BANGKOK — Following the successful premiere of her first movie Where The Miracle Happens, Princess Ubon Rattana has revealed yet another hidden talent – that of a film reviewer.
In addition to inspiring, producing, writing, and starring in the heart-warming drama about a woman who discovers the true meaning of happiness by helping an upcountry village and its children, Princess Ubonrat has also sent out reviews to the nation’s press, “To help them out in what to say about my film.”
The movie, which technically premiered at Cannes by way of an out-of-festival cinema run paid for by the Thai Film Association, has been hailed as “Thailand’s latest cinematic triumph, debuting at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival” by Princess Ubonrat’s reviews in Thai Rath and Matichon.
“With its universally appealing and morally inspiring story of the true values in life, it’s no surprise that Miracle was chosen as Thailand’s first Cannes selection,” the reviews went on to say, in apparent contradiction with reality.
“Princess Ubonrat has shown the way forward for a generation of Thai filmmakers, not to mention the nation as a whole,” Princess Ubonrat wrote.
Princess Ubonrat was especially effusive about the plot, which is based on a story written by Princess Ubonrat. “By taking us on a journey from the high-powered world of Bangkok business to the simple life of villagers, Princess Ubonrat’s tale covers the spectrum of Thai life, and more importantly, Thai values, setting the stage for a most important comparison,” Princess Ubonrat observed.
She also praised the acting, singling out Princess Ubonrat, who took on the lead character of Pimdao. “According to Princess Ubonrat,” Princess Ubonrat noted, “the decision to play Pimdao herself was not done out of vanity, but to ensure that she was portrayed correctly.” In Princess Ubonrat’s opinion, “Princess Ubonrat made the right decision.”
Editors and film reviewers who received the reviews were grateful for the help. “It saves us the trouble of, you know, thinking of what to say,” observed Kong Rithee, the film reviewer of the Bangkok Post. “I actually did like the movie, or parts of it, but I wasn’t sure if I liked it…enough. Now I don’t have to worry about it.”
His sentiments were echoed by “Wise Kwai”, who runs his own Thai film blog. “When I got the email from Princess Ubonrat saying she had a great idea for a review of her film, well what could I say, really? Come to think of it, what can I say even now?”
All of Princess Ubonrat’s reviews have given Where The Miracle Happens the maximum star rating and unanimously recommend it for viewers of all ages. Additionally, Miracle appears to be the clear consensus choice for Best of the Year honors, as well as Thailand’s obvious selection for submission to the Academy for “Best Foreign Language Film” Oscar consideration.
Despite the rave reviews, Miracle has performed poorly at the Thai box office, earning less than ฿20 million, placing it at #27 for the year, and only #9 among Thai films. However, Princess Ubonrat is sure that the numbers will improve once she releases her own statistics.
