From left: Nichkhun Horvejkul, Urassaya Sperbund and Sunny Suwanmethanont
In the Thai romantic comedy/family drama “Brother of the Year,” director Vithaya Thongyuyong hopes to showcase the different quirks and elements that make the brother-sister dynamic unique.
“What we usually see [being portrayed on film] are relationships between brothers or between sisters. This time, we want [to give] the viewers a little idea what a brother-sister relationship is like. We want to go deeper … tackle the love-hate aspect,” he said—through an interpreter—at a recent press conference for the movie.
Hitting local cinemas on Sept. 5, the movie—produced by the production outfit GDH—is about the cat-and-mouse ways of siblings Chut (Sunny Suwanmethanont) and Jane (Urassaya Sperbund). They have always fought since they were kids: Chut had wanted a younger brother he could play with, but instead got a sister who acts more like their mother.
Chut’s brotherly instincts, however, kicks in and he becomes meddling whenever his sister gets romantically involved with someone. So, when Chut finds out that Jane has gotten secretly engaged to Moji (Nichkhun Horvejkul of the K-Pop band 2PM), Chut gets overprotective and does everything in his power to intimidate her fiancé.
“This film made me reminisce about my family, especially when I interfered with my younger sibling’s love life,” Vithaya related. “I believe that many other siblings have experienced something like this, too.”
Over the years, Thai soaps and movies have been steadily growing in popularity in other countries. For instance, the heist thriller “Bad Genius—also by GDH—reportedly earned $41 million in China alone. The production company hopes to replicate that success with “Brother,” which is the highest-earning movie in Thailand so far this year.
Vithaya believes that the Filipino audience will be able to relate to the movie, because “Asians share cultural similarities.” “What I have noticed is that we’re not really expressive when it comes to our love [for our siblings]. But we just know it,” he said. “So, since the movie was successful in Thailand, I think it can also do well in other Asian countries.”
“[Looking around], I thought I was still in Thailand,” he said of driving around Manila.
Meanwhile, Sunny echoed the director’s sentiments: “Imagine, it’s a little embarrassing to go up to your siblings and say, ‘I love you, brother! I love you, sister!’ Even though we don’t express it out loud, deep down, we just know that we love each other.”
“I think this is something you can appreciate even if you don’t have siblings. If you go in [the theater] with an open mind, you will go out feeling sentimental, filled with emotions,” he said.
The 37-year-old heartthrob, who had visited Manila for the 2013 Thai Film Festival where his movie “Shambhala” was screened, added that he would love to go on vacation in the Philippines someday.
He’s likewise open to working with Filipino actors and directors. “It would be a pleasure,” said Sunny, who has also starred in such films as “Mr. Hurt” and “Heart Attack.”
“One of the things I love about being an actor is that I get to travel while doing what I love.”