While much of the Romanian New Wave is draped heavily in complex socio-political ambitions, Paul Negoescu's A Month In Thailand offers up a pleasant counterbalance, one which asserts universal truths through its minimalist design A simple slice-of-life story, Negoescu's A Month In Thailand details the romantic follies of Radu, a 20-something male who is stuck in the inertia between adolescence and full-blown adulthood, a character who struggles understanding what he wants in a relationship due to his failures in understanding himself. Much of the film is centered around Radu's sense of doubt and longing, as he finds himself unsure about his current relationship with Adina, a young woman whom seems profoundly in-love with him, a buoy to their companionship which feels unsustainable long term. Radu's reservations are amplified after a chance encounter leads him face-to-face with his ex-girlfriend, Nadia, which only strokes the fires of uncertainty in Radu, who begins to question everything about who he is and what he wants out of a companion. A whollyfully organic observational study, A Month in Thailand is nonjudgmental and holistic in approach. It's a film told completely from the perspective of Radu as he grapples with complex emotions related to temptation, longing, self-doubt, and comfort, all viewed through the context of love and companionship. We as the viewer are given no background into Radu's typical demeanor when it comes to relationships, we have no clue if his indecisiveness and pining for his ex are an anomaly or part of a trend; It doesn't matter because the film's lens lacks judgement, intent instead on delivering an observational deconstructing this character in a way that reveals universal truths related to the confliction between love & self-interest, with Radu himself perhaps having too much the infalliable idolization of what he wants out of a relationship, something which is frankly unattainable. A Month in Thailand's minimal formalism only amplify the universal nature of its story; one which finds a character desperately attempting to find love. Through his stumbles and various follies we see a character who is trying to desperately understand himself, one whose indecisiveness in his relationships stems from his own lack of understanding of himself, a universal truth which often leads to an imbalance in most relationships. A Month In Thailand is a film which doesn't pretend to have any answers to the timeless game of courtship, companionship, and ultimately love; All it offers is a window into the struggles of one man in Radu, using this character to evoke some profound assertions related to the importance of understanding oneself as it pertains to finding love and companionship.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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