13 Beloved
Encyclopedia
13 Beloved is a 2006 Thai horror comedy/psychological thriller
film written and directed by Chukiat Sakveerakul and starring Krissada Sukosol Clapp
. The story, about a man who is led through progressively challenging, degrading, and dangerous stunts by mysterious callers from an underground reality game show
, is adapted from the 13th Quiz Show episode in the My Mania comic-book series by Eakasit Thairaat. It was the second feature-length film for Chukiat, who previously directed the horror film, Pisaj
.
The film won several awards in Thailand and from film festivals. Remake rights for the film were purchased by The Weinstein Company
.
is standing at the crosswalk of a busy intersection in Bangkok and sees an elderly woman carrying some bags, struggling to make her way across the street. The woman drops some of her belongings, and as the seconds tick away before the lights will change, the boy runs out to assist the woman. In the confusion, he drops his mobile phone, and leaves it in the street while he helps the woman to safety. Just as the light changes and traffic starts to rush forward, the boy runs out to retrieve his phone, where he is hit by a bus and killed.
The scene then shifts to Phuchit Puengnathong (ภูชิต พึ่งนาทอง) (Krissada Sukosol Clapp
), a struggling Yamaha Corporation salesman. He arrives at a potential client's school to find that a co-worker from his firm has already made the sale. His girlfriend, Maew, has recently dumped him to become a pop star. He lives alone in a small apartment. The next morning, he finds that his car has been repossessed. He arrives at work and is called into his boss's office, and is forced to resign due to his lack of sales.
He goes out to the stairwell to gather his thoughts and have a cigarette. He then discovers he has no more. He has a big stack of overdue bills from credit companies. However, his mobile phone is still working. His mother calls. She needs some money to pay for his younger brother's schooling. Puchit agrees to send her some money.
Angrily, he crumples his credit-card statements and bills and throws them to the floor. His phone rings again. The caller says Phuchit has a chance to win 10,000 baht
. Phuchit is ready to hang up, thinking the call is cruel joke being played on him by his co-workers or friends. But then the caller tells Phuchit his full name, age, employment status and other details that makes Phuchit stay on the line. To win the 10,000 baht, all he has to do is swat a fly which is at that very moment buzzing around him and has been pestering him the whole time he's been sitting in the stairwell. The caller even says there is a rolled up newspaper nearby. Phutchit grabs the paper and swats the fly.
He immediately receives a message that 10,000 baht has been transferred to his bank account. His phone immediately rings again. The caller says Phuchit will win more money if he eats the dead fly. He goes back to his desk, holding the fly while debating whether to eat it. One of his co-workers, a friend, Tong (Achita Sikamana), comes to see him, just as he pops the fly into his mouth. She is stunned and is not sure what to say to him.
Phuchit receives another phone call. The caller explains that if he completes 11 more tasks, he will win 100 million baht. Needing the money, Phuchit reluctantly agrees to the play the game. The caller explains that if he quits the game or anyone discovers that he's playing the game, he'll forfeit all his winnings so far.
For the third stunt, he is told he must make some children cry. This act makes Phuchit recall his childhood, in which his father crushed his toys by stomping on them; Phuchit's father, a farang
named John Adams (Philip Wilson), had married his Thai mother (Sukulya Kongkawong). Next, Phuchit must steal coins from a beggar.
For his fifth stunt, Phuchit is told to go to a fine Chinese restaurant. He is brought a covered plate that contains feces and he is told that he must eat it. This makes Phuchit recall when some bullies tried to make him eat dog feces when he was a child.
The stunts grow increasingly degrading, unlawful and deadly. His sixth is to fight with a gang of school-age thugs while riding a public bus in order to get another mobile phone. He must jump down a well and drag up the corpse of a dead man. He has to beat up his ex-girlfriend Maew's new boyfriend with a chair. Next, he must break an elderly woman (the same old woman from the first scene) out of a hospital. The game causes Phuchit to recall his childhood, when he was beaten by his cruel farang father, was taunted by bullies and other bad memories.
Meanwhile, Phuchit's friend Tong is concerned about the strange behavior she witnessed earlier in the office and later in the Chinese restaurant, and putting together clues overheard at the police station, she goes to her computer at work and gets on the internet. A computer expert, she manages to hack into a website for a game called 13. However, unbeknownst to her, she is being watched, and unwittingly, she is made part of the game.
A police detective, Surachai, also becomes involved, and comes close to catching Phuchit. However, Phuchit evades capture, and a higher-ranking police official orders Surachai to call off the pursuit.
Eventually, Tong's life is put at risk. She discovers the place where the game is being run from, and confronts the game's mastermind, a young boy named Kie, who tells Tong he is powerless to stop the game, saying he is "just a component" in the live, underground reality game involves players and viewers that perhaps number in the thousands.
Phuchit finds himself confronted by Adams, who is laying strapped to a wheelchair, wearing a straitjacket and appears to be unconscious. To win the 100 million baht, Phuchit must stab Adams with a butcher knife. Phuchit is unable to do this; Adams stabs Phuchit to death, therefore winning his game. Tong screams at Kie, and Kie leaves as his minions hold her. Tong later wakes up on a bus bench.
(or "pocket book" as it is called in Thailand) series by Eakasit Thairaat.
Director Matthew Chookiat Sakveerakul said the film is a reflection on what he views as materialism in Thai society.
"There are plenty of movies out there that are only for fun," Chukiat said in an interview. "I am more interested in political and social issues, so my movies address these and human issues as well. All in all, movies do address the state of being human, with themes such as love, and obsessions of one kind or another. But some just scratch the surface.
Thailand's prime minister at the time, Thaksin Shinawatra
, is directly referenced in the film – his photo is on the newspaper that Phuchit uses to swat a fly.
The film covers one day but actually took about seven months to film.
The fifth stunt involved Phuchit eating a plate of feces, which in reality was a mix of durian
, syrup and peanuts.
A short film prequel
, 12 Begin, was also made as part of the film's pre-release promotional campaign. It was shown in limited screenings at SF Cinema City
theaters. A sequel called 14 Beyond is now completed and will be released in Thailand 2009.
in Thai cinemas on October 5, 2006. It was also screened commercially in Japan and Singapore in June 2007. Its North American premiere was at the 2007 Fantasia Festival
in Montreal. It also screened at the 2007 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival
, where it won the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation
Asian Film Award. It also screened at the 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival
in the non-competition "Thai Panorama" program. The film has been released on Region 3
DVD in Singapore
, with English subtitles. It released theatrically in Hong Kong on January 24, 2008.
.
s Kong Rithdee calling it a "smart, ambitious commercial film" with shortcomings that "are the results of risk-taking rather than of incompetence." Maggie Lee, writing for Hollywood Reporter, called 13 Beloved "one of those accomplished suspense thrillers that mount the tension stage by stage without running out of steam at the end, it is also an unyieldingly cynical exploration of the human heart of darkness with an oedipal climax that makes it a field-day for Freudians
."
. The remake will be directed by Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism
) and written by Stamm and David Birke.
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
film written and directed by Chukiat Sakveerakul and starring Krissada Sukosol Clapp
Krissada Terrence
Krissada Terrence. is a Thai-American pop singer and actor. He is member of the Thai pop band Pru...
. The story, about a man who is led through progressively challenging, degrading, and dangerous stunts by mysterious callers from an underground reality game show
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
, is adapted from the 13th Quiz Show episode in the My Mania comic-book series by Eakasit Thairaat. It was the second feature-length film for Chukiat, who previously directed the horror film, Pisaj
Pisaj
Pisaj is a 2004 Thai horror film directed by Mae-deaw Chukiatsakwirakul.-Plot:After her parents are killed in a drive-by shooting, a young woman named Oui has no place else to go...
.
The film won several awards in Thailand and from film festivals. Remake rights for the film were purchased by The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
.
Plot
A Boy ScoutBoy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
is standing at the crosswalk of a busy intersection in Bangkok and sees an elderly woman carrying some bags, struggling to make her way across the street. The woman drops some of her belongings, and as the seconds tick away before the lights will change, the boy runs out to assist the woman. In the confusion, he drops his mobile phone, and leaves it in the street while he helps the woman to safety. Just as the light changes and traffic starts to rush forward, the boy runs out to retrieve his phone, where he is hit by a bus and killed.
The scene then shifts to Phuchit Puengnathong (ภูชิต พึ่งนาทอง) (Krissada Sukosol Clapp
Krissada Terrence
Krissada Terrence. is a Thai-American pop singer and actor. He is member of the Thai pop band Pru...
), a struggling Yamaha Corporation salesman. He arrives at a potential client's school to find that a co-worker from his firm has already made the sale. His girlfriend, Maew, has recently dumped him to become a pop star. He lives alone in a small apartment. The next morning, he finds that his car has been repossessed. He arrives at work and is called into his boss's office, and is forced to resign due to his lack of sales.
He goes out to the stairwell to gather his thoughts and have a cigarette. He then discovers he has no more. He has a big stack of overdue bills from credit companies. However, his mobile phone is still working. His mother calls. She needs some money to pay for his younger brother's schooling. Puchit agrees to send her some money.
Angrily, he crumples his credit-card statements and bills and throws them to the floor. His phone rings again. The caller says Phuchit has a chance to win 10,000 baht
Thai baht
The baht is the currency of Thailand. It is subdivided into 100 satang . The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand.-History:The baht, like the pound, originated from a traditional unit of mass...
. Phuchit is ready to hang up, thinking the call is cruel joke being played on him by his co-workers or friends. But then the caller tells Phuchit his full name, age, employment status and other details that makes Phuchit stay on the line. To win the 10,000 baht, all he has to do is swat a fly which is at that very moment buzzing around him and has been pestering him the whole time he's been sitting in the stairwell. The caller even says there is a rolled up newspaper nearby. Phutchit grabs the paper and swats the fly.
He immediately receives a message that 10,000 baht has been transferred to his bank account. His phone immediately rings again. The caller says Phuchit will win more money if he eats the dead fly. He goes back to his desk, holding the fly while debating whether to eat it. One of his co-workers, a friend, Tong (Achita Sikamana), comes to see him, just as he pops the fly into his mouth. She is stunned and is not sure what to say to him.
Phuchit receives another phone call. The caller explains that if he completes 11 more tasks, he will win 100 million baht. Needing the money, Phuchit reluctantly agrees to the play the game. The caller explains that if he quits the game or anyone discovers that he's playing the game, he'll forfeit all his winnings so far.
| Phuchit's 13 tasks |
|
For the third stunt, he is told he must make some children cry. This act makes Phuchit recall his childhood, in which his father crushed his toys by stomping on them; Phuchit's father, a farang
Farang
Farang , also spelled falang, is the generic Thai word for a Westerner. A general term for foreigners is khon tang prathet . There is no expressly negative or positive implication in the word itself. However when it is used along with other words, it can bring a negative meaning depending on...
named John Adams (Philip Wilson), had married his Thai mother (Sukulya Kongkawong). Next, Phuchit must steal coins from a beggar.
For his fifth stunt, Phuchit is told to go to a fine Chinese restaurant. He is brought a covered plate that contains feces and he is told that he must eat it. This makes Phuchit recall when some bullies tried to make him eat dog feces when he was a child.
The stunts grow increasingly degrading, unlawful and deadly. His sixth is to fight with a gang of school-age thugs while riding a public bus in order to get another mobile phone. He must jump down a well and drag up the corpse of a dead man. He has to beat up his ex-girlfriend Maew's new boyfriend with a chair. Next, he must break an elderly woman (the same old woman from the first scene) out of a hospital. The game causes Phuchit to recall his childhood, when he was beaten by his cruel farang father, was taunted by bullies and other bad memories.
Meanwhile, Phuchit's friend Tong is concerned about the strange behavior she witnessed earlier in the office and later in the Chinese restaurant, and putting together clues overheard at the police station, she goes to her computer at work and gets on the internet. A computer expert, she manages to hack into a website for a game called 13. However, unbeknownst to her, she is being watched, and unwittingly, she is made part of the game.
A police detective, Surachai, also becomes involved, and comes close to catching Phuchit. However, Phuchit evades capture, and a higher-ranking police official orders Surachai to call off the pursuit.
Eventually, Tong's life is put at risk. She discovers the place where the game is being run from, and confronts the game's mastermind, a young boy named Kie, who tells Tong he is powerless to stop the game, saying he is "just a component" in the live, underground reality game involves players and viewers that perhaps number in the thousands.
Phuchit finds himself confronted by Adams, who is laying strapped to a wheelchair, wearing a straitjacket and appears to be unconscious. To win the 100 million baht, Phuchit must stab Adams with a butcher knife. Phuchit is unable to do this; Adams stabs Phuchit to death, therefore winning his game. Tong screams at Kie, and Kie leaves as his minions hold her. Tong later wakes up on a bus bench.
Cast
- Krissada Sukosol ClappKrissada TerrenceKrissada Terrence. is a Thai-American pop singer and actor. He is member of the Thai pop band Pru...
as Phuchit Puengnathong (Chad in the English dub)- Nakarin Triemmerang as Phuchit, age 8
- Chano Pemberger as Phuchit, age 11
- Stuart Nombluez as Phuchit, age 14
- Achita Sikamana as Tong
- Sarunyu Wongkrachang as Surachai (Tay's father in "12 begin" and police in 13 beloved)
- Nattapong Arunnate as Mix
- Namfon Pakdee as Maew (Mona in the English dub)
- Piyapan ChoopetchPiyapan ChoopetchPiyapan Choopetch is a Thai film director and screenwriter. His films include Necromancer and Vow of Death.- Director :# Necromancer # Vow of Death # My Ex...
as Chalerm (Brian in the English dub) - Philip Wilson as Phuchit's father, John Adams
- Sukulya Kongkawong as Phuchit's mother
- Alexander RendellAlexander RendellAlexander Simon Rendell is an English-Thai actor and singer. He has starred in films such as The Tesseract , Indiana Joai: Elephant Cemetery , Pisaj and 13 Beloved ....
as Tay (Main character in 12 begin) - Poon Tabthong as Old woman
- Suthon Wechkama as Mad man
Production
13 Beloved is adapted from the 13th Quiz Show episode in the My Mania graphic novelGraphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
(or "pocket book" as it is called in Thailand) series by Eakasit Thairaat.
Director Matthew Chookiat Sakveerakul said the film is a reflection on what he views as materialism in Thai society.
"There are plenty of movies out there that are only for fun," Chukiat said in an interview. "I am more interested in political and social issues, so my movies address these and human issues as well. All in all, movies do address the state of being human, with themes such as love, and obsessions of one kind or another. But some just scratch the surface.
Thailand's prime minister at the time, Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
, is directly referenced in the film – his photo is on the newspaper that Phuchit uses to swat a fly.
The film covers one day but actually took about seven months to film.
The fifth stunt involved Phuchit eating a plate of feces, which in reality was a mix of durian
Durian
The durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family . Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk...
, syrup and peanuts.
A short film prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
, 12 Begin, was also made as part of the film's pre-release promotional campaign. It was shown in limited screenings at SF Cinema City
SF Cinema City
SF Group is a movie-theater and entertainment-leisure venue operator in Thailand. Behind the combined operations of Major Cineplex and the EGV chain, SF Group is the second-largest theater chain in Thailand, with more than 200 screens in 30 locations.-History:...
theaters. A sequel called 14 Beyond is now completed and will be released in Thailand 2009.
Release
The film opened in wide releaseWide release
Wide release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing nationally . Specifically, a movie is considered to be in wide release when it is on 600 screens or more in the United States and Canada.In the US, films holding an NC-17 rating almost never have a...
in Thai cinemas on October 5, 2006. It was also screened commercially in Japan and Singapore in June 2007. Its North American premiere was at the 2007 Fantasia Festival
Fantasia Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996...
in Montreal. It also screened at the 2007 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival
Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival
The Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival , or PiFan, is an international film festival held annually in July in Bucheon, South Korea...
, where it won the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation
European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation
European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation , established in 1996, is a film organisation based Brussels, Belgium, dedicated to promoting and supporting European cinema, particularly films in the fantasy, horror and science fiction genres....
Asian Film Award. It also screened at the 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival
2007 Bangkok International Film Festival
The 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival was held from July 19 to July 29, 2007, at SF Group's SF World Cinema at CentralWorld. The fifth consecutive year for the festival, organizers planned a program of about 100 films, with an emphasis on Asian cinema....
in the non-competition "Thai Panorama" program. The film has been released on Region 3
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
DVD in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, with English subtitles. It released theatrically in Hong Kong on January 24, 2008.
Box office
13 Beloved was number one in Thai cinemas on opening weekend, earning US$266,218 and edging out the previous week's number one film, Rob-B-HoodRob-B-Hood
Rob-B-Hood is a 2006 action comedy film directed by Benny Chan, and starring Jackie Chan, Louis Koo and Michael Hui. It was produced with a budget of HK$130 million and filmed between December 2005 and January 2006...
.
Critical reception
The film was hailed critically as well, with the Bangkok PostBangkok Post
The Bangkok Post is a broadsheet, English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. The first issue was sold on August 1, 1946. It had four pages and cost 1 baht, a considerable amount at the time....
s Kong Rithdee calling it a "smart, ambitious commercial film" with shortcomings that "are the results of risk-taking rather than of incompetence." Maggie Lee, writing for Hollywood Reporter, called 13 Beloved "one of those accomplished suspense thrillers that mount the tension stage by stage without running out of steam at the end, it is also an unyieldingly cynical exploration of the human heart of darkness with an oedipal climax that makes it a field-day for Freudians
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
."
Accolades
- Thailand National Film Association AwardsThailand National Film Association AwardsThe Thailand National Film Association Awards is a Thai film industry ceremony held annually by the Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand...
- Best Actor (Krissada Sukosol ClappKrissada TerrenceKrissada Terrence. is a Thai-American pop singer and actor. He is member of the Thai pop band Pru...
) - Special Image Creation (Best Visual Effect)
- Best Actor (Krissada Sukosol Clapp
- Golden Doll Awards
- Best Cinematography
- Bangkok Critics Assembly
- Best Actor (Krissada Sukosol Clapp)
- Best Editing
- Starpics Awards
- Best Actor (Krissada Sukosol Clapp)
- 2007 Fantasia FestivalFantasia FestivalFantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996...
- Public Prize, Gold Fantasia, Best Asian
- Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film
- Golden Raven Award
American remake
Remake rights for the film were purchased by The Weinstein CompanyThe Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
. The remake will be directed by Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism
The Last Exorcism
The Last Exorcism is a 2010 American found footage horror film directed and edited by Daniel Stamm. It stars Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, and Louis Herthum....
) and written by Stamm and David Birke.