Review for ‘‘Pretty Men’ by Kasidid Kangkarn
Experimental. Controversial. Independent. Nightmarish. Raw. Loose. Kasidid Kangkarn's half-hour short called Pretty Men, only his second foray into filmmaking, is characterized by all these words and more. A man who wears his influences on his sleeve yet isn't afraid to go beyond the beaten path, this young director impresses with an ambitious, flawed project.
Even though not a single line of dialogue is spoken during the short, vivid imagery, intense symbolism and inventive camerawork all contribute to a series of sequences that touch on themes of sexual violence, unwanted pregnancy, social inequality and the reality of urban life, the constant presence and impact of stress, and the way our subconscious internalizes the challenges of everyday life. Without a specific plot to speak of, Pretty Men is more a series of dreamy, drab scenes and visual metaphors that express the spectrum of negative emotions the average person experiences at the beginning of their adult life, be it something frequent such as anxiety or body dysmorphia, or a rare and traumatic event, such as an unwanted pregnancy, a rape, depression or feelings of extreme isolation and thoughts of self-harm. Though devoid of a thematic throughline, the short nonetheless works as an atmospheric macabre gallery of sorts.
The film's technical aspects are at the same time impressive, given its nonexistent budget and the fact it was shot entirely on iphone, and rather derivative and sometimes aimless. These flaws are to be expected however from such a young creator still in the first steps of his career. At the same time, some ideas and artistic choices impress in their thoughtfulness. The choice of an uncomfortable, oppressive aspect ratio, the clean, geometric photography of fundamentally dirty and chaotic objects, the contrast between themes of pregnancy and fertilization versus the male figure depicted as considering a self-caesarean-section, as well as the color distortion of even outside shots produce a disorienting, discomforting effect that masterfully leaves the viewer on edge.
All in all, an extremely dynamic and ambitious effort by one of the youngest directors to even honor our festival, that shows not only promise and great intentions on the creator's part, but also a deeply human and empathetic viewpoint of the world, and a desire to share his deepest thoughts through the visual arts. All these ingredients craft a mixture that has our eyes and ears ready for more.
