10 years begging for a second chance: 'October Sonata' director Somkiat Vituranich

It has been a long time coming, but writer-director Somkiat Vituranich can surely now put any self-doubt behind him after emerging from the Bangkok Film Critics Assembly Awards earlier this month with no less than six awards for his romantic drama “October Sonata” (Rak Tee Ror Koi).

Somkiat, whose first big break in the film industry was as assistant director on the 1989 film “The Medium” (Khon Song Chao), won individual awards for best director and best screenplay. "October Sonata" also won best film as well as awards for art direction, best score and a well-deserved best supporting actor award for former “Academy Fantasia” star Pitsanu Nimsakul, sweeping the board and winning more than half of the 11 awards up for grabs. 

“When I knew that 'October Sonata' was nominated for nine awards I was very happy and hoped to get the award for best movie, because it is an award for team work and my team really put their hearts into this production. They deserved it,” says Somkiat. 

The passionate story of idealistic love set against the backdrop of the political upheaval and brutal suppression of left-wing idealism of 1970s Thailand also has 11 nominations for Sunday night’s Subhanahongsa Awards, including best film, best director and best screenplay. 

Somkiat at work on the set of "October Sonata."

Somkiat's 10-year struggle

A humble yet talented filmmaker, Somkiat is clearly just happy to be making movies. "October Sonata" was 10 years in the making, with the first draft of the script completed in 1995. Finding money for the movie proved more difficult than writing it and Somkiat spent a decade in the wilderness, unable to get backing for his projects.

“I submitted the script for 'October Sonata' to almost every major production company but they all rejected it because it was too serious,” says Somkiat. “I spent the next 10 years struggling to be a filmmaker, or you could say it was 10 years of begging for a second chance to direct a film, but every door was closed to me.”

Somkiat eventually made a successful return to the industry in 2005, penning the screenplay for the film “Ai Fak,” based on the Chart Korbjitti's novel on class warfare “The Judgment,” before trying his hand at directing a more mainstream film, the canine comedy “Mid Road Gang.” Released in 2008, "Mid Road Gang" was a commercial success, bringing in 50 million baht at the local box office and winning best film awards at the Giffoni Film Festival and the China International Children’s Film Festival. 

These successes paved the way for the making of "October Sonata" and Somkiat’s perseverance paid off when he secured financial backing for his most personal project. The film is one of rare nuance and insight. Melodramatic in parts, "October Sonata" nevertheless deals competently with subjects rarely touched in Thai cinema. 

Filming on the "October Sonata" set.

Inspired by one of Thailand's darkest days

The movie is set in the volatile and passionate 1970s, when the country was as divided as it has ever been in modern times, as paranoid right-wing military governments used brutal tactics to suppress a low-level communist insurgency and left-wing intellectuals seeking a change in governance. But the film remains first and foremost a tale of idealistic love. 

“I wanted to write a love story that would be able to reflect the casualness of our present time. Therefore, I set the story in 1970. At that time I was 11 years old and the movies starring Mitr Chaibancha always spoke of pure love, love without condition, and the hero was always a gentlemen who keeps his word.

“In the 1970s I heard a lot about the Vietnam War and experienced two major political upheavals, most importantly the brutal suppression of left-wing students on October 6, 1976, when I saw Thai people killing each other brutally at Sanam Luang. That situation has haunted me ever since.”

Somkiat talks of how his father was a major inspiration for the male lead character Rawee, played by Thanawat Watanaputi, and how the original script was also inspired heavily by the writings of left-wing thinker Kularb Saipradit (also known by his pen-name Sri Burapha) -- who died in exile in China in 1974.

“Beside my own experiences Sri Burapha’s "The War of life" also provided huge inspiration for my script. I read the book when I was 12 years old and I was really fascinated by the thinking, the philosophy and the generosity of the author and most of all, the way he wrote so beautifully, with so many layers of meaning.

“I knew from the start that the political layer was going to be difficult to understand for the foreign audience, but I optimistically hoped for the Thai audience to understand it, or at least to learn the lessons from the past.”

Although "October Sonata" has impressed the critics, it did not fare well at all at the box office, as it went up against Hollywood blockbusters such as "Avatar" in its January release.

“I made a lot of compromise in order to fit this movie into the Thai mainstream market. In truth, I really didn’t expect any international success. I also didn’t expect a big local box office return for this movie, but the result was even lower than my expectations. I already have an idea for my next project, the working title is 'All You Can Eat'. It is a movie about food.”