According to I Love You, Thank You, there are two kinds of people in love: those who leave and those who are left behind. Or to put it another way: those who are watched and those who watch from afar. The film shows us the myriad permutations of these types of people who suffer through unrequited love, their lives criss-crossing in interesting ways.
All of the men in this film are in a precarious state of transience; they either wade through their lives aimless and without purpose or are unsure of future prospects with present company. This sense of social dislocation is further amplified by the film's setting of Thailand, a place familiar on the surface but different enough to generate a feeling of lostness.
They try to seek companionship from other men, but this proves elusive, with none of the characters involved staying in a stable relationship for any extended period of time. Their volatile state stems from a sense of fear perhaps, or self loathing, reflections of the restlessness of their young selves.
That said, the film can sometimes veer into territory that is meant to be dramatic, but ends up silly, even mawkish (certain chase scenes come to mind.) The film tends to externalize its thoughts in the form of dialogue, to the point that the film is excessively verbose. It's a decision that looks artful, but reeks of artificiality. In this regard a little bit of subtlety could have helped immensely.
The standout performance belongs to Joross Gamboa, whose role ends up being the most complex. It's a challenging role and Gamboa steps up to the challenge quite well. The film's handheld camerawork lets its frames meander a little bit for emotional impact. Sometimes, the effect works really well.
I Love You Thank You has its share of flaws, but its depiction of lives in transition proves to be quite intriguing.
Cinelokal screens at selected SM cinemas, with new films out every Friday. Visit the Cinelokal Facebook page for more details.
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