Following up on his acclaimed Fun Bar Karaoke, Pen-ek Ratanaruang directs this gritty hriller about crime, gangsters, and the will to survive in the wake of the 1997 Asia economic meltdown. After getting dumped from her office job, Tum (Lalita Panyopas) is so despondent that she tries to chug every noxious substance residing under her sink. When she wakes up, she discovers what appears to be a box full of instant noodle packages. Instead, the cartons are filled with cash -- about a million baht. It turns out that she received the money because of a gangland foul-up in which a six on an apartment address was mistaken for a nine. The thugs quickly figure out their mistake and come knocking once again. When she plays dumb about the dough, they get violent. Soon Tum has two corpses on her floor. Realizing that she needs to get out of town -- and fast -- she turns to Kanjit (Black Phomtong), a mob fixer with a passion for long massages. Unfortunately for Tum, the intended recipient of the ramen carton baht was Kanjit, and he quickly cottons on to Tums dirty deed. Meanwhile, Tums already stressful life is made all the more complex by a nosy neighbor (Sirisin Siripornsmathikul) and a close friend (Tasanawalai Ongarittichai) in dire straits. This film was screened at the 2000 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
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