That classic teen dilemma

THE HIT TV series “Hormones” and a string of youth-intensive films have proved that teenage turbulence is safe for casual entertainment viewing, so now there’s “Love Say Hey”, a movie that premiered at Major Cineplex Ratchayothin on Tuesday. It raises that most angst-ridden dilemma of youth – having to choose between your pals and your sweetheart.

The answer to that question is a matter of degrees, says Somchai Vachirachongkol, who co-directed the film with Napat Chaithiangthum. 

“It’s hard to choose! If you’re always hanging out with your buddies you’ll have a problem with your girlfriend, and if you’re always with your girlfriend, your friends complain. It is a problem that can never be solved for teenagers.”

Somchai – who’s also the screenwriter – has figured it out, though, in time for his directing debut. “The solution is managing your time between friend and girlfriend, though sometimes even that is very hard.” 

He says he gets a kick out of movies about teenagers. “There’s no question that there are a lot of teen movies coming out these days, but not all of them can give you joy.”

The two directors and the entire youthful cast – all of them rookies – were on hand for the premiere of “Love Say Hey”. Vachirawit Chiva-aree stars as Tae, Sornram Aneklap as Ohm, Pongtayod Pongchonlanop as Arm, Settapong Hongkitikal as Tod, Jinjuta Rattanaburi as Tarn, Phatrakorn Boosarakumwadi as Muay and Chanvit Thaweesin as Lookohm. 

“Directing the cast was easy at times and hard at others,” Somchai says. “Most of them are in their teens, so there were the expected problems with their acting and dialogue. But at that age they have really expressive eyes, a freshness in their eyes. 

“I used a technique in their acting workshop – I ordered them to fall in love secretly with each other and behave just as they would in real life. It helped them a lot in the romantic scenes.”

Another obstacle the directors had to overcome stemmed from the fact that the ages of the four main actors ranged from 18 to 22. “But they’re playing friends of the same age at school, hanging out and teasing each other and slapping each other around the head. Well, at first the younger ones wouldn’t dare do things like that to a senior. But we worked that out in the workshop too and in the end they acted together quite well.” 

Somchai seems particularly impressed by two of the actors. Nong Muk (Jinjuta), playing Tarn, has a gift for expressing emotion, he says, “especially in one scene where she’s quarrelling with one of her boyfriend’s friends and has to show three different emotions in a very short time. 

“She had to react differently to Tae’s late arrival, when a secret is being revealed, and over how her boyfriend will respond. It was really great!” 

Lux (Chanvit, who’s the real-life brother of luk thung singer Baitoey R Siam) brings a jolt of joy to every scene in which he appears, Somchai says. “He’s going to have everybody laughing. He’s a good performer and full of spirit,” says Somchai.

While “Love Say Hey” is Somchai’s first turn at directing, it’s the third one Napat has helmed, all under Mungmee Productions, following “Love’s Coming” in 2014 and “Love Love You” last year.