I decided a retentive time ago that I never want to be a parent. The reason is very childlike – I do n’t think I ‘d be at all thoroughly at it. I do n’t berate myself besides badly for this, because I think being a good rear is incredibly hard – credibly the hardest thing you could always undertake, in fact, and there ‘s no leave office when it gets ruffianly. deplorably, I think there are a lot of people that become parents without always having actually thought about this. Some of them no doubt succeed admirably, but it ‘s hard to look at the way a lot of kids grow up and say that their parents have in truth done them judge.

such is the theme of Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol ‘s 1996 movie Sia Dai/Sei Dai/Daughter, anyhow. It tells the report of four adolescent girls whose parents have let them down in one way or another, and the harm their upbringing has done to them. In the absence of a love home and familial support, the girls have taken to skipping school to go to the plaza … and then sniffing glue or prostituting themselves, amongst other things.

Disaffected and trouble oneself youth is not an unusual composition in movies these days – it seems that no movie about kids is complete without a mangle, a rape and a suicide these days. Sia Dai manages to avoid two of these, but manages to provide a black adequate universe for the four girls without them.

There are some directors whose mention is adequate to make me buy a DVD without knowing anything more about the film – Chatrichalerm Yukol is one. Sia Dai is a million miles aside from Suriyothai or The Elephant Keeper, but shows the prince ‘s talents as a film manufacturer again. The movie is filmed in a pseudo-documentary vogue, telling most of the narrative in a series of flashbacks that fill in the details of incidents that characters mention in the interview-like sections. It ‘s a very effective way of telling the girls ‘ floor.

And what a grim floor it is ! The four girls are all identical dulcet and likable, but life has not treated them well, and their own attempts to achieve happiness are surely misguided. Their friendship with each other is the one thing they have that they can in truth depend on in life, and together they try to get by in the earth the best they can. Either that or escape it for a while with drugs.

The movie seems very naturalistic, and I do n’t doubt that the floor of these girls is very much like thousands of truthful stories out there. This is a sad thing to think about, and Chatrichalerm wants to make sure we get this point. The fundamental message throughout is “ This could be your daughter … what are you doing each day to try to make surely it ‘s not ? ”. It ‘s possibly unfair to point the blame therefore completely at the girls ‘ parents, though the social conditions they are in are possibly given a vaguely critical glance besides. Being a parent is hard, but being a poor parent is *really* hard.

Although the girls ‘ history is a sad one – agonizing, even – there is ultimately a little abstemious at the end of the burrow, and the possibility of redemption is offered.

The prince ‘s direct and report impressive is effective, but the movie truly rests on the performances of the frame. Everybody does a good job, but specially the four girls that are the core concenter. The actresses all give very knock-down performances in demanding roles. It must have been very hard to go through all the most personal and atrocious moments of these characters lives, and I imagine that being in the film will have left them quite affected. I do n’t have a clue what the background of the actresses is, but their potent performances ( and expert treatment of the assorted drugs paraphenalia in the film ) possibly indicate that their own lives have not been terribly fortunate. Or possibly they ‘re just very good actresses working under a great director – it ‘s decent to think that anyhow

With so many movies about kids on the rocks these days, it ‘s hard to say whether Sia Dai makes for essential see or not. Certainly it ‘s a good film, but there a better ones out there – at least, ones that are more enjoyable. Sia Dai is not meant to be entertain, and it is n’t going to make you feel good when its over. If you ‘re looking for escape, count elsewhere, but if you do n’t mind something a little more challenge then Sia Dai is at least well made.

The Thai DVD is presented entire frame with removable subtitles. 4:3 appears to be the correct aspect ratio for the film, as nothing felt cropped. visualize and voice are about the timbre of a VHS – which is probably because that ‘s precisely what it was transferred from The removable subtitles mean it ‘s a big step up from The Elephant Keeper or Gunman DVDs, at least – and to be honest I ‘m barely happy to see more films by this very interest conductor getting released with english subs at all.