Fan Chan
Encyclopedia
Fan Chan is a 2003
Thai
romantic film offering a nostalgic look back at the childhood friendship of a boy and girl growing up in a small town in Thailand
in the 1980s. It was the debut film by six young screenwriter
-directors
, Vitcha Gojiew, Songyos Sugmakanan, Nithiwat Tharathorn
, Witthaya Thongyooyong, Anusorn Trisirikasem and Komgrit Triwimol. With a soundtrack that featured Thai pop music of the era, Fan Chan was the top domestic film at the Thailand box office in 2003, earning 140 million baht.
, receives word that his best friend from childhood, Noi-Naa is to be married. While driving back to his hometown, the memories of his friendship with her come flooding back, and their story is told in a flashback.
Jeab and Noi-Naa live in a small city in Thailand. Their fathers are rival barber
s, with shops situated next to each other, with only a sweet shop to separate them. Jeab's father favors efficiency and uses an electric trimmer. Noi-Naa's father, meanwhile, has a more contemplative, artistic approach, and uses scissors. Jeab notes that the results of both methods seem to be the same.
The school holiday is ended. Jeab is notorious for oversleeping, so that each day he misses the school bus
and must be driven part way by his father on a motorcycle
. By taking a shortcut, Jeab and his father are able to catch up to the bus, but only just in time.
On the bus, other boys are introduced. Their ringleader is an overweight bully named Jack. On the bus, the children talk about what they are going to do after school. The boys decide they will play Chinese
fantasy
characters, while the girls plan to play "house".
Because Jeab must cross a busy street to play with the boys, and he fears getting hit by a car, he stays to play with the girls, which makes him the target of much taunting by Jack and the other boys.
Then, one day, Jack and his friends are playing soccer against a rival neighborhood gang. They are one player short. Jeab happens to be hanging around, and he's asked to join the game, proving his abilities.
He earns the trust of Jack's gang, and passes various tests in order to join. But the one thing he must do is sever his ties to Noi-Naa. Jeab does so, quite literally, by cutting a rubber-band
jump rope, which Noi-Naa is skilled at playing with.
From that moment on, Noi-Naa refuses to talk to Jeab. Then, one day, Jeab gets word that Noi-Naa is moving away. And, of course, on the day she is to leave, Jeab oversleeps and misses the chance to say his final goodbye to Noi-Naa. Jeab then gets Jack and his friends to commandeer a delivery motorcycle and pursue Noi-Naa and her family in their moving truck. But the motorcycle breaks down, and the truck rolls out of sight. Jeab is to never see Noi-Naa again ... until her wedding.
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
Thai
Cinema of Thailand
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by Francois-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited...
romantic film offering a nostalgic look back at the childhood friendship of a boy and girl growing up in a small town in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
in the 1980s. It was the debut film by six young screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
-directors
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, Vitcha Gojiew, Songyos Sugmakanan, Nithiwat Tharathorn
Nithiwat Tharathorn
Nithiwat Tharathorn is a Thai film director. He made his directorial debut alongside five other directors on the 2003 childhood romantic comedy Fan Chan and his solo debut with the romantic comedy Seasons Change in 2006.-External links:...
, Witthaya Thongyooyong, Anusorn Trisirikasem and Komgrit Triwimol. With a soundtrack that featured Thai pop music of the era, Fan Chan was the top domestic film at the Thailand box office in 2003, earning 140 million baht.
Plot
Jeab, a young man working in BangkokBangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, receives word that his best friend from childhood, Noi-Naa is to be married. While driving back to his hometown, the memories of his friendship with her come flooding back, and their story is told in a flashback.
Jeab and Noi-Naa live in a small city in Thailand. Their fathers are rival barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
s, with shops situated next to each other, with only a sweet shop to separate them. Jeab's father favors efficiency and uses an electric trimmer. Noi-Naa's father, meanwhile, has a more contemplative, artistic approach, and uses scissors. Jeab notes that the results of both methods seem to be the same.
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
and must be driven part way by his father on a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
. By taking a shortcut, Jeab and his father are able to catch up to the bus, but only just in time.
On the bus, other boys are introduced. Their ringleader is an overweight bully named Jack. On the bus, the children talk about what they are going to do after school. The boys decide they will play Chinese
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
characters, while the girls plan to play "house".
Because Jeab must cross a busy street to play with the boys, and he fears getting hit by a car, he stays to play with the girls, which makes him the target of much taunting by Jack and the other boys.
Then, one day, Jack and his friends are playing soccer against a rival neighborhood gang. They are one player short. Jeab happens to be hanging around, and he's asked to join the game, proving his abilities.
He earns the trust of Jack's gang, and passes various tests in order to join. But the one thing he must do is sever his ties to Noi-Naa. Jeab does so, quite literally, by cutting a rubber-band
Rubber band
A rubber band is a short length of rubber and latex formed in the shape of a loop and is commonly used to hold multiple objects together...
jump rope, which Noi-Naa is skilled at playing with.
From that moment on, Noi-Naa refuses to talk to Jeab. Then, one day, Jeab gets word that Noi-Naa is moving away. And, of course, on the day she is to leave, Jeab oversleeps and misses the chance to say his final goodbye to Noi-Naa. Jeab then gets Jack and his friends to commandeer a delivery motorcycle and pursue Noi-Naa and her family in their moving truck. But the motorcycle breaks down, and the truck rolls out of sight. Jeab is to never see Noi-Naa again ... until her wedding.
Cast
- Charlie TrairatCharlie TrairatCharlie Trairat or 'NAK' is a Thai film actor. He is the youngest son of 6 siblings. He started his movie career since he was not even 1 y/o in the movie Once Upon A Time directed by Thai classic director 'Bhandit Rittakol.' He became well known after his co-starring role in Fan Chan , the Thai...
as Jeab - Focus Jirakul as Noi-Naa
- Charwin Jitsomboon as Jeab (adult)
- Wongsakorn Rassamitat as Jeab's father
- Arnudsara Jantarangsri as Jeab's mother
- Nipawan Taveepornsawan as Noi-Naa's mother
- Prem TinsulanondaPrem TinsulanondaGeneral Prem Tinsulanonda is a retired Thai military officer who served as Prime Minister of Thailand from March 3, 1980 to August 4, 1988. He now serves as the Head of the Privy Council of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej....
as Himself (on television) - Aphichan Chaleumchainuwong as Dtee
- Preecha Chanapai as Noi-Naa's father
- Anyarit Pitakkul as Boy
- Yok Teeranitayatarn as Manoj
- Chaleumpol Tikumpornteerawong as Jack
- Thana Vichayasuranan as Prik
Trivia
- Preecha Chanapai (also known as Lek Carabao of the band CarabaoCarabao (band)Carabao are a Thai rock band which is very popular in Thailand and other Asian countries. The group was formed in 1976 by university students Yuenyong Opakul and Kirati Promsaka Na Sakon Nakhon who met while studying in the Philippines...
), who portrayed Noi-Naa's long-haired, moustachioed father, reprised his role of a barber in Dear Dakanda, a 20052005 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
film directed by one of the six Fan Chan directors, Komgrit Triwimol. - Fan Chan was released in IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
in 2006 as First Love, with a soundtrack dubbed in IndonesianIndonesian languageIndonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
and featuring the country's pop music of the era.