Backpacking in Thailand, oh yeah! :))

Rating: 8/10 (14 April 2002)

When I was travelling in Thailand, everyone was talking about the "Beach" and all backpackers aimed for its filming location, Koh Phi Phi. Although I watched a lot of good movies in the touristic cafes on Khao San Road in Bangkok and in Penang, Malaysia, I missed the "Beach" and came home wondering what it was all about. I finally saw it yesterday and in spite of a couple of flaws, I genuinely enjoyed it! First of all, it really shows the atmosphere of Thailand - the golden Buddha, the tiny rooms with thin partitions in the guesthouses, the markets, the internet cafes, the tourists' clothes and their very behavior... Second, the landscape is amazing, Leonardo is quite good, although he's had better movies in his career, but he's definitely very convincing in this role, and the girl playing Francois is quite charming. Also, the movie is funny! Third, this movie has a great moral message. Following the tradition of "Lord of the Flies" and others, it shows the dangers of separated communities, the disappearance of rules, regrets, the little value human life has in extreme situations, the dangers of a despotic ruler. It shows that the longed-for paradise might not actually be that easy to live in.