''Mundane History'' ( th, เจ้านกกระจอก) is a 2009 film by the Thai film-maker

Anocha Suwichakornpong Anocha Suwichakornpong ( th, อโนชา สุวิชากรพงศ์, born 1976) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter and producer. She is Visiting Lecturer on Art, Film, and Visual Studies at Harvard University. Her ...

. She wrote, co-produced and directed the film. It is described as “one of the most startling and original feature debuts of recent years", and received its world premiere on 10 October 2009 at the

14th Busan International Film Festival The 14th Busan International Film Festival was held from October 8 to October 16, 2009, in Busan, South Korea. A total of 355 films from over 70 countries were screened, beating the record set in the last festival. With a total attendance of 173,5 ...

in South Korea. It was the first Thai film to receive the country's most restrictive viewing rating, due to a scene of full-frontal male nudity and masturbation. Mundane History won the Tiger Award at the 2010 International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Plot

Mundane History centres on the friendship that develops between a young paralysed man from a wealthy

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

family and his male nurse from

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan ( Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 prov ...

in the North of Thailand. The film is also a commentary on Thailand's class-based society and the frailty of life. It premiered at the 2009

Pusan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...

, where it was in the New Currents competition and also opened the World Film Festival of Bangkok. It made its European Premiere in the Tiger Awards competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and was among the three films in 15-title line-up that won the Tiger Award.

Main cast

*Arkaney Cherkam as Pun *Paramej Noiam as Father *Anchana Ponpitakthepkijo as Somjai *Phakpoom Surapongsanuruk as Ake

Production

Made for $150,000, ''Mundane History'' was financed by the filmmaker's family and friends as well as grants and awards from the Hubert Bals Fund of the

Rotterdam International Film Festival The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...

Rating

Featuring a scene of full-frontal male nudity and masturbation, it was the first

Thai film The cinema of Thailand dates back to the History of film, early days of filmmaking, when Chulalongkorn, King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by François-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, wher ...

under Thailand's motion-picture rating system to be given the most-restrictive 20+ rating.

References

External links