Six Characters (2022) Movie Script
1
The director is in a foul mood.
He'll get over it.
Damn, I came off another set at 2 am.
Got only a few hours of shut-eye.
I won't be in my top form today.
Let's get your makeup done first.
No! I've come prepared, are you blind?
All I need is 5 minutes to get changed!
The leading man is here. We can start in 5.
Good. About time.
Lock this frame, it's perfect.
Make sure you hold it steady.
I need this master shot.
Yes, Director.
Gaffer, this light is too damn bright.
We're shooting a horror
film, not a romance.
More more
That's it.
Good morning.
My darling Namfah! How gorgeous you are!
But you've picked the wrong costume.
Wrong?
Yes, a flagrant wardrobe mistake.
How so?
You're playing a ghost, my dear.
And ghosts only wear black!
Didn't the costume person inform you
that you need to be clothed in black?
A ghost, not an angel.
Well
Since this is my opening scene,
shouldn't we play tricks on the audience
by showing them the maiden as
beautiful as a celestial being
before revealing in the next scene
that she in fact is the devil?
Please, allow me to be
beautiful in my opening scene.
Well...
Okay, if that's your wish.
And you, Akanee. Any concern?
A great actor like Akanee
Kriangkrai never has any concern.
Good, let's rehearse.
What's my first line?
"Why am I so sad tonight?"
And mine?
"Hello, everyone."
In the first scene, the
leading man is on the sofa.
The father, mother, sister and
brother will gather in that corner.
There, yes.
On cue, the leading lady
will knock on the door.
The door will open as the two
ghosts appear in the window.
Next, the lights will go out
and there shall be a lightning strike.
What the hell!
Get a flashlight!
The generator has exploded, sir.
What do we do then?
They're replacing it now.
How long will it take?
About 2 hours, sir.
Two hours!
I should've slept in.
Right.
Get it done quickly, go!
Yes, sir.
Have you paid respect to the house spirits?
We all did. Only you haven't.
Then let's do it.
The offerings are over there.
Bring them over here, for heaven's sake.
Greetings, sir.
Extras should wait outside,
this is not your scene.
Excuse me, we're not extras.
If you are not extras,
then why are you here?
What do you want?
We have come here in search of an author.
An author? What author?
This is a film set and we're
in the middle of a shoot.
Get out of here.
I have no time for this absurd intrusion.
But isn't life full of absurdities?
Our lives, our drama,
will become your next box-office hit.
Are you mad?
Get them out of here.
Please oblige me to speak.
What I want to say is
One is born to life in many forms.
As a tree,
as a butterfly.
Or as a woman.
So it's not really that odd
for one to be born a character in a story.
So you and your friends
have been born characters?
Exactly.
We are characters and we are alive.
Or maybe you're runaways from a madhouse.
Mr. Director, do we come
across to you as lunatics?
Close enough.
Believe me, we are really 6
most interesting characters.
But we were orphaned.
Orphaned, correct.
The author who created us
suddenly died.
We characters have drifted
homelessly, what a sin!
He who has the luck to be born a character
will live forever.
Don't!
Immortal
Where will you get the drama?
The drama lives in us.
We are the drama.
The torrents of passion
lying dormant within us
have driven us to seek you out today.
Torrents of passion
lying dormant...
My passion, such violent passion
is reserved...
for him!
Behave yourself.
Is this woman mad?
Mad? No, she's worse than mad.
Listen, stage this drama at once.
Then you'll see that at a certain moment
When this little darling here
is taken away from her mother's bosom.
And this imbecile here
does the stupidest things,
then I shall be off.
But that moment hasn't arrived yet.
After what has taken
place between him and me,
I can no longer remain in the house.
Who could bear to witness
the anguish of her own mother
having to cower at the feet of this jerk!
Look at him. How frigid,
how indifferent he is!
Why?
Because he is the only
legitimate son and we're not.
Mister, I beg you. In the
name of these two children
Please don't
The poor woman's fainting!
Quick, a chair!
Bring an inhaler.
Sit down here, ma'am.
Look at her.
Please
I beg you, don't let this man
carry out his loathsome plan.
What's going on here? What's the story?
Isn't this lady your wife?
Yes, she is.
Gentlemen, this widow is indeed my wife.
How can she be a widow
if you're still alive?
Someone's lost his marbles.
Do not laugh, I beg you.
Her drama is as follows
She had a lover,
a man who ought to be here with us.
Fortunately, he's dead.
Mr. Director, it's his doing.
He gave me that other man
and forced me to run away with him.
It's not true.
What is not true?
I know you lived in peace
and happiness with my father,
did you not?
He was full of love and sympathy for you.
Is it true, you little fool?
Speak up, don't stand
there like a deaf-dumb!
Mr. Director,
he really did force me to take a lover.
Ask him.
It's true. I forced her
to have another man.
Why did you do that?
Just hear him out, the plot will thicken.
He will tell you about
the Demon of Experiment.
Stop being so cynical.
He makes fun of me because I've used
that expression to scold myself.
Scold yourself? Another nice phrase.
Phrases? No.
I've done more than used
phrases to soothe my conscience.
Yes, he used money too.
That day he almost gave me
3,000 baht for my service.
Do you think you have the
right to tyrannize us all
in order to cover up the guilt
of having tried to give her the 3,000 baht?
I want to be precise: he tried,
but he didn't give it to her.
It was very close.
Shame, my daughter.
Shame indeed! This is my revenge!
I'm dying to live that scene.
The room darkened room.
I can see it so clearly.
But gentlemen, you ought to look away now
because I'd have stripped
off nearly all my clothes.
Excuse me, are we shooting
our scenes today or not?
Of course my darling, but we
still don't have the power back.
Let's hold out until
they've fixed the lights.
For now, I'm enjoying this unfolding drama.
Please be patient.
Okay, where did it all begin?
I came from an aristocratic
family in Nakhon Sawan.
My parents passed away,
after I had just returned from Europe.
I inherited all their businesses.
Devoting all my waking minutes
to running the company,
I had to make frequent trips
between Nakhon Sawan and Bangkok,
not to mention Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Our business prospered and we
opened a branch in Bangkok.
I lost myself in my work
and had no time for romance
even though I was turning 40 then.
The clients in Shanghai and
Hong Kong took to us so warmly.
They're very enthusiastic
about our products,
saying our standards are higher
than those of European imports.
Natee, your Chinese is a
great asset to our operation.
We owe this success to you.
I'll give Natee a 5,000-baht
raise, note it down.
Yes, sir.
A token of my appreciation
for your negotiation skills.
I'm very pleased with the results.
Thank you, sir.
Then one day I met her
Amorn Petcharat, a local beauty queen.
Gorgeous, but orphaned and impoverished.
I wasted no time and asked her to marry me,
before she could be snatched
by some younger man.
Amorn gave birth to our
family's one and only heir.
I called him Pupha. "Mountain",
a symbol of strength.
The wind of nostalgia
All in vain the heart bears so much pain
Who did me wrong? Pray tell me
Love is like headwind, that never returns
Whispering sweet words into my ears
But it hurts when love turns into fear
Your pretense is in vain, who'll
fall for your trick again?
Taking back your love,
before it becomes a chain
Then something unexpected happened.
Something I'd never dared imagine.
I couldn't believe what I saw that day.
It ought to have been an ordinary scene in
which a man is falling in love with a woman.
Two people whose souls
are making a connection.
But what I saw was my beloved wife
with my trusted personal secretary.
Amorn, you've never looked at
me the way you looked at him.
Not even once.
It's not true.
Things had come to the point that
no matter what I did,
they would silently exchange glances
as if asking each other how
to keep a lid on my temper.
And that in itself made my temper flare
into an uncontrollable rage.
Why didn't you just sack your secretary?
I did sack him.
But then I had to watch this poor woman
drifting forlornly like a wandering ghost.
So he chased me out of the house
and took my son away from me.
Pupha is my only heir.
I would never let him endure the same kind
of hardship as you did.
And no, I didn't kick you out.
Mr. Director, she took
my sincerity and goodwill
and twisted them into proof of malice.
If you have no feelings left for me,
we can't spend out lives
together as husband and wife.
I know you and Natee are in love.
So I've decided to give you to him.
You two can now live a happy
life together as you so wish.
Go now, go.
Natee is waiting for you outside.
The maid has already
packed all your belongings.
Will you...
let me take my son with me?
No. I won't let my son suffer with you.
Then please let me see
him for the last time.
I sent Pupha to his aunt
in Bangkok this morning.
Didn't you suspect where
your son was all this time?
What kind of mother are you?
How heartless!
Leave, now.
Never in my life have I met a gentleman
as generous and honorable as you.
You have my respect.
Once she'd left, I felt a
peculiar wave of emptiness.
No matter how much I
drowned myself in work,
But her face
and my son's face
flashed in my mind.
Hopelessly empty.
It went on like this, year after year.
When my son returned home
from a boarding school in Bangkok,
he looked at me as if I was a stranger.
He was a boy who kept to
himself, always on his own,
knowing neither love nor
affection, devoid of feelings.
I was desperately lonely,
and I still missed her.
I was also curious about her daughter,
so I start watching them from a distance.
You can ask that woman
if all of this is true.
It is, sir. It is entirely true.
He was probably checking if I
was of age and ready for him.
Scandalous! Shameless!
You see, one day I was
playing around our house,
I was probably 8 then.
I saw him observing me.
He smiled at me and I wondered who he was.
Sweetie, are you the
daughter of Amorn and Natee?
Yes.
What an adorable child.
I have a present for you.
Let me give you a hug.
He put his arms around me, and it felt odd.
Maybe because he was the
first man to ever hug me.
I told my mother about him,
and she knew instantly who he was.
I have a bad feeling about this.
We'll never live in peace
as long as he still has his eyes on us.
Then we should leave.
Two days later, we moved to
my father's hometown in Pijit
without explaining anything to me.
Years later, Mother had
2 more children there.
Those two.
Dime-store melodrama.
Melodrama? This is life, this is passion.
I had no more knowledge of her family.
Days, months and years passed,
they felt as long as eternity.
Time moves so slowly when you
live in the shadow of misery.
I sent my son to school in England,
hoping the experience would warm his heart.
But no, Pupha returned the same boy
and still treated me like a total stranger.
All day long he did
nothing but play the piano.
Or he would lock himself in his room
without leaving its threshold,
shutting himself off from the world.
Or he would go shooting in the garden,
so earnestly as if he
was practicing a kill.
Killing me, I suppose.
The drama is coming right up.
Something new, complex and extraordinary!
While I was at a girls'
college in Chiang Mai,
my father took ill
and died.
That was the critical
juncture of our family,
and it plunged us down
an unpredictable path.
Father had been a low-ranking
district bureaucrat.
His paltry salary was spent on
my and my siblings' education.
And on hospital bills.
I decided to quit college
so my siblings would be
able to continue studying.
Mother took us back to Nakhon Sawan
to find work to support the family.
I had no idea that her family
was living in absolute misery,
struggling to put food on the table.
She could have come to me
for help, but she never did.
How was I to divine your
sentimental compassion?
Right, you never cared
to accept my goodwill.
But worse
I didn't know Amorn was
working for Madam Pranee.
Madam Pranee?
Madam Pranee...
The doyenne of Nakhon Sawan's
biggest fashion house.
She groomed girls to become
models or beauty queens.
She sold clothes during daytime.
At night, she sold something
else on the upper floor.
Mr. Director, I had no
idea that this Madam Pranee
was more interested in my
daughter than in my sewing skills.
Poor Mother, did you know
what that crone said to me
when I delivered the dresses to her shop?
She shrugged and said
you'd ruined her design
and that she wanted to stop hiring you.
Then she persuaded me
to do this "extra work".
She said if I proved
myself loyal and obedient
she'd hire me as a receptionist
and promote me as a fashion model
or enter me in a beauty contest in Bangkok.
My life had since become
as dire and deformed as candle drippings.
My mother thought I was out all
night training to be a model.
She still broke her back
sewing clothes for Madam Pranee
even though I brought
home our much-needed cash.
I know you haven't had
anything to eat since lunch,
so I bought noodles, for you and the kids.
We only had some boiled rice
and two salted eggs left.
So I let your brother and sister have it.
Where did you get the money for the food?
I asked Madam Pranee for an advance.
Madam is so kind to us.
You have to be grateful to her.
Don't tell me you two met
at Madam Pranee's establishment!
Most definitely, Mr. Director!
Because he's a frequent customer
of Madam Pranee's whorehouse.
Mr. Director
this is a scene I've been dying to play.
Let me show you now.
Picture a blue envelope on a
desk, with 3,000 baht inside.
Then he entered the room
while I was lying on the bed.
So you
Her mother arrived in time.
Almost in time.
No! In time!
Stage this scene right now, Mr. Director.
I'd prefer to hear the whole story first.
And please get up from
my lap, my legs are sore.
Sore, or something else?
After that night,
I took all four of them into my house.
You can imagine how unpleasant
we were made to feel,
all because of this beloved son of mine.
Leave me out of this. I've
got nothing to do with it.
How come!
I wasn't made to mix up with that sort.
"That sort"?
The vulgar sort, you mean?
Mr. Director, have you noticed
that every time I look at him,
he dares not meet my gaze?
He knows he was the one who
caused me such great misfortune.
Did I?
Shame on you. I was forced
to return to that filthy life
because of your contemptuous behavior.
Even though my mother is also your mother.
Mr. Director, haven't you seen
that I'm an unrealized character?
I'm so vague that no one can
tell what I'm really like.
And I'm caught in the direst of dilemma,
forced to have my destiny
chained with this family's.
So please, cut me out of this story.
Cut you out? It's just because you're so...
How could you pretend to know
what I'm really like?
You never knew what I'm like.
You never cared.
When I was
at the boarding school in Bangkok,
did you even once visit me?
Never.
During school breaks, other parents
arrived to pick up their sons.
But where were my parents?
All I had was Chom,
the chauffer,
waiting for me.
My friends kept mocking me
that I was the chauffer's son.
Pathetic, don't you think?
I admit that I'm inept being a father.
But it doesn't mean I don't love him.
You never loved anyone,
or anything.
Except money.
Power.
And yourself.
Mr. Director,
everyone has mutilated my goodwill
and turned it into venom.
The drama lies all in this.
The conscience that we all have,
that exists in all of us.
We believe this conscience
to be a single thing shared by all.
But it's not.
There are diverse consciences.
Incomparable.
So it's impossible
for one to fully know another.
And now they've made me
into the villain.
All right,
I've decided to buy your story.
Congratulations to all of you.
How much do you want for the rights?
But we seek not even one baht from this.
You're giving your story to me for free?
That's correct.
Are you mad?
I'm grateful enough if you'll
stage the drama of our lives
and finish the story.
Now who's mad?
Both of them.
This is unprecedented!
Bizarre, unexpected, one of a kind!
You're a bunch of fools to
tempt me with your life story.
Are you amateur actors?
No.
Professional then,
but how come I never met you before?
We are characters,
not actors.
It doesn't matter who or what you are.
I'd like to invite you and your friends
to my office,
so we can work on the script together.
Much obliged.
Everyone,
let's take a one-hour break.
You can go ahead and have lunch.
Then stand by and wait
for my next instruction.
We're going on a new
creative adventure together.
The electricity is still out anyway.
Please, come with me.
The director has really gone mad.
But their story is captivating.
What a waste of my time.
I shouldn't have canceled
a mall appearance for this.
Haven't you made enough money?
Here's your toy gun.
Don't lose it.
Nonsense!
Do whatever you want
but don't mix me up in this mess.
Poor sister, why do they want
you in such a terrifying role?
I suppose the audience will enjoy it.
But you you won't.
Let's run away.
And you, do you want to come?
What is it you're hiding?
Where did you get it?
If I were in your place,
I wouldn't kill myself.
I would shoot one of those two.
Father or son, or both!
Idiot!
How delightful, huh!
And they've roped me into this.
But I'm the most miserable one.
Aren't they satisfied seeing me
being tormented?
Now they're going to expose
my shame to the public.
They're dying to put this on the stage.
If only it was at least a pleasant story!
Why do I have to reveal my feelings?
No son ought to reveal
how nauseating it was
having to witness the strange behaviors
of their parents.
Well, everyone's here right on time.
Have you read the synopsis?
Yes. But it's tortuous and makes no sense.
Don't you think, Akanee?
I do, love.
Namfah darling, don't you worry.
The story will manifest itself
to you during rehearsal.
Get it, my dear?
No, I don't.
All of you will grasp it soon enough.
Now, may I invite the lady
and the two children on the set?
The light is back! Bright and shine!
In that case, may I suggest
that we pick up our filming
of "Lust of the Devil Maiden"?
That's not a good idea. Absolutely not.
Why not?
I don't understand what you're
trying to pull off here.
Why is it so hard for you
to understand anything?
I've made a decision. I will not
film " Lust of the Devil Maiden".
I will instead film the
story of these 6 people.
How do we do that? We
don't even have a script.
No need for a script, my dear,
because you'll study the roles
based on these 6 people.
The sound man will record every scene,
then transcribe your lines
into the dialogue, understand?
Yes, sir.
Rasee, you'll play The Mother.
Exactly my kind of role.
I've played all sorts of
mothers in the last 5 years.
Luecha, you'll be The Son.
I've had my eye on this
character from the start.
Akanee, you'll play The Father.
Me? The Father?
The Father is the leading man.
Are you going to pass?
No. I'll play him.
Namfah, you'll be the
beautiful Step-Daughter.
But
she's a whore.
Absolutely correct, my dear.
Really? That woman is going to play me?
Stop! What's so funny about it?
In my life,
no one has ever dared laugh
at me with such insolence.
Apologize now,
or I'll leave at once.
I apologize.
I didn't mean to laugh at you.
You ought to be honored to be portrayed by
Namfah Daranee,
Thailand's most popular actress.
But I wasn't objecting you.
I was merely thinking about myself,
and how we are worlds apart.
I find it absurd.
How could you be me?
She's right, Mr. Director.
We have our temperaments, our souls.
Then some actors totally unlike us
just assume our lives and our souls.
Let me get this straight.
In a film or a play,
the actors give form to the characters.
How they portray you and your
family is irrelevant to you.
Your story alone won't make the film a hit.
The audience will want to see
the film because of my actors.
No one gives a damn about
"characters" like you.
Do you understand?
I see why the author who conceived us
decided to end his life.
He didn't want to see us
become some total strangers in a film.
The "total stranger" is none
other than Akanee Kriangkrai,
Thailand's number-one screen star.
Isn't it good enough?
I'm most honored,
I truly am.
But I don't think you look
even remotely like me.
If I'd looked like you,
my career would've ended before it started.
Enough. Let's rehearse.
The first scene takes place in the bedroom
on the upper floor of Madam Pranee's shop
where The Father fatefully meets
The Step-Daughter he doesn't recognize.
Leading Lady, please.
Not you, Namfah my dear.
Just watch her.
Watch carefully. Watch
how I live, how I feel.
You have a nerve to
lecture me about acting.
Soon you'll see who'll
come out on top, you or me.
Enough with this bickering.
Let's do the job we love.
More like the job we hate.
The scene opens with The
Step-Daughter alone on the bed.
Let's begin.
Hold on, sir.
Madam Pranee is supposed
to be in this scene too.
Right, I completely forgot about her.
All this squabbling has distracted me.
Where can I find Madam Pranee?
It's simple.
Arrange your set to resemble her boutique.
Put up a few mannequins,
and Madam Pranee will come to you.
That simple?
See it to believe it.
Art team,
Yes.
Bring those two mannequins over here.
Yes, sir.
It's impossible.
There are only these 6
and no one else in sight.
Maybe they've hidden her.
On either side of the stairs.
Now let's go wait over there.
Madam Pranee will arrive in a heartbeat.
There she is.
Incredible.
How did you do it?
Is this some kind of magic?
No.
That's the real Madam Pranee.
Your first scene is being acted out.
But I can't hear what they're saying.
Darling, speak up!
Oopsie Daisy!
Me not mean.
Me never exploited any who.
Is this how she normally speaks?
Great, we need a touch of humor
to lighten things up.
You filmmakers always
want to make funny movies.
It'll be pretty funny
if Madam tells me that
"a nice old geezer wants to support you."
A nice old geezer, right?
Not so old, my minx, not so old.
It's okie-dokie if you don't dig him,
but he got a bigheart.
Devil! You're the Devil!
Get that crone out of my sight!!
Get out!
Calm down, ma'am.
Sit down.
This woman doesn't belong in this scene.
She will keep disrupting the drama.
These two can't see eye to eye.
Let's proceed.
Sound man, did you record everything?
Crystal-clear, sir.
Good.
Continue.
Madam, go on.
How can I?
I not do anything with
your crazy modder present.
Me cannot continue.
Ignore her. Just play your part.
Me can't.
That's enough. Leave, now.
Fine, me will leave!
You dog shit!
Now what?
How can we stage Scene
One without Madam Pranee?
Madam won't perform as
long as Mother is here.
Okay,
I'll cut out Scene One
and move Scene Two to the beginning.
We'll start with The Father meeting
The Step-Daughter in the bordello.
Yes, sir.
You'll come down those steps.
There are no steps in the actual room.
C'mon, it's just a rehearsal.
Here's the blue envelope.
Thank you.
Sound man, ready?
Yes, sir.
Set!
Sound! And action!
Good evening, dear.
Good evening.
This is for your service.
Three-thousand baht?
Yes, sir.
This isn't your first time
with a customer, is it?
No, it isn't.
Many times already?
Yes.
So many.
A beautiful girl like you
deserves brand-new and beautiful clothes.
Let me buy them for you.
Madam Pranee will be pleased
if I buy her dresses for you.
I couldn't wear brightly-colored
clothes for now.
Why not?
Because...
I'm in mourning.
Mourning,
in your lingerie?
Don't think more of what I said
about the mourning.
I should forget about it myself
about this black slip.
Cut! Brilliant!
That's it for this scene.
But the best bit is coming now!
Let me finish the scene.
Be patient, my dear.
Let my actors rehearse it first.
They won't be able to
memorize all those long lines.
Now I'd like to ask Akanee Kriangkrai
and Namfah Daranee to enter the scene.
With pleasure.
Namfah darling, have you
learned all your lines?
A cakewalk.
5I've acted in much
more complicated scenes.
Any concern, Akanee?
A great actor like Akanee Kriangkrai
never has any concern.
To your markings now.
Namfah, on the bed.
Akanee, on the stairs.
But you're not wearing black.
In the real shoot, I'll wear black
and I'll definitely look better than you.
I'll have it made by the
country's best fashion designer.
You can rest assured.
Enough. Let's begin.
Leading man, all set?
Sound and action!
Good evening, dear.
No. Not like that.
Enough!
Stop that laughing!
And you, do not interrupt my actor.
Forgive me, Mr. Director.
Your actress sits brooding and unmoved.
If she is supposed to be me,
I can tell you that if I heard anyone say
"Good evening, dear" in that tone,
I would burst out laughing.
Yes, the manner, the tone.
I always use this manner
and tone in every film
without anyone ever laughing at me!
Pay them no attention.
You two, don't say another word, okay?
Yes.
Do it again.
Sound and action!
Good evening, dear.
Good evening.
What's next for me?
The blue envelope, pick it up.
This is for your service.
Three-thousand baht?
Yes.
Tell me,
this isn't your first time
with a customer,
is it?
Very good.
But more drama.
Try a little winking
after you say,
"this isn't your first
time with a customer,
is it?"
Then you wink, like this.
Namfah my darling.
You have to look mortified.
Try to sound a little shaky
when you say, "No, it isn't."
Ready? Sound and action!
This isn't your first time,
with a customer,
is it?
No, it isn't.
If that woman is here
to treat us like clowns,
I'll walk off now.
Me too. Enough already!
Look, you haven't any manners
and your laugh is disgusting.
Forgive me, sir.
Mr. Director, but this is utterly strange.
What's strange?
I admire your actors, both of them.
But they are certainly not us.
Of course, they're actors!
They're not supposed to be like you.
Don't you get it?
I do.
Good. Don't interrupt my actors again.
And you, zip your lip and padlock it.
Certainly, Boss.
Now, when she tells you,
"I should forget about this black slip..."
you lie down next to her
and ask in the most sympathetic tone,
"Why are you in mourning, my darling?"
Like this.
Ah, well
Why are you in mourning
my darling?
Then Namfah answers in a woeful tone,
"My father"
No! You can't do this to me!
I've had enough with you!
So have I.
And so have I.
You've conspired with him
to change the script, haven't you?
Answer me!
Answer me!
I will not let you two off easily.
You piece together a little romantic scene
out of my disgust,
without regard for reason and truth.
And him.
He wants nothing else
apart from having his noble remorse
and torments acted out on stage.
What about me?
I want everyone to see my
torments acted out too!
I want everyone to see
that when I told him
I was in mourning
Well, do you know
what he actually said?
He said
Take this little black slip off,
now.
No need to be shy.
I've already taken off my pants.
Don't listen to this.
So I, whose father had passed
away barely a month ago,
slowly stripped down the black lingerie
until I was stark naked,
while he gently took
the black stockings off my slender legs.
Whoa! I'm not making a porno here!
But it's the truth!
So what? We can't have
any of this in the film.
I swear this is what really happened.
Look, people buy tickets to sit in a cinema
because they want entertainment.
They want to eat popcorn,
drink sodas, to laugh or cry,
to be thrilled. That's all.
No one gives a damn about your truth,
especially the kind of sick,
immoral truth like in this scene.
Today,
we are unknown to the public.
But tomorrow,
you will act us as you wish.
But now
that you have a chance
to witness the truth,
why did you reject it with such disdain?
Well
you won't allow me to
act out the whole truth,
and you will dress me as you wish,
but at least,
please let me have the arm bare.
All right.
I'll never forget what happened that night.
Mother had finished a wedding gown in time
for a bride to try it on the next morning.
So she decided to deliver
it to the shop right away.
Girl,
do you know where Amara is?
Amara?
Last door on the right.
But you'd better not disturb her.
She's entertaining a VIP.
She's my daughter!
You brute!
You brute!
My daughter!
My daughter!
Wonderful!
Most wonderful!
The generator just exploded again!
Damn it! I did pay respect
to the house spirits!
Why the long face,
my darling?
I'm bored.
Unbearably bored.
How do you like my garden?
Garish, like a cheap play I
used to see at temple fairs.
It's just for today's rehearsal.
I'll have my scout find a
real garden for the shoot.
It will be spectacular, just you watch.
Oh, my actors are waiting.
Come over here.
Scene Two is crucial.
The drama is escalating
as The Father takes The
Mother and her children home,
compelled by his deepest guilt.
He did it out of another reason.
What are you talking about?
I won't indulge you with an answer now.
Stop your madwoman's laughing!
Please do not listen to her,
for that woman never understood
what I truly felt deep inside my heart.
Just like her mother.
I swear I took them into my house
to redeem the sin I'd committed.
I also wanted my wife
to reunite with her son
after a long separation had prevented them
from seeing each other.
But everything turned for the worse,
all because of this son of mine.
Mr. Director, they have
put me always in the wrong.
But imagine how you would feel
to see one day a woman of
impudent bearing arrive.
How can I help you?
I'm here to see Mr. Suriya.
This way please.
I had to watch her treat my father
in a despicable and dodgy manner.
If you don't pay me,
I'll make sure the whole town knows
that the estimable Mr. Suriya
is a regular customer of
Madam Pranee's whorehouse.
How much do you want?
100,000 baht.
In the most arrogant tone,
she asked him for money,
as though it was he who owed her a debt.
But I did owe it to your mother.
How come you expected me to accept it
when you'd never once
talked about my mother?
You only told me
she ran away with a
lover when I was a child.
Then, suddenly, she walked into the house
with that wench and the two kids.
Pupha,
come greet your mother.
That's Pupha, your eldest son.
Son...
I'm overwhelmed.
I'm so happy to
These are your siblings.
Nice to meet you, step-brother.
Brother,
my sister and I want to pay respect to you.
Please be kind to us.
My son, let me look at you.
Bow at your mother's feet, now.
I never had a mother,
and I'll never accept a mother
who abandoned her child.
A mother who ran away with her lover.
Son!
Oops.
And this, Mr. Director,
is the tale of our endless torments.
We need children in this scene.
Prepare to audition for kids
who look like those two.
Yes.
No need to do that.
Those two will never open their mouths
as long as their big brother is present.
You have to remove Pupha
from the scene first.
With pleasure.
I've never wanted anything more than this.
No! You can't leave.
Please let me go, I beg you.
He can't go anywhere.
Father, Mother and Son
are chained together in a bond of eternity.
But I shall act nothing.
You have to force him, Mr. Director.
Nobody can force me.
I will.
You'll act in a scene
opposite your mother now.
No.
Mr. Director, Scene One is unfolding.
Record it, now.
Yes.
I don't know why we're here.
They don't love us,
they don't want us around.
But you have to stay
and take care of Mother.
What about you?
I don't know. Maybe I'll
go find Dad in heaven.
Be a good girl.
Don't let anybody hurt our mother.
This is for you.
Where did you get it?
Somebody
put it outside my door,
with many other toys.
Remember, try to make them love you.
Don't cry.
Our tears will not help us.
Another tear-jerking scene.
Now it's my eldest brother's turn.
I said I shall act nothing.
But how do we proceed then?
Don't worry about him, Mr. Director.
When the right moment comes,
he will play his role.
But while we're waiting for
my brother to get into the mood,
let me treat you to a hidden scene
that the author never revealed to anyone,
except us two.
No.
We can't act out that scene.
It's not in the plot we've agreed on.
Come on,
we've come too far to turn back.
If you hold back now,
how can we finish the story?
All right.
What are you doing?
Nothing, Sister.
What are you doing here?
There's only one thing a woman wants
when she enters uninvited
into a man's room in broad daylight.
Are you mad?
Get out.
You really want me to leave?
Get out, I said.
Your tongue said it,
but your heart desires otherwise.
Am I right, darling?
What do you want from me?
Money?
Why would I want your money?
I still have what you gave me last time.
Then what do you want?
I want
you.
What trick are you trying to pull?
You probably don't know that
I fell in love with you
since the first time we met.
The day you sneaked around my house
and gave me the doll.
A nice old man, with a little paunch,
but so tender and warm
when you put your arms around me.
I'd never thought I would see you again
until that night.
The night in which I
felt the heat radiating
from your naked body.
But Mother interrupted us
Didn't it leave you aching
to finish what we'd started?
I do.
And I want us to finish it now.
But your mother is in the house.
Don't you worry about that.
Mother cares about no one and nothing
except her eldest son.
Do not resist your own desire.
I know
you want me too.
It's all a lie! Mr. Director,
don't listen to her!
I never laid a finger on her.
Of course not! He laid more than
just a finger on me!
Shut up, bitch!
Why did you do it, girl?
I was doomed to a life of wretchedness.
I wanted to see it through
to its inglorious end.
It's not true.
Don't believe her.
I really didn't touch her.
True or not,
I won't be able to use
it in my film anyway.
But the scene between
The Son and The Mother,
that one we can't leave out.
I have said many times, Mr. Director.
I shall act nothing.
But it's crucial to have the scene
between the eldest son and his mother.
It's an important scene.
I'm ready to play the scene, Mr. Director,
whenever he's ready.
Pupha, you have to play
that scene with your mother.
No!
You have to!
It's your mother's wish,
why can't you do it for her?
You ungrateful brat!
Leave me alone!
No!
Stop!
Enough! Please!
No!
Don't do it!
Enough! Please!
Listen to me!
No!
My son!
Please!
What do you want?
Have you lost your mind?
Have you no decency?
Why do you insist
on showing everyone our shame?
I stand for the will of our author in this.
He didn't finish our story
because he didn't want
to put us on the stage.
I shall honor his wish,
and I refuse to act.
So why did you come here?
I didn't.
He did.
Aren't you standing here now?
I was dragged here.
It was his idea.
He wants the whole word
to see him from the
perspective he's chosen.
So some of the things did happen,
and others didn't.
You can act only what truly happened then.
The scene between you and your mother,
we can leave it out if you wish.
There's nothing special about that scene.
I swallowed my pride and came into his room
to tell him...
how much I loved him.
To tell him I never wanted to abandon him.
Son, I've brought you
orange in sweet syrup.
You probably don't remember that
when you were 9 months old,
you screamed and cried for no reason,
but when I fed you a slice of orange
you sucked the juice
and stopped crying immediately.
From then on you drank
orange juice every day,
and hardly ever asked
for my breast milk again.
Put it down and leave.
Son,
please let me hold you just once.
He never cared about me,
not in the least.
See, there's nothing
special about that scene.
What happened after you left the room?
Don't let me relive it,
I don't even want to think about it!
Please tell me. I want to know the truth.
I left the room
and decided
to go shooting in the garden.
But the gun
wasn't in the box.
I rushed over to the garden,
thinking I had left the gun there.
What happened in the garden?
Why are you interrogating me?
It's unbearably cruel!
You were in the garden, then what happened?
In the garden
while I was...
looking for the gun
I saw
What did you see?
Her body,
face down in the fountain.
Someone, go get a doctor!
Someone, go get a doctor!
A child has drowned, go get a doctor!
Little brother!
No!
My son!
My son!
My son!
Help him!
My son!
My son!
Help him please!
Bring the first-aid kit now!
All of you, please step back.
My girl!
They're dead.
They must be faking it.
How could they actually die?
This, ladies and gentlemen, is reality.
The boy is really dead.
The boy is really dead.
So is the girl.
She had no pulse.
How is it possible!
It was a toy gun,
and there's no water in the fountain.
This is insane.
Hey, get those six back here.
Yes, sir!
But the girl had no pulse,
and the boy had real blood
coming out of his head.
I could smell it.
Did you accidentally
give the boy a real gun?
It's definitely a toy gun.
We don't have any real gun on set.
Sir, they've disappeared without a trace.
How could they just disappear?
They haven't finished their story!
Go find them!
Yes, sir.
Director, come here please.
It's urgent.
What's the problem?
It's weird, there's no sound on my tapes.
Nothing at all.
How could it be possible?
I've finally understood
that in cinema and theater
the truth that lies within
the souls of the characters
is all that matters.
Thank you.
The Six Characters.
The director is in a foul mood.
He'll get over it.
Damn, I came off another set at 2 am.
Got only a few hours of shut-eye.
I won't be in my top form today.
Let's get your makeup done first.
No! I've come prepared, are you blind?
All I need is 5 minutes to get changed!
The leading man is here. We can start in 5.
Good. About time.
Lock this frame, it's perfect.
Make sure you hold it steady.
I need this master shot.
Yes, Director.
Gaffer, this light is too damn bright.
We're shooting a horror
film, not a romance.
More more
That's it.
Good morning.
My darling Namfah! How gorgeous you are!
But you've picked the wrong costume.
Wrong?
Yes, a flagrant wardrobe mistake.
How so?
You're playing a ghost, my dear.
And ghosts only wear black!
Didn't the costume person inform you
that you need to be clothed in black?
A ghost, not an angel.
Well
Since this is my opening scene,
shouldn't we play tricks on the audience
by showing them the maiden as
beautiful as a celestial being
before revealing in the next scene
that she in fact is the devil?
Please, allow me to be
beautiful in my opening scene.
Well...
Okay, if that's your wish.
And you, Akanee. Any concern?
A great actor like Akanee
Kriangkrai never has any concern.
Good, let's rehearse.
What's my first line?
"Why am I so sad tonight?"
And mine?
"Hello, everyone."
In the first scene, the
leading man is on the sofa.
The father, mother, sister and
brother will gather in that corner.
There, yes.
On cue, the leading lady
will knock on the door.
The door will open as the two
ghosts appear in the window.
Next, the lights will go out
and there shall be a lightning strike.
What the hell!
Get a flashlight!
The generator has exploded, sir.
What do we do then?
They're replacing it now.
How long will it take?
About 2 hours, sir.
Two hours!
I should've slept in.
Right.
Get it done quickly, go!
Yes, sir.
Have you paid respect to the house spirits?
We all did. Only you haven't.
Then let's do it.
The offerings are over there.
Bring them over here, for heaven's sake.
Greetings, sir.
Extras should wait outside,
this is not your scene.
Excuse me, we're not extras.
If you are not extras,
then why are you here?
What do you want?
We have come here in search of an author.
An author? What author?
This is a film set and we're
in the middle of a shoot.
Get out of here.
I have no time for this absurd intrusion.
But isn't life full of absurdities?
Our lives, our drama,
will become your next box-office hit.
Are you mad?
Get them out of here.
Please oblige me to speak.
What I want to say is
One is born to life in many forms.
As a tree,
as a butterfly.
Or as a woman.
So it's not really that odd
for one to be born a character in a story.
So you and your friends
have been born characters?
Exactly.
We are characters and we are alive.
Or maybe you're runaways from a madhouse.
Mr. Director, do we come
across to you as lunatics?
Close enough.
Believe me, we are really 6
most interesting characters.
But we were orphaned.
Orphaned, correct.
The author who created us
suddenly died.
We characters have drifted
homelessly, what a sin!
He who has the luck to be born a character
will live forever.
Don't!
Immortal
Where will you get the drama?
The drama lives in us.
We are the drama.
The torrents of passion
lying dormant within us
have driven us to seek you out today.
Torrents of passion
lying dormant...
My passion, such violent passion
is reserved...
for him!
Behave yourself.
Is this woman mad?
Mad? No, she's worse than mad.
Listen, stage this drama at once.
Then you'll see that at a certain moment
When this little darling here
is taken away from her mother's bosom.
And this imbecile here
does the stupidest things,
then I shall be off.
But that moment hasn't arrived yet.
After what has taken
place between him and me,
I can no longer remain in the house.
Who could bear to witness
the anguish of her own mother
having to cower at the feet of this jerk!
Look at him. How frigid,
how indifferent he is!
Why?
Because he is the only
legitimate son and we're not.
Mister, I beg you. In the
name of these two children
Please don't
The poor woman's fainting!
Quick, a chair!
Bring an inhaler.
Sit down here, ma'am.
Look at her.
Please
I beg you, don't let this man
carry out his loathsome plan.
What's going on here? What's the story?
Isn't this lady your wife?
Yes, she is.
Gentlemen, this widow is indeed my wife.
How can she be a widow
if you're still alive?
Someone's lost his marbles.
Do not laugh, I beg you.
Her drama is as follows
She had a lover,
a man who ought to be here with us.
Fortunately, he's dead.
Mr. Director, it's his doing.
He gave me that other man
and forced me to run away with him.
It's not true.
What is not true?
I know you lived in peace
and happiness with my father,
did you not?
He was full of love and sympathy for you.
Is it true, you little fool?
Speak up, don't stand
there like a deaf-dumb!
Mr. Director,
he really did force me to take a lover.
Ask him.
It's true. I forced her
to have another man.
Why did you do that?
Just hear him out, the plot will thicken.
He will tell you about
the Demon of Experiment.
Stop being so cynical.
He makes fun of me because I've used
that expression to scold myself.
Scold yourself? Another nice phrase.
Phrases? No.
I've done more than used
phrases to soothe my conscience.
Yes, he used money too.
That day he almost gave me
3,000 baht for my service.
Do you think you have the
right to tyrannize us all
in order to cover up the guilt
of having tried to give her the 3,000 baht?
I want to be precise: he tried,
but he didn't give it to her.
It was very close.
Shame, my daughter.
Shame indeed! This is my revenge!
I'm dying to live that scene.
The room darkened room.
I can see it so clearly.
But gentlemen, you ought to look away now
because I'd have stripped
off nearly all my clothes.
Excuse me, are we shooting
our scenes today or not?
Of course my darling, but we
still don't have the power back.
Let's hold out until
they've fixed the lights.
For now, I'm enjoying this unfolding drama.
Please be patient.
Okay, where did it all begin?
I came from an aristocratic
family in Nakhon Sawan.
My parents passed away,
after I had just returned from Europe.
I inherited all their businesses.
Devoting all my waking minutes
to running the company,
I had to make frequent trips
between Nakhon Sawan and Bangkok,
not to mention Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Our business prospered and we
opened a branch in Bangkok.
I lost myself in my work
and had no time for romance
even though I was turning 40 then.
The clients in Shanghai and
Hong Kong took to us so warmly.
They're very enthusiastic
about our products,
saying our standards are higher
than those of European imports.
Natee, your Chinese is a
great asset to our operation.
We owe this success to you.
I'll give Natee a 5,000-baht
raise, note it down.
Yes, sir.
A token of my appreciation
for your negotiation skills.
I'm very pleased with the results.
Thank you, sir.
Then one day I met her
Amorn Petcharat, a local beauty queen.
Gorgeous, but orphaned and impoverished.
I wasted no time and asked her to marry me,
before she could be snatched
by some younger man.
Amorn gave birth to our
family's one and only heir.
I called him Pupha. "Mountain",
a symbol of strength.
The wind of nostalgia
All in vain the heart bears so much pain
Who did me wrong? Pray tell me
Love is like headwind, that never returns
Whispering sweet words into my ears
But it hurts when love turns into fear
Your pretense is in vain, who'll
fall for your trick again?
Taking back your love,
before it becomes a chain
Then something unexpected happened.
Something I'd never dared imagine.
I couldn't believe what I saw that day.
It ought to have been an ordinary scene in
which a man is falling in love with a woman.
Two people whose souls
are making a connection.
But what I saw was my beloved wife
with my trusted personal secretary.
Amorn, you've never looked at
me the way you looked at him.
Not even once.
It's not true.
Things had come to the point that
no matter what I did,
they would silently exchange glances
as if asking each other how
to keep a lid on my temper.
And that in itself made my temper flare
into an uncontrollable rage.
Why didn't you just sack your secretary?
I did sack him.
But then I had to watch this poor woman
drifting forlornly like a wandering ghost.
So he chased me out of the house
and took my son away from me.
Pupha is my only heir.
I would never let him endure the same kind
of hardship as you did.
And no, I didn't kick you out.
Mr. Director, she took
my sincerity and goodwill
and twisted them into proof of malice.
If you have no feelings left for me,
we can't spend out lives
together as husband and wife.
I know you and Natee are in love.
So I've decided to give you to him.
You two can now live a happy
life together as you so wish.
Go now, go.
Natee is waiting for you outside.
The maid has already
packed all your belongings.
Will you...
let me take my son with me?
No. I won't let my son suffer with you.
Then please let me see
him for the last time.
I sent Pupha to his aunt
in Bangkok this morning.
Didn't you suspect where
your son was all this time?
What kind of mother are you?
How heartless!
Leave, now.
Never in my life have I met a gentleman
as generous and honorable as you.
You have my respect.
Once she'd left, I felt a
peculiar wave of emptiness.
No matter how much I
drowned myself in work,
But her face
and my son's face
flashed in my mind.
Hopelessly empty.
It went on like this, year after year.
When my son returned home
from a boarding school in Bangkok,
he looked at me as if I was a stranger.
He was a boy who kept to
himself, always on his own,
knowing neither love nor
affection, devoid of feelings.
I was desperately lonely,
and I still missed her.
I was also curious about her daughter,
so I start watching them from a distance.
You can ask that woman
if all of this is true.
It is, sir. It is entirely true.
He was probably checking if I
was of age and ready for him.
Scandalous! Shameless!
You see, one day I was
playing around our house,
I was probably 8 then.
I saw him observing me.
He smiled at me and I wondered who he was.
Sweetie, are you the
daughter of Amorn and Natee?
Yes.
What an adorable child.
I have a present for you.
Let me give you a hug.
He put his arms around me, and it felt odd.
Maybe because he was the
first man to ever hug me.
I told my mother about him,
and she knew instantly who he was.
I have a bad feeling about this.
We'll never live in peace
as long as he still has his eyes on us.
Then we should leave.
Two days later, we moved to
my father's hometown in Pijit
without explaining anything to me.
Years later, Mother had
2 more children there.
Those two.
Dime-store melodrama.
Melodrama? This is life, this is passion.
I had no more knowledge of her family.
Days, months and years passed,
they felt as long as eternity.
Time moves so slowly when you
live in the shadow of misery.
I sent my son to school in England,
hoping the experience would warm his heart.
But no, Pupha returned the same boy
and still treated me like a total stranger.
All day long he did
nothing but play the piano.
Or he would lock himself in his room
without leaving its threshold,
shutting himself off from the world.
Or he would go shooting in the garden,
so earnestly as if he
was practicing a kill.
Killing me, I suppose.
The drama is coming right up.
Something new, complex and extraordinary!
While I was at a girls'
college in Chiang Mai,
my father took ill
and died.
That was the critical
juncture of our family,
and it plunged us down
an unpredictable path.
Father had been a low-ranking
district bureaucrat.
His paltry salary was spent on
my and my siblings' education.
And on hospital bills.
I decided to quit college
so my siblings would be
able to continue studying.
Mother took us back to Nakhon Sawan
to find work to support the family.
I had no idea that her family
was living in absolute misery,
struggling to put food on the table.
She could have come to me
for help, but she never did.
How was I to divine your
sentimental compassion?
Right, you never cared
to accept my goodwill.
But worse
I didn't know Amorn was
working for Madam Pranee.
Madam Pranee?
Madam Pranee...
The doyenne of Nakhon Sawan's
biggest fashion house.
She groomed girls to become
models or beauty queens.
She sold clothes during daytime.
At night, she sold something
else on the upper floor.
Mr. Director, I had no
idea that this Madam Pranee
was more interested in my
daughter than in my sewing skills.
Poor Mother, did you know
what that crone said to me
when I delivered the dresses to her shop?
She shrugged and said
you'd ruined her design
and that she wanted to stop hiring you.
Then she persuaded me
to do this "extra work".
She said if I proved
myself loyal and obedient
she'd hire me as a receptionist
and promote me as a fashion model
or enter me in a beauty contest in Bangkok.
My life had since become
as dire and deformed as candle drippings.
My mother thought I was out all
night training to be a model.
She still broke her back
sewing clothes for Madam Pranee
even though I brought
home our much-needed cash.
I know you haven't had
anything to eat since lunch,
so I bought noodles, for you and the kids.
We only had some boiled rice
and two salted eggs left.
So I let your brother and sister have it.
Where did you get the money for the food?
I asked Madam Pranee for an advance.
Madam is so kind to us.
You have to be grateful to her.
Don't tell me you two met
at Madam Pranee's establishment!
Most definitely, Mr. Director!
Because he's a frequent customer
of Madam Pranee's whorehouse.
Mr. Director
this is a scene I've been dying to play.
Let me show you now.
Picture a blue envelope on a
desk, with 3,000 baht inside.
Then he entered the room
while I was lying on the bed.
So you
Her mother arrived in time.
Almost in time.
No! In time!
Stage this scene right now, Mr. Director.
I'd prefer to hear the whole story first.
And please get up from
my lap, my legs are sore.
Sore, or something else?
After that night,
I took all four of them into my house.
You can imagine how unpleasant
we were made to feel,
all because of this beloved son of mine.
Leave me out of this. I've
got nothing to do with it.
How come!
I wasn't made to mix up with that sort.
"That sort"?
The vulgar sort, you mean?
Mr. Director, have you noticed
that every time I look at him,
he dares not meet my gaze?
He knows he was the one who
caused me such great misfortune.
Did I?
Shame on you. I was forced
to return to that filthy life
because of your contemptuous behavior.
Even though my mother is also your mother.
Mr. Director, haven't you seen
that I'm an unrealized character?
I'm so vague that no one can
tell what I'm really like.
And I'm caught in the direst of dilemma,
forced to have my destiny
chained with this family's.
So please, cut me out of this story.
Cut you out? It's just because you're so...
How could you pretend to know
what I'm really like?
You never knew what I'm like.
You never cared.
When I was
at the boarding school in Bangkok,
did you even once visit me?
Never.
During school breaks, other parents
arrived to pick up their sons.
But where were my parents?
All I had was Chom,
the chauffer,
waiting for me.
My friends kept mocking me
that I was the chauffer's son.
Pathetic, don't you think?
I admit that I'm inept being a father.
But it doesn't mean I don't love him.
You never loved anyone,
or anything.
Except money.
Power.
And yourself.
Mr. Director,
everyone has mutilated my goodwill
and turned it into venom.
The drama lies all in this.
The conscience that we all have,
that exists in all of us.
We believe this conscience
to be a single thing shared by all.
But it's not.
There are diverse consciences.
Incomparable.
So it's impossible
for one to fully know another.
And now they've made me
into the villain.
All right,
I've decided to buy your story.
Congratulations to all of you.
How much do you want for the rights?
But we seek not even one baht from this.
You're giving your story to me for free?
That's correct.
Are you mad?
I'm grateful enough if you'll
stage the drama of our lives
and finish the story.
Now who's mad?
Both of them.
This is unprecedented!
Bizarre, unexpected, one of a kind!
You're a bunch of fools to
tempt me with your life story.
Are you amateur actors?
No.
Professional then,
but how come I never met you before?
We are characters,
not actors.
It doesn't matter who or what you are.
I'd like to invite you and your friends
to my office,
so we can work on the script together.
Much obliged.
Everyone,
let's take a one-hour break.
You can go ahead and have lunch.
Then stand by and wait
for my next instruction.
We're going on a new
creative adventure together.
The electricity is still out anyway.
Please, come with me.
The director has really gone mad.
But their story is captivating.
What a waste of my time.
I shouldn't have canceled
a mall appearance for this.
Haven't you made enough money?
Here's your toy gun.
Don't lose it.
Nonsense!
Do whatever you want
but don't mix me up in this mess.
Poor sister, why do they want
you in such a terrifying role?
I suppose the audience will enjoy it.
But you you won't.
Let's run away.
And you, do you want to come?
What is it you're hiding?
Where did you get it?
If I were in your place,
I wouldn't kill myself.
I would shoot one of those two.
Father or son, or both!
Idiot!
How delightful, huh!
And they've roped me into this.
But I'm the most miserable one.
Aren't they satisfied seeing me
being tormented?
Now they're going to expose
my shame to the public.
They're dying to put this on the stage.
If only it was at least a pleasant story!
Why do I have to reveal my feelings?
No son ought to reveal
how nauseating it was
having to witness the strange behaviors
of their parents.
Well, everyone's here right on time.
Have you read the synopsis?
Yes. But it's tortuous and makes no sense.
Don't you think, Akanee?
I do, love.
Namfah darling, don't you worry.
The story will manifest itself
to you during rehearsal.
Get it, my dear?
No, I don't.
All of you will grasp it soon enough.
Now, may I invite the lady
and the two children on the set?
The light is back! Bright and shine!
In that case, may I suggest
that we pick up our filming
of "Lust of the Devil Maiden"?
That's not a good idea. Absolutely not.
Why not?
I don't understand what you're
trying to pull off here.
Why is it so hard for you
to understand anything?
I've made a decision. I will not
film " Lust of the Devil Maiden".
I will instead film the
story of these 6 people.
How do we do that? We
don't even have a script.
No need for a script, my dear,
because you'll study the roles
based on these 6 people.
The sound man will record every scene,
then transcribe your lines
into the dialogue, understand?
Yes, sir.
Rasee, you'll play The Mother.
Exactly my kind of role.
I've played all sorts of
mothers in the last 5 years.
Luecha, you'll be The Son.
I've had my eye on this
character from the start.
Akanee, you'll play The Father.
Me? The Father?
The Father is the leading man.
Are you going to pass?
No. I'll play him.
Namfah, you'll be the
beautiful Step-Daughter.
But
she's a whore.
Absolutely correct, my dear.
Really? That woman is going to play me?
Stop! What's so funny about it?
In my life,
no one has ever dared laugh
at me with such insolence.
Apologize now,
or I'll leave at once.
I apologize.
I didn't mean to laugh at you.
You ought to be honored to be portrayed by
Namfah Daranee,
Thailand's most popular actress.
But I wasn't objecting you.
I was merely thinking about myself,
and how we are worlds apart.
I find it absurd.
How could you be me?
She's right, Mr. Director.
We have our temperaments, our souls.
Then some actors totally unlike us
just assume our lives and our souls.
Let me get this straight.
In a film or a play,
the actors give form to the characters.
How they portray you and your
family is irrelevant to you.
Your story alone won't make the film a hit.
The audience will want to see
the film because of my actors.
No one gives a damn about
"characters" like you.
Do you understand?
I see why the author who conceived us
decided to end his life.
He didn't want to see us
become some total strangers in a film.
The "total stranger" is none
other than Akanee Kriangkrai,
Thailand's number-one screen star.
Isn't it good enough?
I'm most honored,
I truly am.
But I don't think you look
even remotely like me.
If I'd looked like you,
my career would've ended before it started.
Enough. Let's rehearse.
The first scene takes place in the bedroom
on the upper floor of Madam Pranee's shop
where The Father fatefully meets
The Step-Daughter he doesn't recognize.
Leading Lady, please.
Not you, Namfah my dear.
Just watch her.
Watch carefully. Watch
how I live, how I feel.
You have a nerve to
lecture me about acting.
Soon you'll see who'll
come out on top, you or me.
Enough with this bickering.
Let's do the job we love.
More like the job we hate.
The scene opens with The
Step-Daughter alone on the bed.
Let's begin.
Hold on, sir.
Madam Pranee is supposed
to be in this scene too.
Right, I completely forgot about her.
All this squabbling has distracted me.
Where can I find Madam Pranee?
It's simple.
Arrange your set to resemble her boutique.
Put up a few mannequins,
and Madam Pranee will come to you.
That simple?
See it to believe it.
Art team,
Yes.
Bring those two mannequins over here.
Yes, sir.
It's impossible.
There are only these 6
and no one else in sight.
Maybe they've hidden her.
On either side of the stairs.
Now let's go wait over there.
Madam Pranee will arrive in a heartbeat.
There she is.
Incredible.
How did you do it?
Is this some kind of magic?
No.
That's the real Madam Pranee.
Your first scene is being acted out.
But I can't hear what they're saying.
Darling, speak up!
Oopsie Daisy!
Me not mean.
Me never exploited any who.
Is this how she normally speaks?
Great, we need a touch of humor
to lighten things up.
You filmmakers always
want to make funny movies.
It'll be pretty funny
if Madam tells me that
"a nice old geezer wants to support you."
A nice old geezer, right?
Not so old, my minx, not so old.
It's okie-dokie if you don't dig him,
but he got a bigheart.
Devil! You're the Devil!
Get that crone out of my sight!!
Get out!
Calm down, ma'am.
Sit down.
This woman doesn't belong in this scene.
She will keep disrupting the drama.
These two can't see eye to eye.
Let's proceed.
Sound man, did you record everything?
Crystal-clear, sir.
Good.
Continue.
Madam, go on.
How can I?
I not do anything with
your crazy modder present.
Me cannot continue.
Ignore her. Just play your part.
Me can't.
That's enough. Leave, now.
Fine, me will leave!
You dog shit!
Now what?
How can we stage Scene
One without Madam Pranee?
Madam won't perform as
long as Mother is here.
Okay,
I'll cut out Scene One
and move Scene Two to the beginning.
We'll start with The Father meeting
The Step-Daughter in the bordello.
Yes, sir.
You'll come down those steps.
There are no steps in the actual room.
C'mon, it's just a rehearsal.
Here's the blue envelope.
Thank you.
Sound man, ready?
Yes, sir.
Set!
Sound! And action!
Good evening, dear.
Good evening.
This is for your service.
Three-thousand baht?
Yes, sir.
This isn't your first time
with a customer, is it?
No, it isn't.
Many times already?
Yes.
So many.
A beautiful girl like you
deserves brand-new and beautiful clothes.
Let me buy them for you.
Madam Pranee will be pleased
if I buy her dresses for you.
I couldn't wear brightly-colored
clothes for now.
Why not?
Because...
I'm in mourning.
Mourning,
in your lingerie?
Don't think more of what I said
about the mourning.
I should forget about it myself
about this black slip.
Cut! Brilliant!
That's it for this scene.
But the best bit is coming now!
Let me finish the scene.
Be patient, my dear.
Let my actors rehearse it first.
They won't be able to
memorize all those long lines.
Now I'd like to ask Akanee Kriangkrai
and Namfah Daranee to enter the scene.
With pleasure.
Namfah darling, have you
learned all your lines?
A cakewalk.
5I've acted in much
more complicated scenes.
Any concern, Akanee?
A great actor like Akanee Kriangkrai
never has any concern.
To your markings now.
Namfah, on the bed.
Akanee, on the stairs.
But you're not wearing black.
In the real shoot, I'll wear black
and I'll definitely look better than you.
I'll have it made by the
country's best fashion designer.
You can rest assured.
Enough. Let's begin.
Leading man, all set?
Sound and action!
Good evening, dear.
No. Not like that.
Enough!
Stop that laughing!
And you, do not interrupt my actor.
Forgive me, Mr. Director.
Your actress sits brooding and unmoved.
If she is supposed to be me,
I can tell you that if I heard anyone say
"Good evening, dear" in that tone,
I would burst out laughing.
Yes, the manner, the tone.
I always use this manner
and tone in every film
without anyone ever laughing at me!
Pay them no attention.
You two, don't say another word, okay?
Yes.
Do it again.
Sound and action!
Good evening, dear.
Good evening.
What's next for me?
The blue envelope, pick it up.
This is for your service.
Three-thousand baht?
Yes.
Tell me,
this isn't your first time
with a customer,
is it?
Very good.
But more drama.
Try a little winking
after you say,
"this isn't your first
time with a customer,
is it?"
Then you wink, like this.
Namfah my darling.
You have to look mortified.
Try to sound a little shaky
when you say, "No, it isn't."
Ready? Sound and action!
This isn't your first time,
with a customer,
is it?
No, it isn't.
If that woman is here
to treat us like clowns,
I'll walk off now.
Me too. Enough already!
Look, you haven't any manners
and your laugh is disgusting.
Forgive me, sir.
Mr. Director, but this is utterly strange.
What's strange?
I admire your actors, both of them.
But they are certainly not us.
Of course, they're actors!
They're not supposed to be like you.
Don't you get it?
I do.
Good. Don't interrupt my actors again.
And you, zip your lip and padlock it.
Certainly, Boss.
Now, when she tells you,
"I should forget about this black slip..."
you lie down next to her
and ask in the most sympathetic tone,
"Why are you in mourning, my darling?"
Like this.
Ah, well
Why are you in mourning
my darling?
Then Namfah answers in a woeful tone,
"My father"
No! You can't do this to me!
I've had enough with you!
So have I.
And so have I.
You've conspired with him
to change the script, haven't you?
Answer me!
Answer me!
I will not let you two off easily.
You piece together a little romantic scene
out of my disgust,
without regard for reason and truth.
And him.
He wants nothing else
apart from having his noble remorse
and torments acted out on stage.
What about me?
I want everyone to see my
torments acted out too!
I want everyone to see
that when I told him
I was in mourning
Well, do you know
what he actually said?
He said
Take this little black slip off,
now.
No need to be shy.
I've already taken off my pants.
Don't listen to this.
So I, whose father had passed
away barely a month ago,
slowly stripped down the black lingerie
until I was stark naked,
while he gently took
the black stockings off my slender legs.
Whoa! I'm not making a porno here!
But it's the truth!
So what? We can't have
any of this in the film.
I swear this is what really happened.
Look, people buy tickets to sit in a cinema
because they want entertainment.
They want to eat popcorn,
drink sodas, to laugh or cry,
to be thrilled. That's all.
No one gives a damn about your truth,
especially the kind of sick,
immoral truth like in this scene.
Today,
we are unknown to the public.
But tomorrow,
you will act us as you wish.
But now
that you have a chance
to witness the truth,
why did you reject it with such disdain?
Well
you won't allow me to
act out the whole truth,
and you will dress me as you wish,
but at least,
please let me have the arm bare.
All right.
I'll never forget what happened that night.
Mother had finished a wedding gown in time
for a bride to try it on the next morning.
So she decided to deliver
it to the shop right away.
Girl,
do you know where Amara is?
Amara?
Last door on the right.
But you'd better not disturb her.
She's entertaining a VIP.
She's my daughter!
You brute!
You brute!
My daughter!
My daughter!
Wonderful!
Most wonderful!
The generator just exploded again!
Damn it! I did pay respect
to the house spirits!
Why the long face,
my darling?
I'm bored.
Unbearably bored.
How do you like my garden?
Garish, like a cheap play I
used to see at temple fairs.
It's just for today's rehearsal.
I'll have my scout find a
real garden for the shoot.
It will be spectacular, just you watch.
Oh, my actors are waiting.
Come over here.
Scene Two is crucial.
The drama is escalating
as The Father takes The
Mother and her children home,
compelled by his deepest guilt.
He did it out of another reason.
What are you talking about?
I won't indulge you with an answer now.
Stop your madwoman's laughing!
Please do not listen to her,
for that woman never understood
what I truly felt deep inside my heart.
Just like her mother.
I swear I took them into my house
to redeem the sin I'd committed.
I also wanted my wife
to reunite with her son
after a long separation had prevented them
from seeing each other.
But everything turned for the worse,
all because of this son of mine.
Mr. Director, they have
put me always in the wrong.
But imagine how you would feel
to see one day a woman of
impudent bearing arrive.
How can I help you?
I'm here to see Mr. Suriya.
This way please.
I had to watch her treat my father
in a despicable and dodgy manner.
If you don't pay me,
I'll make sure the whole town knows
that the estimable Mr. Suriya
is a regular customer of
Madam Pranee's whorehouse.
How much do you want?
100,000 baht.
In the most arrogant tone,
she asked him for money,
as though it was he who owed her a debt.
But I did owe it to your mother.
How come you expected me to accept it
when you'd never once
talked about my mother?
You only told me
she ran away with a
lover when I was a child.
Then, suddenly, she walked into the house
with that wench and the two kids.
Pupha,
come greet your mother.
That's Pupha, your eldest son.
Son...
I'm overwhelmed.
I'm so happy to
These are your siblings.
Nice to meet you, step-brother.
Brother,
my sister and I want to pay respect to you.
Please be kind to us.
My son, let me look at you.
Bow at your mother's feet, now.
I never had a mother,
and I'll never accept a mother
who abandoned her child.
A mother who ran away with her lover.
Son!
Oops.
And this, Mr. Director,
is the tale of our endless torments.
We need children in this scene.
Prepare to audition for kids
who look like those two.
Yes.
No need to do that.
Those two will never open their mouths
as long as their big brother is present.
You have to remove Pupha
from the scene first.
With pleasure.
I've never wanted anything more than this.
No! You can't leave.
Please let me go, I beg you.
He can't go anywhere.
Father, Mother and Son
are chained together in a bond of eternity.
But I shall act nothing.
You have to force him, Mr. Director.
Nobody can force me.
I will.
You'll act in a scene
opposite your mother now.
No.
Mr. Director, Scene One is unfolding.
Record it, now.
Yes.
I don't know why we're here.
They don't love us,
they don't want us around.
But you have to stay
and take care of Mother.
What about you?
I don't know. Maybe I'll
go find Dad in heaven.
Be a good girl.
Don't let anybody hurt our mother.
This is for you.
Where did you get it?
Somebody
put it outside my door,
with many other toys.
Remember, try to make them love you.
Don't cry.
Our tears will not help us.
Another tear-jerking scene.
Now it's my eldest brother's turn.
I said I shall act nothing.
But how do we proceed then?
Don't worry about him, Mr. Director.
When the right moment comes,
he will play his role.
But while we're waiting for
my brother to get into the mood,
let me treat you to a hidden scene
that the author never revealed to anyone,
except us two.
No.
We can't act out that scene.
It's not in the plot we've agreed on.
Come on,
we've come too far to turn back.
If you hold back now,
how can we finish the story?
All right.
What are you doing?
Nothing, Sister.
What are you doing here?
There's only one thing a woman wants
when she enters uninvited
into a man's room in broad daylight.
Are you mad?
Get out.
You really want me to leave?
Get out, I said.
Your tongue said it,
but your heart desires otherwise.
Am I right, darling?
What do you want from me?
Money?
Why would I want your money?
I still have what you gave me last time.
Then what do you want?
I want
you.
What trick are you trying to pull?
You probably don't know that
I fell in love with you
since the first time we met.
The day you sneaked around my house
and gave me the doll.
A nice old man, with a little paunch,
but so tender and warm
when you put your arms around me.
I'd never thought I would see you again
until that night.
The night in which I
felt the heat radiating
from your naked body.
But Mother interrupted us
Didn't it leave you aching
to finish what we'd started?
I do.
And I want us to finish it now.
But your mother is in the house.
Don't you worry about that.
Mother cares about no one and nothing
except her eldest son.
Do not resist your own desire.
I know
you want me too.
It's all a lie! Mr. Director,
don't listen to her!
I never laid a finger on her.
Of course not! He laid more than
just a finger on me!
Shut up, bitch!
Why did you do it, girl?
I was doomed to a life of wretchedness.
I wanted to see it through
to its inglorious end.
It's not true.
Don't believe her.
I really didn't touch her.
True or not,
I won't be able to use
it in my film anyway.
But the scene between
The Son and The Mother,
that one we can't leave out.
I have said many times, Mr. Director.
I shall act nothing.
But it's crucial to have the scene
between the eldest son and his mother.
It's an important scene.
I'm ready to play the scene, Mr. Director,
whenever he's ready.
Pupha, you have to play
that scene with your mother.
No!
You have to!
It's your mother's wish,
why can't you do it for her?
You ungrateful brat!
Leave me alone!
No!
Stop!
Enough! Please!
No!
Don't do it!
Enough! Please!
Listen to me!
No!
My son!
Please!
What do you want?
Have you lost your mind?
Have you no decency?
Why do you insist
on showing everyone our shame?
I stand for the will of our author in this.
He didn't finish our story
because he didn't want
to put us on the stage.
I shall honor his wish,
and I refuse to act.
So why did you come here?
I didn't.
He did.
Aren't you standing here now?
I was dragged here.
It was his idea.
He wants the whole word
to see him from the
perspective he's chosen.
So some of the things did happen,
and others didn't.
You can act only what truly happened then.
The scene between you and your mother,
we can leave it out if you wish.
There's nothing special about that scene.
I swallowed my pride and came into his room
to tell him...
how much I loved him.
To tell him I never wanted to abandon him.
Son, I've brought you
orange in sweet syrup.
You probably don't remember that
when you were 9 months old,
you screamed and cried for no reason,
but when I fed you a slice of orange
you sucked the juice
and stopped crying immediately.
From then on you drank
orange juice every day,
and hardly ever asked
for my breast milk again.
Put it down and leave.
Son,
please let me hold you just once.
He never cared about me,
not in the least.
See, there's nothing
special about that scene.
What happened after you left the room?
Don't let me relive it,
I don't even want to think about it!
Please tell me. I want to know the truth.
I left the room
and decided
to go shooting in the garden.
But the gun
wasn't in the box.
I rushed over to the garden,
thinking I had left the gun there.
What happened in the garden?
Why are you interrogating me?
It's unbearably cruel!
You were in the garden, then what happened?
In the garden
while I was...
looking for the gun
I saw
What did you see?
Her body,
face down in the fountain.
Someone, go get a doctor!
Someone, go get a doctor!
A child has drowned, go get a doctor!
Little brother!
No!
My son!
My son!
My son!
Help him!
My son!
My son!
Help him please!
Bring the first-aid kit now!
All of you, please step back.
My girl!
They're dead.
They must be faking it.
How could they actually die?
This, ladies and gentlemen, is reality.
The boy is really dead.
The boy is really dead.
So is the girl.
She had no pulse.
How is it possible!
It was a toy gun,
and there's no water in the fountain.
This is insane.
Hey, get those six back here.
Yes, sir!
But the girl had no pulse,
and the boy had real blood
coming out of his head.
I could smell it.
Did you accidentally
give the boy a real gun?
It's definitely a toy gun.
We don't have any real gun on set.
Sir, they've disappeared without a trace.
How could they just disappear?
They haven't finished their story!
Go find them!
Yes, sir.
Director, come here please.
It's urgent.
What's the problem?
It's weird, there's no sound on my tapes.
Nothing at all.
How could it be possible?
I've finally understood
that in cinema and theater
the truth that lies within
the souls of the characters
is all that matters.
Thank you.
The Six Characters.