The film Bangkok Dangerous from the Pang Brothers is so "Thai" that I assumed the Pang Brothers, even with a Chinese name, were from Thailand.
Surprised to hear that they are from Hong Kong.
The film does capture Thai essence and it feels like my years of experience in this culture--outside of experiencing criminals from the terrorist organizations (aka "gang stalking" groups sponsored by Western Nazi Imperialists). In this film it's as if my outsider experience is confirmed that I perhaps understand the subtle naunces of the culture; confirmed in some sense that the Thai culture is represented. I think the reality is that I can associate with another foreigner's impressions.
The photography of Bangkok Dangerous is life moments of agony and bizarro emotions emerging within a fraction of a second; filmed in the frozen moments of emotions which is how one must "read" the signs and signals of the Thai people I have encountered. I have encountered Thai people as long as the Pang Brothers claim they have lived in Thailand. There is also much missing in the dialogue. There is the gangster genre and violence, not alien to the Hong Kong industry. The Thai people I know express emotions in these very almost unnoticable ways. You have to be in the culture to understand the various looks, glances, silences and the situation erupts abruptly into nearly violent shouting if that barrier between silent insinuation and losing all control--suddenly, violent if pushed ot these limits. Otherwise appearing as if there is nothing but a calm surface with a few ripples. If you live in the culture long enough, you understand which direction the ripples in their facial gestures are going and where they eddy or go nowhere. From first impression, it feels like there is almost no personality or emotion except smiling for tourism and blank expressionism. So unlike the very loud Westerners who make it a piont to talk and gesture wildly in animated inflection.
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