AOKBAB CHUTIMON in HUNGER (2023) dir. Sitisiri Mongkolsiri || Official trailer

HUNGER [2023]

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Hunger คนหิว เกมกระหาย (2023), directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri

Hunger (2023)

Hunger (คนหิว เกมกระหาย), Sitisiri Mongkolsiri (2023)

Quote on the movie stills:

“What you eat represents your social satuts. It has nothing to do with love. The poor eat simply to satisfy their hunger. But when you have more than enough to eat, your hunger doesn’t end.”

Hunger (2023)

Some of what Hunger has to say you can probably find in some other movie made before it… but it’s the first time I’ve encountered these ideas and I bet I won't be the only one. With a strong performance by Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying and a thought-provoking plot, this is the rare movie about food that I doubt will leave your mouth watering. That sounds like a flaw, but considering the topics covered, it’s wholly intentional.

Aoy (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying), is a talented chef working in her family’s greasy noodle restaurant, the kind whose menu never changes and caters to the poorest customers - both in terms of sense of taste and of spending money. One day, her skill with the wok catches the eye of Tone (Gunn Svasti), sous-chef of the legendary Chef Paul (Nopachai Jayanama). His exotic dishes are the kind that only get served to the richest customers - many of which care more about being able to say they tasted his cuisine than about how good it actually tastes.

Unless you’re making a documentary about some scary aspect of the food industry, movies about food will make audiences hungry. Those loving shots of ingredients, the preparation and the carefully-lit final meal? You bet it does. Sitisiri Mongkolsiri’s Hunger is the exception. There’s something grotesque about the food Chef Paul makes. Or maybe, it’s the people who eat it that are sickening. As soon as the guests start putting anything in their mouths, their reactions are so extreme. Even if the dishes are THAT good, the reactions feel phony, like the people licking their lips and shoveling more and more into their face holes are putting on a show to justify how much they paid for it. “Look how good this food is! No wonder I had to pay this much for it”. Some of what makes the dishes unappetizing are the behind-the-scenes drama we witness. Shows like Hell’s Kitchen have accustomed us to foul-mouthed, temperamental, highly critical chefs but Paul Chef is just loathsome. For a long time, you’re watching him make this gorgeous food and you feel sort of bad for him because these snobs are making it look gross with their over-the-top reactions. Then, we find out more about him. Actually, he fits in this world of riches and pretenses so well that he’s just as bad, if not worse, than the clientele he serves. He might be a big name, but in reality, he’s a petty little man. And yet, he’s also brilliant at what he does.

In many ways, Aoy is the audience’s avatar. She comes from the streets before entering this world of decadence and high tastes. You expect her to lose track of herself and get swept up in this new crowd, but she’s frequently brought down to reality by her family. In one scene, she makes this great-looking dish for them and they tell her that what she should’ve served is the same thing they’ve eaten since forever, the same greasy noodle dish “family recipe” that’s nothing special. I guess that’s the thing with food (or anything else that people like because of their tastes). You can’t make people like something; they’re just going to like what they like. I’m not sure if it’s depressing or not that you can work so hard to make something that’s fresh and innovative but still have your customers go “nah, just give me what you gave me last time, again”. Maybe that’s the thing; you have to remember who you’re catering to. It’s not yourself, it’s the people who will be eating it. If that’s the case, then those garrish reactions we saw at the beginning show that the people were getting exactly what they wanted, and that Chef Paul really is a genius after all.

Some elements in Hunger are either underdeveloped or introduced and then dropped. There’s a serious crime at one point and we never see what sort of repercussions followed. Similarly, there’s a romance that begins between Tone and Aoy but where it goes is so vague I’m not sure I could tell you exactly where they stand with each other. Otherwise, this is an unexpected delight. Chef Paul’s cooking is as much performance as it is legitimate technique so there are plenty of visual delights, Chuengcharoensukying radiates charisma. You’re interested all the way through even though you have no idea what the ending will be. I’ll remember Hunger down the line. (Original Thai with English subtitles, June 25, 2023)

Hunger (2023)

Dir. Sitisiri Mongkolsiri

Hunger

directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri, 2023

HUNGER (2023) Reviews of Netflix Thai thriller

‘There is a hunger that can never be fulfilled’ Hunger is a 2023 Thai psychological thriller about a young woman running her family’s noodle restaurant who receives an invitation to join the fine-dining industry under the tutelage of an infamous chef. Directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri [สิทธิศิริ มงคลศิริ] (Krasue: Inhuman Kiss), nicknamed Dom, from a screenplay written by Kongdej Jaturanrasamee.…

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Hunger (2023) dir. Sitisiri Mongkolsiri. 7.5/10

I wouldn't recommend this movie to my friends. I wouldn't rewatch this movie.

Very visual and aural, this movie is. Makes me feel like I'm part of the stress. Whiplash vibes. I feel like this movie was more thrilling and stressful for the people within the movie versus me.

That first meat makeout was disgusting because our hands are gross but nice in terms of makeout. Standing up to someone who belittles you by stabbing them, hm I don't not respect it.

We are just wasting food, aren't we?

Mr. Tos kinda reminds me of Eddie Liu. Tone is cute.

That first crustacean dish, I was like I don't care for fine dining like that. With the first meat dish at the party, I'm like I want in on this fine dining.

“What you eat represents your social status. It has nothing to do with love.” HUNGER (2023) dir. Sitisiri Mongkolsiri

HUNGER (2023) dir. Sitisiri Mongkolsiri  

Winners are always the ones who hunger most. Hunger (2023) Dir. Sitisiri Mongkolsiri

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Day 04

Inhuman Kiss (Sang Krasue)

Year Released: 2019

Run Time: 2hr 2m

Director: Sitisiri Mongkolsiri

Genres: Drama, Horror, Romance

Inhuman Kiss 2 (Sang Krasue 2)

Year Released: 2023

Run Time: 2hr 10m

Director: Paphangkorn Punchantarak

Genres: Drama, Horror, Romance

Zee-Oui

Year Released: 2004

Run Time: 1hr 26m

Director: Deborah Kampmeier

Genres: Drama, Horror, Thriller

Hunger

2023 directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri