1No logic, no cohesiveness, no brain… and I have no self respect for watching this.
When watching this movie, every new revelation made me ask one simple question “why?” - everything about the characters, their relationship and plot progression was so unnatural all I could do was laugh about the piling up cliches.Alpha male with a soft heart and an innocent kid with a warm nature will give you a second hand embarrassment with every little ridiculous interaction and painful dialogues. Who needs decent writing when you can just throw poorly executed cliches at your audience?
And the ending? I don’t think I would manage to write something similar even on crack. What happened? How high were the characters? How high was the writer? It took me 30 minutes to finish the last 10 minutes. I kept pausing because my brain could not take this level of prolonged idiocy.
Acting wise… I think it’s time for me to leave the delulu land and admit Zee is not really a good actor, he is just good at delivering heart eyes. It truly pains me to say, since I basically wrote an essay about how amazing of an actor with great potential he has 4 years ago. On the other hand NuNew did quite well trying to deliver good performance even though the script made it an impossible task.
Overall, I regret watching it alone. I think this is a perfect title to group watch and joke about all the stuff that makes no sense. The movie truly invites you to rant your heart out.
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Even "After Sundown" ....... Saeng Rawee is there for Phloeng
Even though the duration of this movie is only about 100 minutes they tried to cover each and every aspect. If only they could have increased the runtime and showed us some character development, then it would have felt way more content while watching the movie.Even though the story is something common - Arranged marriage to drive away misfortune, leads already met when they are kids, and the horror part is also something kind of similar plot which we are already familiar with(I don't want to spoil it). Everything was extremely supernatural and way beyond science(Well what else can we expect when the story was set in 1960s hahaha). Like I said they could have made the whole plot in a more detailed manner(Not saying it is not detailed enough LOL).
Acting wise, the actors did a really good job. The music is also pleasing and suited the movie and the situation really well. Like we already know NuNew is a great singer right!! My only complaints are regarding the story elaboration, other than that it's a good movie.
[Ahem...the headline is a hint regarding climax]
P.S. - I have not read the novel. But the movie's a solid one time watch. Go Watch it!!
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Movie missed the mark on many aspects, wish it would have taken a much darker road!
The premise of the story is relatively bonker but is very interesting as well. The way the two main leads are bounded together as well as the mystery could have made an amazing story. Unfortunately, it failed on a lot of aspects making it very difficult for me to connect and be invested in what was happening to the characters.Acting-wise, I like a lot Zee and Nunew pairing. They are quite good in the more classical romantic moments and their chemistry is still very strong and believable. Sadly enough, I don't think they have the acting chops for some of the more "thrilling" scenes: they lacked quite a bit and it felt blank when it should have been super emotional or frightning. To be fair, they were really not helped by the scenario and the dialogs.
I enjoyed the soundtrack, there are really not a lot of songs but Nunew singing is always really beautiful and once again I truly enjoyed his voice in the movie. Regarding the filmmaking, it could have been much better. The horror factor is too limited, the overall vibe is not scary enough. The mansion is too luxurious and nice, it sets an atmosphere propice for the romance but it diminishes the fright the viewer might feel as the mystery unfolds. I wish they would have taken a very dark road rather than going for what felt as some very safe and run-of-the-mill filmmaking choices.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a BL with some horrific elements. It could have been much scarier but it is at least different from usual BL stories. Scenario could as well have been better, the idea and concept is interesting (while a bit crazy in its starting point) but the way it develops and the ending felt flat. There are better BL movies out there but if you like Zee and Nunew, it might be worth your time to see them in a very different setting than their previous drama.
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Heteronormativity at its finest
Change the character of Rawee into a woman, and you'll get an old-fashioned, tropey romance movie with a supernatural side.Why?
Rawee is the typical young orphan, who is brought into the house of a new family, first of unclear status, then gets engaged to/married off to the family`s son.
Rawee stays at home and makes desserts for the family, while Phloeng is outside, doing business things. Rawee is easily hurt, and the manly Phloeng carries her, sorry, him, because Rawee obviously can't walk on his own after scraping a knee. Phloeng is the one who gets jealous and overall is the one who pushes their relationship to the next levels.
Apart from one remark at the beginning, Rawee's gender has no relevance at all.
There's really no point in Rawee being a man. (Because the character isn't, it's just a male body in a female role.)
(Edit to add: And it's a stereotypically "weak" female role, at that. I like women to have more agency, and Rawee basically has none.)
The side couple really had no relevance to the story (at first I thought maybe the ghost would use it, but no.) and could have been left out. Instead the time could have been used to tell the ghost's story in more detail.
The acting was all right, good by the seasoned actors. Cinematography was fine, music non-remarkable.
Sets were appropriate for the early 1960s, as far as I can tell. I'm not too sure about the clothing -- in Europe no man would have just casually worn a T-Shirt, and short trousers for a young men of 21 years would have been a no-go. but I'm not familiar with Thailand's fashion in the 1950s and 1960s, so they might be okay.
Well, at least now I can point to another movie whenever I want to show what I mean when I talk about heteronormativity in BL dramas and movies.
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entertaining historical romance with thriller elements
Overall: I thought it was a good blend of a historical setting, romance and scary parts, though it definitely could have used a little bit more runtime (1hr 40 minutes before the credits) to flesh the story and characters out more. If you aren't a thriller/horror person, it's not that bad, just watch it at a faster speed and turn down the sound. Originally aired in theaters in Thailand. Aired on Netflix Thailand (need a Netflix subscription and a vpn to Thailand).Content Warnings: past death, attempted murder, violence, blood, jump scares, manhandling
What I Liked
- historical setting, I was so immersed I didn't realize it was a historical setting for awhile (thought he just liked vintage cars lol)
- integrating thriller/horror with romance
- sweet moments
- good kissing/both into it
Room For Improvement
- needed more runtime to better show/explain things like instead of the monk saying a character lost something we could have had a short scene of him looking for it/that other guy getting rid of it, why was he not in the hospital towards the end did he imagine that part? who exactly was that one dude at the beginning, was the before aged 25 made up by him, why? instead of a 'getting to know you' montage we could have had more scenes actually shown, they didn't have time to really develop those two male side characters
- choppy parts, were inside during the day then she says to get food then suddenly they are together and it's nighttime
- a few 'because the writer said so' like a character taking something off before he sleeps even though he knows he shouldn't
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This review may contain spoilers
A Beautiful Romance with a Historical Backdrop
If we did a crossover between “I Feel You Linger in the Air” and “To Sir With Love”, the end result would be “After Sundown”.Adapted from the novel “Dap Saeng Rawi” (ดับแสงรวี) by CEO, the movie is a rustic romance with a slight supernatural edge. The first thing I noticed about this movie is that, even though it was promoted as a horror thriller; the story is anything but that. The film is a delicately crafted romance between the main leads, Zee Pruk (Phraphloeng) and NuNew Chawarin (Rawi). The movie is full of cliche tropes- social divide, arranged marriage and revenge. This might make it sound old-fashioned, but that’s the charm of this movie which keeps you enthralled from the get-go. I wasn’t much invested in the horror aspect and only watched this because Zee & NuNew are a force to be reckoned with. And they do not disappoint, although their scenes here are a little less passionate (as compared to their romantic scenes in “Cutie Pie The Series), their chemistry shines through. Let me walk you through the best moments in this movie!
Read the complete article here-
https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/01/12/after-sundown-movie-review/
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What happens After SUNDOWN!
Based on the runtime, the experience was enjoyable. However, it would have been better if the movie had a longer runtime, around 170 to 180 minutes. This would allow for a more substantial background story and character development. Additionally, I wished there were more horror elements.The relationship between the couple, Phloeng and Rawi, was portrayed well, but I was also interested in the development of the relationship between Phutson and Kraiphop. ?
Another aspect that I want to know about is the backstory of Kannika. If Pharit wasn't the father of Kannika's child, I'm curious to know where the child came from.
Yes! I like more drama and horror ?
There are several other aspects of the plot that piqued my curiosity.
P.S. - My review is just based on the movie. I haven't read the novel.
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This review may contain spoilers
Um
I love ZeeNew so I hoped for a good movie. Sometimes movies do well, but often not. In this case, more time to develop the plot and deepen character development was needed. It felt rushed, especially the romance. I don’t like you- Oh wait! Is that a birthmark? I remember you from a brief one-time childhood encounter. I love you now. *sigh*And why is Rawee always getting hurt? I thought the binding of destinies was supposed to protect them? Seems like it didn’t do anything but make Rawee a target of misfortune. ?
Side couple was unnecessary. If I were as rude as that servant, I would be fired. They just let it slide. Over and over again.
Also, the possessed scene by the river- how convenient that all the elders were present to talk dear old grandma off the ledge… Random show up that made literally no sense other than limited runtime for the storyline.
What was good? The creep factor of the ghost granny. I don’t do scary ghost stories so may be easily influenced but I felt the makeup artists and the sound effects accompanying the ghost’s presence were enough to get me going “nopety nope nope” every time. Especially when she was standing in Rawee’s chest, slowly suffocating him to death. Um, Zee come save your boy! Also, ZeeNew are always so cute together?.
Overall, it’s a no for rewatch-ability for me.
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Pretty good!
I like this movie though I wish it could have been longer with more back story but all in all still a good movie. I love Zee & NuNew and let's face it 95% of the people who saw this probably came to see them. The story was good and the acting was great. Really wish there was a better way to watch it outside of basically someone who recorded it on their phone in the theater but hey beggers can't be choosers. Ugh! Their demand for 500 characters is annoying! ???************************* there!Was this review helpful to you?
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Sadly Disappointing
I have been waiting for this movie with bated breath.I love these two actors together. From all I have watched before, they have great chemistry and good acting skills.
Sadly none of that was evident in this movie.
For starters the story was seriously mediocre and bland. The visual effects were not effective, just a bit of fading in and out to make a ghostly figure. The directing was cringe worthy.
And I'm truly sorry to say this, but the acting from the leads was wooden and weird. Zee's facial expression never changed and NuNew constantly looked like he was on opioids, with this strange dreamy expression in every scene. There was no chemistry between them like I've seen in other dramas.
The setting was about the nicest thing about the whole movie. It was very pretty. :(
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Should have been a series.
It was obvious that they compressed this to be a movie. The story flow could not convey to us what happened. It would have been much better if it had been a series and the story had developed in a long-term manner. Also, I was expecting to be more scared while watching it, maybe that was not the purpose, so I won't talk about it much.Apart from that, I expected the characters to solve and discover the events that happened in the past throughout the movie. It was not satisfactory for one of the characters to watch the events like a movie. And it was not satisfying for the ghost woman to give up so easily. A very wrong path was followed in terms of how the story worked. The characters had to fall in love while discovering the events. Something very beautiful could have happened but it turned out something average
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Short and sweet
A short and sweet love story, with a little bit of horror, tragedy, and forgiveness. I was impressed by the ghost—I wasn't expecting the 'horror' to be scary, but the ghost successfully creeped me out, which I loved. This is a perfect show for when you're short on time, and want a brilliantly performed bit of everything. I would love to see it extended into a series.Was this review helpful to you?
