Chocolate (2008 film)

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Chocolate

The Thai teaser poster.
Directed by Prachya Pinkaew
Produced by Prachya Pinkaew
Sukanya Vongsthapat
Written by Chukiat Sakweerakul
Nepali
Starring Yanin Vismistananda
Hiroshi Abe
Pongpat Wachirabunjong
Distributed by Sahamongkol Film International
Release date(s) Thailand:
February 6, 2008
Country Thailand
Language Thai, Japanese
Budget 150 million baht[1]
Official website
IMDb profile

Chocolate (Thai: ช็อคโกแลต) is a 2008 Thai martial arts film directed by Prachya Pinkaew with martial arts choreography by Panna Rittikrai, the same pair who directed Tony Jaa in Ong-Bak and Tom Yum Goong. The star of Chocolate is Yanin "Jeeja" Vismistananda, who makes her debut film performance. Hiroshi Abe and Pongpat Wachirabunjong also star.

Contents

[edit] Plot

A young autistic woman named Zen (Yanin Vismistananda) has developed uncanny martial arts skills by watching television, and from living next door to a Muay Thai academy.

The girl is the daughter of Zin (Ammara Siripong), the Thai wife of Yakuza boss Masashi (Hiroshi Abe).

Zin was previously the girlfriend of Thai gangster No. 8 (Pongpat Wachirabunjong), who was jealous of her relationship with rival gangster Masashi. After Zin chose Masashi, he shot his own toe and forbids Zin from ever seeing him again. Zin ask Masashi to go back to Japan as they would not be able to be together safely. He begrudgingly leaves.

Soon after Zin finds herself pregnant and moves into a new place to get away from No. 8. She has a daughter that she names Zen. Soon it is discovered that Zen suffers from Autism and will need special care. As Zen gets older, one day Zin decides to tell Masashi about his daughter by writing him a letter. No. 8 finds out that Zin is incontact with Masashi and is Furious. He visits Zin and cuts off one of Zin's toes, to remind her she is forbidden from seeing Masashi.

Zin is forced to move again to a house shared by a Muay Thai kickboxing school. Zen becomes infatuated with Martial Arts and begins to self teach herself by mimicking the moves she sees as well as what she watches on television. One day when coming home from work Zin sees a poor little boy being picked on in the streets named Muum. Feeling sorry for his plight she takes him in. It is shown that Zen has uncanny reflexes and is able to catch balls thrown without even looking.

Zin then falls ill with cancer, and does not have the money to pay for treatments. Zen and Muum attempt to make money to pay for these treatments by having people throw balls at her as a street performer. Unfortunately they are not able to earn enough to keep up with the treatments. One day, Muum discovers a list of debtors in an old notebook, from the days when Zin was a high-interest moneylender under No. 8. In order to get money to pay for her mother's cancer treatment, Zen and Muum decide to collect on the debts, which leads to confrontations with various criminal gangs and, eventually, No. 8.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production

The star of Chocolate, Yanin Vismistananda, was discovered by director Prachya Pinkaew in 2003 when the director was working on casting sessions for Panna Rittikrai's directorial effort, Born to Fight.[1]

Already experienced in taekwondo, Yanin underwent more training with Panna Rittikrai's stunt team.[1][2]

The script for Chocolate was then developed with Yanin in mind.[1]

The film was in production during 2006 and 2007, with promotional efforts including a cast appearance at the Bangkok Film Market during the 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival in July.[3]

A three-minute promotional video was released online in early January 2008, showing action scenes from the film as well as outtakes of what appeared to be painful injuries for the star and stuntmen.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Payee, Parinyaporn. November 15, 2007. A hit of Chocolate, The Nation (Thailand); retrieved 2008-01-09
  2. ^ Chocolate might be better than Tom Yum Kung.., BK Magazine; retrieved 2008-01-09
  3. ^ Chocolate - and the next female action star (maybe), Screenhead; retrieved 2008-01-09
  4. ^ The trailer for Prachya Pinkaew's Chocolate finally arrives; TwitchFilm.net; retrieved 2008-01-09

[edit] External links


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