#NewsBytesRecommends: 'Once Upon a Star'—gorgeous moment frozen in time
The Thai film Once Upon a Star (2023), directed by Nonzee Nimibutr, is streaming on Netflix. It transports you to an era long gone by and feels like a memory one had stored in the most special recesses of one's heart. Eventually, Once Upon a Star is heartfelt, endearing, humorous, and extremely watchable, with the characters staying with you long after the credits roll.
'OUAS' talks about live dubbing/voice acting in Thailand
Voice acting/dubbing is the fulcrum of OUAS, and not voice acting as we know it today, but the way it was pre-technology, when traveling theater troupes, often comprising only men, played films in towns and villages. Since sound couldn't be added to films, these voice actors, on the spot, read aloud from the script, emoting and eventually becoming a consequential element of the film.
Can technology be both friend and foe?
When the drama begins, we meet a pharma-theater group led by three men; they are divided by age but connected by the magic of movies. Technology can simultaneously be a respite and a harbinger of doom, and it's reflected in OUAS as the advent of sound films looms large like a scary premonition. Technology births new things but also kills others in its wake.
Shot in idyllic locations, like paintings etched onscreen
One of the first things that drew me to the drama was its picturesque setting and real locations. OUAS recreates the era of the 1960s and allows its characters to grow, develop, chatter, conflict, and flesh out while straddling two worlds: old and new. The countryside, full of lush, green, idyllic areas, contrasts with the cacophony of bustling cities: OUAS is a moving portrait.
All characters have arcs, backstories, depth
Everyone gets an arc and an ending in OUAS. The film allows breathing space for all four members of the pharma-cine troupe played by Sukollawat Kanaros (Manit), Nuengthida Sophon (Rueangkae; she is a woman whose arrival pumps energy into their business), Jirayu La-ongmanee (Kao), and Samart Payakaroon (Man). While Rueangkae demonstrates ambition and female drive, Manit and Kao's love for her thickens the plot.
Visual obituary to Thai actor Mitr Chaibancha
OUAS is a gentle, warm, breezy ode to Mitr Chaibancha, the late beloved Thai star (consider him of SRK's repute), who tragically passed away while performing a film's stunt in 1970. Despite not knowing anything about him, this entire sequence hit strong emotional notes with me, further cementing how the themes of grief, love, and reverence are universal and, if executed correctly, glimmer onscreen.
Introduces you to different world altogether
I also recommend checking out OUAS because it took me to a time I didn't know once existed—who would have thought live, on-the-spot dubbing was once a thing and men dubbed for female characters too? There is a quaint, old-world charm that defines and describes the world of OUAS, and the heartfelt charm of this imperfect yet enjoyable drama catches you by surprise.
You can stream it on Netflix
Watching films produced by other countries—especially the cinematically underrepresented ones—always opens a treasure trove of knowledge, discoveries, and intrigue, and OUAS checks off all these boxes. Predictable but moist with emotions, flawed but honest and confident in its approach, and slow-paced but also self-assured, Once Upon a Star is a testament to the magic of friendship, ambition, and above all, cinema!
