A Film Screening jointly presented by The Arts House
and Objectifs Films
The Arts House, Screening Room
1, Old Parliament Lane
Thur: Nov 15 and 22, 730pm
Sat : Nov 17 and 24, 4pm
Tickets: $8 / $6 (concession)
Please visit www.theartshouse.com.sg
for more details.
“[I-San Special] is funny and provocative, inexplicable
and easy to enjoy. In other words, quite something.”- Tony Rayns
Strange things happen under a full moon. Thai director Mingmongkol Sonakul
transports the audience into the surreal world of Thai soap opera as they
are taken on a bus trip to Isan, Thailand’s northeastern province.
On this particular night, the routine journey transforms into a soap opera
as passengers take on the voices of characters in a TV-style soap opera.
Whenever the bus stops for breaks, passengers revert to their original
selves. As two journeys take place as the bus runs along, one soon realises
that reality and fiction do not differ all that much after all.
This second season of film screenings, a collaboration between The Arts
House and Objectifs Films, aims to showcase films that will open a whole
new world for the audience.
I-San Special(2002)
112 min/ Drama/ Thailand
Director: Mingmongkol Sonakul
With English subtitles
Synopsis:
“I-San Special” is a bus that travels from Bangkok to Nong Bua, a very small town in Northeastern Thailand (I-San). On this bus, a group of up-country and native I-San is returning to their hometown via the normal bus route. However, in this “Special Bus” the routine route under a full moon night is anything but usual. The travelers become the focus of a story worthy of the surreal world of Thai Soap Opera. Their scripted drama unfolds as the bus travels east interrupted only the reality of gas station stop and other usual roadside diversions. At first glance, the film will look as if it is divided into two parts: the soap style acting on the bus, and the documentary-style story telling of the bus passengers off the bus. However, as the film goes on, we will see that these two sections are not really parallel. There are many links between these two worlds: the world of a harsh reality and the world of a surreal soap.
Objectifs students should show their Objectifs student card at The Arts
House box office to qualify for the concession rate. Visit www.theartshouse.com.sg
for more details.