Note that now the documentary has been named ‘Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story’ – so if you’re searching on imdb, that’s what it’s called.
You can rely on BBC Storyville documentaries to pull it out of the bag pretty much every time, but ‘Fishing For Love: How to Catch a Thai Bride’ is an outstanding example, and best of all it’s free to watch on iPlayer. A BOOTIFUL story about the people living on an imaginary border between the city of Pattaya in Thailand, known for Gap Years and sex tourism. And the Netherlands, where in a small fishing village, over 900 Thai women have married mostly older European men.
Sommai, with her cheekbones of Granite is the fucking Stoic image. Once a prostitute, now a match-maker for Thai women to meet sensible Danish men. In Pattaya, where unemployment is common, these women are after stability, a way to provide for their families, an alternative to the sex industry.
This sort of subject usually looks no further than poking fun at how hopeless and/or sexist European men who marry young Thai women can be, but this Documentary stands well clear of the tradition. Co-Directors Sine Plambach and Henrik Ipsen maintain intimate relationships with the people involved on both sides of the cultural divide, over a long period of time.
Through the almost OTS camera perspective and edit you get such a raw perspective into the lives of these people. We’re physically present during all of the awkward silences and stabs at communication, as they gossip and confess to one another. It doesn’t really push for an outlandish style but it’s not at all in need of one. You find yourself becoming invested in these people without really noticing it’s happening. The craft is totally aimed at creating understanding and empathy, one of the core goals of this handheld constructed truth, leading way back to the Direct Cinema movement of the 50s-60s.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000flgx/storyville-fishing-for-love-how-to-catch-a-thai-bride
8/10
ideaskip 