success despite being been a rare case which topped the domestic produced in an alternative style and how box office for two weeks and recorded as Nawapol retained his artistic style in a the second-highest-grossing Thai film of commercial film. 2015 (Harvis, 2018). Meanwhile, Heart First, this paper will provide a brief Attack has received most awards in the introduction of the Thai film history and 98 Vol.3 / No.2 July-December 2020 analysis on some notable successful films in international influence on commercial Thai recent years for understanding the specific films in the 2000s. demands and major characteristics of the Thai cinema has had a significant Thai film industry. Besides Heart Attack in change since the ‘New wave’ period which particular, attention will be paid also on started from the late 1990s with notable Nawapol’s previous work for analysing his directors like Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Nonzee filmmaking style so as to discuss the Nimibutr. These former advertisement uniqueness of Nawapol’s work and his directors became jobless under the influence role as an art-house director. Furthermore, of the 1997 Asia Crisis and therefore, they comparing Heart Attack with both other decided to pursue artistic goals instead work by Nawapol and the typical (Baumgärtel, 2012). Although during the commercially successful films, it could help ‘New wave’ period, films could be both examine whether the commercial film commercially and artistically successful industry has affected Nawapol’s filmmaking (Lewis, 2006), it was often mentioned as part style in Heart Attack and how Heart Attack of the independent cinema in publications contrasts the general commercial films like Thai Cinema and Southeast Asian accordingly. independent cinema : essays, documents, The latter part of this paper will be interviews. However, Musikawong(2007) looking deeper into the social and cultural regarded the directors as “semi-independent” representations behind the drama of Heart since they have co-produced with the Attack, thus, to explore the potential industry. It has somehow reflected the blurry relationship between audiences and the film bounder between art-house and commercial and review the potential factors for the in the earlier days, but after all, these success of Heart Attack. directors are less active in the commercial Overall, this paper manages to give a film industry nowadays. clue on how art-house directors could place Still, the ‘New Wave’ directors did themselves in the Thai film industry when not earn as much focus as Apichatpong facing a difficulty in finding domestic Weerasethakul, the most internationally audiences. Or conversely, the possibilities of notable Thai director who have numerous redefining the border between commercial achievements in major international film and art-house films, like a return to the festivals, including the "Palme d’Or" Prize at ‘New wave’ of Thai cinema in late 1990s to the 2010 Cannes Film Festival 1 for Uncle early 2000s. Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives Literature Review 1 The “Palme d’Or” prize is awarded to the Best Most of the research on Feature Film and its director in the official contemporary Thai cinema could be divided competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It is into three main categories: The ‘New wave’ recognised to be one of the most significant cinema, the independent cinema, and awards for filmmakers internationally. Communication and Media in Asia Pacific (CMAP) 99 (2010), let alone other growing directors. Often, it is highly popular in the domestic market there are studies that solely focused on while under explored on both a popular and his work. For instance, the article “Primitive academic level” (p.169-170). However, Gazing: Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Sensational since the book Thai cinema: the complete Inaction Cinema” is a case study on the guide is ambitious in creating an overview unusual storytelling style of Apichatpong. of the full history of Thai cinema which is However, due to restrictions in composed of plenty short film essays, it is language and culture with local-dominated believed that there could be more in-depth contents, the early mainstream Thai films research on the recent Thai film industry. hardly faced the international audiences Yet Heart Attack, which falls under (Panyasopon, 2012, p.2632-2637), until the the “Comedy /Romantic Comedy” chapter in success of Nang-Nak (1999) and Ong-Bak Thai cinema: the complete guide, has combined (2003). Therefore, there started to be art-house spirit and achieved successful results research focusing on how Thai films could on both sides (Chaiworaporn, 2018). However, be sold to international markets and studies there is seldom detailed published work on on horror and action films in the early 2000s the film. Currently one has focused on the like Asian Horror and “Towards a Southeast young adults’ lifestyle reflected in the film Asian Model of Horror: Thai Horror (Rusmeeviengchai, 2018a; 2018b) but Cinema in Malaysia, Urbanization, and conducted in Thai language. As for Nawapol Cultural Proximity”. the director, part of Promkhuntong (2018a)’s Nevertheless, in recent years, the film work is the only study on his work and the industry of Thailand has been rapidly main discussion is on how his earlier evolving. When Ong-Bak has been one of independent work Mary is happy, Mary is the icons of Thai cinema in the eyes of the happy (2013) paid homage to Wong Kar international audiences, now this kind of Wai. films have almost gone in the domestic When Pen-ek says he has often been market. Instead, as Kitiarsa (2012) suggests "complaining" by the local audiences since in her study of two Thai comedies produced his recent films are difficult (Baumgärtel & in 2005-2006 with a social science perspective, Ratanaruang, 2012), Apichatpong struggled “Although scholars have examined the to find domestic funds and audiences as well different generations of Thai cinema, none so (Baumgärtel & Weerasethakul, 2012). This far has focused on Thai comedy film of any has reflected how Thai independent or art- period despite the fact that the comedy genre films are generally not welcomed in the has remained in the mainstream for far longer domestic market. than the so-called ‘New wave’ and other Therefore, Nawapol and Heart Attack generations” (p.205). Ainslie (2018) points are definitely worth a compelling discussion on out a similar view as well, “Comedy and how they have taken the balance in-between romantic comedy draws largest crowds art-house and commercial, thus attaining nationally and the biggest box office takings, success on both sides. 100 Vol.3 / No.2 July-December 2020 Methodology The Commercial Industry Textual analysis with supplementary Major Characteristics reference and intertextuality will be the main Overall, the highest-grossing Thai method for conducting this study. films in recent years (See Appendix A) In order to understand more on the shows that the genre of comedy and evolving commercial film industry, this romance have been playing a significant role paper will first briefly analyze the main in the domestic box office. Pee Mak (2013) characteristics of the box office hits in recent which falls under the category of horror, years. Then, other text related to the romance and comedy and adapted the story consumption habits, culture and lifestyle of a well-known folk "Mae Nak Phra will also be taken as reference to examine Khanong" in the country has topped the list the relationship between the local audiences of the all-time box office record. In fact, the and box office hits. Nevertheless, it is folk has been adapted for numerous film essential to clarify that this is merely versions previously, but none of them were indicative for understanding the commercial presented in a focus of the romantic story industry and there could be many other between the protagonists like in Pee Mak. factors influencing box office performance. Instead of paying attention to “Mae Nak”, Next, Nawapol’s notable feature the ghost wife, which other films that films 36 (2012) , Mary is Happy, Mary is adapted the folk does, the film used "Pee Happy and Die Tomorrow (2017) will be in Mak" , the name of the husband, as its title, focus on both its content and filmmaking implying that it is an alternative presentation techniques for looking into Nawapol’s art- of the folk as well.

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