Love of Siam (Rak haeng Siam) (2008)

88% of users liked it
(1,631 ratings)

Two young men go from friends to lovers as one stands on the verge of stardom in this drama from Thailand. Mew and Tong were best friends as children, and Tong's sister Tang was a close confidant to them both. Years later, Mew (Witwisit Hiranyawongkul) has become a professional musician, and he's… More Two young men go from friends to lovers as one stands on the verge of stardom in this drama from Thailand. Mew and Tong were best friends as children, and Tong's sister Tang was a close confidant to them both. Years later, Mew (Witwisit Hiranyawongkul) has become a professional musician, and he's the lead singer and songwriter with a pop group, August, who are poised to achieve major commercial success. One day, Mew happens to meet Tong (Mario Maurer) for the first time in years, and the two waste no time getting reacquainted; while both of them have girlfriends, it becomes clear that there's a bond between them that they've never felt with other people, and their friendship begins to grow into something deeper. Meanwhile, Tong's family is still reeling from Tang's mysterious disappearance several years before, and her father, Korn (Songsit Roongnophakunsri), has become a hopeless alcoholic. When Tong meets June (Chermarn Boonyasak), a personal assistant for August, he's struck by her uncanny resemblance to Tang, and asks her to pose as his sister in hopes her presence will help his father snap out of his depression. Rak Hang Siam (aka The Love of Siam) was written and directed by Matthew Chookiat Sakveerakul, who also had a hand in writing the songs for the film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 11 min.
Directed By: Chukiat Sakveerakul
Written By: Matthew Chookiat Sakveerakul
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International

In Theaters: Nov 22, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Oct 13, 2009
Studio: Strand Releasing

Critic Reviews

Fr. Chris Carpenter, Movie Dearest
As a coming of age story, the film is sweet and inoffensive if overlong at 150 minutes and often melodramatic.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Sanjaya &

I watched this movie without subtitle, and it's very disturbing of course since I don't know the language... But the cast played naturally, so even I don't know what they're saying but I can guess what they're talking about... This is Thailand version of… More
I watched this movie without subtitle, and it's very disturbing of course since I don't know the language... But the cast played naturally, so even I don't know what they're saying but I can guess what they're talking about... This is Thailand version of Eternal Summer, but more younger with a little weaker story... But pretty interesting to be watched... The song was pretty good too... Need to watch again...
Maymay A

Tong wrapped his arm around Mew. He gently caressed his hair. They looked at each other's eyes and they kissed. That was the most precious moment of the film- an act that affirms how beautiful and painful love can be. I never thought that a "gay love" can be so pure… More
Tong wrapped his arm around Mew. He gently caressed his hair. They looked at each other's eyes and they kissed. That was the most precious moment of the film- an act that affirms how beautiful and painful love can be. I never thought that a "gay love" can be so pure and innocent. Every moment was captivating and heartbreaking. The story was not some sort of a masterpiece and the film itself isn't. I was surprised that this was Thailand's Oscar entry. However, the actors were really good and they acted very naturally. Every tear, every smile, every feeling seemed so real. I loved how everything happened. I find the whole thing very realistic. Yes, it involved two young souls but it managed not to make things lighter than they're supposed to be. By the way, I'd like to point out the song Mew wrote. It was really beautiful. It's one of the best things about the film. You see, this is not that good to be regarded as a masterpiece. However, this is very beautiful and poignant. The emotions are overwhelming. It is the kind that slowly penetrates your soul.