Nymph (Thai: นางไม้, translit. Nang mai[1]) is a 2009 Thai drama film directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. It competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.[2][3] The 'nymph' in the story is based on the Thai legendary Nang Mai tree deity.

Nymph
Directed byPen-Ek Ratanaruang
StarringJayanama Nopachai
CinematographyCharnkit Chamnivikaipong
Edited byPatamanadda Yukol
Release date
  • 1 July 2009 (2009-07-01)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryThailand
LanguageThai

Plot

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May is a city woman who has everything she could ask for. Her long-time husband, Nop, showers love and attention on her. But fate or desire play tricks on the couple who watches their lives drift by without much thought or reflection, and May starts an affair with Korn, himself a married man. One day Nop, a professional photographer, is assigned to take a trip into the forest to film its wildlife. He decides to bring his wife along. But the journey slowly reveals how the invisible weight of their urban lifestyle haunt them like a spectre. When her husband fails to return to the tent, May sets out to look for him and then Nop returns but the forest has changed him into someone else.

Cast

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Analysis

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The film is Ratanaruang's seventh feature.[4]

A review in Hollywood Reporter described the filming techniques as follows: "A large proportion of the film is shot with a handheld camera that skillfully simulates the viewpoint and sensory reactions of someone fumbling through the jungle, occasionally varied by some sweeping shots that take in the enormity of the area from above."[5] Both this review and a review at Critikat, although positive, find the film would have gained by seeing its length reduced.[6]

Another commentator finds that the film "makes use of the forest spirits to portray how bad relationships can get"[7]

References

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  1. ^ "NANG MAI (NYMPH)". Festival de Cannes. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  2. ^ festivaldecannes (19 May 2009). "A "Nymph" ventures into Un Certain Regard". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  3. ^ Marshall2009-05-21T08:16:00+01:00, Lee. "Nymph". Screen. Retrieved 11 December 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Nymph (2009) Movie Review from Eye for Film". www.eyeforfilm.co.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  5. ^ Maggie Lee (23 May 2009). "Nymph — Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  6. ^ Pasquier, Marion (26 May 2009). "Nymph". Critikat (in French). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  7. ^ Ainslie, Mary J.; Ancuta, Katarzyna (4 May 2018). Thai Cinema: The Complete Guide. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-83860-925-2.
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