Citizen Dog

A film that is stunning for its visual virtuosity, its absurd humour and the pace at which the story is told. A film that does not take itself too seriously and raises this self-satire to a special level. 'Laugh at me,' the film seems to want to say, while it also manages to be moving - almost surreptitiously. After the equally stunning and very original début by Wisit Sasanatieng, the festival and art-house hit Tears of the Black Tiger, film lovers have had to wait quite a long time for this sequel. A sequel that is different but will not disappoint. The film is based on a book written by Sasanatieng's wife Koynuch and that he then illustrated. The story is crazy but simple. The refinement is in the exuberant way it is told and portrayed. The protagonist is the country kid Pod. Not the most intelligent, but very charming in a naive way. He moves to Bangkok to seek fame and fortune, gets plenty of jobs and falls in love with a career woman far out of his league. The director has made lavish use of digital effects (CGIs, Computer Generated Images) in order to transform grey Bangkok into a surrealistic fairytale land in bright colours, full of strange sets. Features a curious cameo by critic and Rotterdam talk-show host Chuck Stephens. (GjZ)