Pop Aye
Directed by Kirsten Tan
Thailand/Singapore | 2017 | Fiction | 102 min | Thai w/English subtitles
Film Source: Kino Lorber
Sponsor: Duncan Wisniewski Architecture
Awards/premier festivals: Sundance
Also showing Friday, October 27 at 7:15PM
Kirsten Tan’s debut film Pop Aye (the first film from Singapore to play at the Sundance Film Festival) co-stars the eponymous elephant Pop Aye, who, both by definition and — dare we say — charisma, dominates and illuminates the frame. His co-star is Thana, a sad-sack architect going through a midlife crisis. On a chance encounter, Thana bumps into his long-lost elephant and takes him on a journey across Thailand in search of the farm where they both grew up. For Thana, Pop Aye is both a friend and a metaphor for loss. This road movie, full of humor, is a touching journey for both of them. On the way they encounter some interesting characters, including a lonely transgender sex worker and a very wise drifter, but Pop Aye’s unpredictable actions help drive the story as much as any of the human actors. This engrossing film progresses at an elephant’s serene pace without ever dipping into cutesiness or sentimentality. ~OY
