A few weekends ago, mr;p and I watched the Thai movie, Sing Lek Lek Thii Riak Waa Rak, whose English title is “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” It goes by a tagline “89 percent of people have experienced such emotions,” which got me very curious after watching the trailer.
The trailer got me chuckling and reminiscing my own experiences with mr;p. It was like a checklist of the silly things I’d done as a teenager. Purposeful walks by his classroom to catch a glimpse of him; calling him at his home line (those were the pre-pager and mobile phone days); a couple of movie dates; him walking me home through the park; and me cherishing his every mementos (notes, textbooks, etc.)
If the trailer captured my attention, the movie lost it.
[*Spoiler alert!*] Nerdy Girl meets handsome guy senior. Girl has a crush on Boy, trying to get close to him at every opportunity. Girl becomes prettier and excels at studies because she wants to be compatible with Boy. Boy pretends to be oblivious to Girl’s crush on him because his best friend likes her. Boy finally expresses his feelings through a handmade scrapbook, which he leaves at the Girl’s front door but leaves to pursue his football career. Meanwhile, Girl goes away to the U.S. to pursue her studies and becomes a famous fashion designer. Nine years later, they meet again on a TV interview. The ending strongly hints at them becoming a couple.
Although I think many girls would probably resonate with the “ugly duckling turned swan” part, I don’t like the movie on several counts. Why must nerdy girls always turn pretty before boys are willing to take a look? Why can’t you let their characters shine more than their looks? Why must they get together in the end? The director prefers giving the movie a happy ending, but I prefer an ending that stops when Boy and Girl’s paths diverge as they each pursue their own aspirations.
I discussed this movie with some of my female Thai colleagues. Our conclusion: The producers are just trying to capture the teenage girls’ eyeballs, giving them the (bordering on false) hope that it’s very possible to meet your crush again in future and you will fall head over heels in love.
Such cases do happen in real life, but seriously, most often than not, when Girl meets Boy again as adults, the infatuation’s long gone.
Unrequited love are sometimes beautiful because it ends before it can get anywhere.
