The Sin (2004)
Dhep is a traveling photographer on his way home to broach unresolved problems between his father and himself. But, on his way home to the island, he meets Riam at the pier, and swiftly falls in love with her. before learning that she’s his father, Cheng’s, new wife. Dhep’s stay at their place familiarizes him with the problems between his violent and sadistic father and stepmother, so he tries to treat Riam kindly to make her feel better. But the forbidden love rears its head again, and the pair decides to make a go of it.
Watch Trailer
Cast
Reviews
Touches You
the audience applauded
For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
The 'sin' of the title is adultery: a young (very beautiful!) wife falls in love with a new young (extremely handsome!) man, but to her dismay she realises that the young man is actually her new husband's prodigal son, who is visiting his father for the first time in ten years. The husband/father is a totalitarian figure - the local 'chief' of the small island owning a large fleet of boats - and both the new wife and the son have been damaged by his vicious actions... With this premise, the director Ong-Art Singlumpong goes about creating a lyrical vision of romantic love, using as his main setting a tropical Thai island. The colour scheme is delicious with its deep greens and blues, and there is a high contrast between dark and light that matches the melodramatic nature of the film. The underwater scenes are absolutely exquisite. For the most part, the dialogue is minimal, particularly when the lovers are together, although there are also moments of comic relief from their friends. For me, the best moments are the quiet and telling moments of reverie that emphasise the subjective experiences of the characters - for example, when the wife (Ream) is shown holding a tiny tube of lip-gloss, Singlumpong zooms in and uses slow motion so that you know exactly what (and who) she is thinking of. A lovingly told tale of love.