"Human Resource" - a film that made the heart of 'Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit' beat faster again

"This is a film for everyone who still has questions in their mind about what's in front of them, but can't ask them aloud—in the office, in a meeting room, on the street, in a car, at the dinner table, in their bedroom, in this country, or in the world."

This film is a question we want you to help answer. It's a personality test. It's exercise equipment. It's trail running. It's hiking. It's a conversation. It's a big mirror. It's a quiet place where you can reflect on your life once again. How many moments in normal daily life allow us to pause and think? This film offers you that moment. Of course, it's not easy, but we want you to please consider it..."

Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit's Facebook status invites us to watch the official trailer for the film Human Resource , scheduled for release in Thailand on January 29th.

Read more: Golden Globe Awards Results: 'One Battle After Another' and 'Hamnet' Take the Top Awards of the Year, While Lisa Makes History by Presenting an Award for the First Time.

From his debut film 36 to Mary is Happy, The Master, Freelance...Don't Get Sick, Don't Take a Break, Don't Fall in Love with the Doctor, Die Tomorrow, BNK48: Girls Don't Cry, How to Leave, Fast and Feel Love, and now Human Resource.

“The central theme of every film we make usually involves a ‘question,’ a question that is sometimes difficult to answer, or perhaps cannot be answered alone; it requires collaboration. We believe the question in this film will resonate strongly with people today. But first… we want viewers to know what kind of film this is. We want them to understand the work before opening their minds to watch it.” Nawapol gradually guides us into his unique style of cinema.

"Sometimes people think our films are slow-paced or have open endings, abruptly concluding, which goes against typical entertainment films where the audience should get some kind of answer. Some people have even asked, 'Can you just tell me what you're going to say? Summarize it for me. I don't want to think about anything; I'm tired.' (laughs) Which is understandable, but with our films, we want to provoke thought, pose thought-provoking questions, and see how other people think."

Although Nawapol believes that the questions in his film, if viewers ponder them together, will help them understand themselves better, the lack of ready-made answers can certainly lead to feelings of insecurity, because they don't know if their thoughts are correct.

"Actually, for us, there's no right or wrong answer. What we think today might just be temporary. What we understand to be right might be wrong if challenged by others. That's the nature of life; we can discover new things all the time. Therefore, we try to tell the audience beforehand what our film will be like, so that at least they can fully receive our message."

Nawapol further explained that one thing he discovered from the audience who really enjoyed his work was that they knew what they were getting and didn't ask for or expect anything else.

“They won't ask, 'Why isn't the movie exciting?' (laughs) It's like going to a temple; what's there to be exciting about? Sometimes we just need peace, to practice meditation. Or, let's say we go to the beach; sometimes we just want to sit and daydream, think about this and that. But if we expect the beach to be like Disneyland, and when we get there there are no rides, we might be disappointed. So, if everyone understands that the beach doesn't have rides, and that all you can do is swim and sit on the shore, they'll be satisfied with what they get. Returning to the film, we tried to clearly communicate the tone of our movie so they know how to manage their emotions or exert themselves to truly understand the film as it is.”

After nearly twenty years as a filmmaker, both as a director and screenwriter, Nawapol reveals that his themes and interests tend to change with each stage of his life. Therefore, films serve as a semi-record of his thoughts from different periods in time.

“We want to tell stories that resonate with us and are very close to us. We might not be the type of filmmakers who will come up with a plot that will deeply affect the audience this year—maybe that will happen someday. Right now, we're still interested in observing society and ourselves, and wondering what questions are circulating that are difficult to answer, or what issues offer fun and thought-provoking possibilities. We enjoy making films like that, and luckily, many of our questions resonate with people. They are questions that everyone may have thought about but forgotten, or questions they've thought about but haven't dared to explore further. We feel we can represent those people, and we believe film has its own power.”

In his new film , Human Resource…New Employee (Please Consider), Nawapol takes us to explore the world of work through the perspective of a Human Resource (HR) officer, inviting us to reflect and question the meaning of birth and life.

"We feel that the HR profession is about interviewing people to see their work attitudes and how much we can negotiate with others. These interviews reveal many different ways of thinking, both those we agree with and those we disagree with. Since people need to work to survive, their work dictates the rest of their lives—what kind of work they do, how they work, and who they work with. This point resonates with everyone."

Similarly, the director's casting approach is different; he doesn't want the audience to associate the characters with the hero or heroine, but rather to feel that these characters are friends or ordinary people he can relate to in real life.

“This film talks about people from multiple generations. We want viewers to encounter new characters who, even though they think differently from us, might have something that makes us agree with them. It's an opportunity to listen to other people's stories more. You might be a Gen Z who happens to agree with Gen X or Gen Y on certain issues, or you might be a Gen Y who dislikes other Gen Ys. This film will take you to observe the complex and intertwined lives of many people, and then prompt you to reflect on and find answers to your own life, some of which... might not be so simple.”

Although the talented director admits that his films don't fall into the category of entertainment films by general definition, the way they provoke viewers to ponder, question, and exchange perspectives could be considered another form of entertainment as well.

“Actually, there are many films of this type in the world, it's just that there are perhaps fewer in Thailand. We feel that the film industry can only grow when there is diversity and continuity. We feel that lately, people have been consuming more diverse media, alternative media that provides knowledge and encourages people to think. So we talked with GDH and JAI Studios about wanting to try something new, to make a film with a different storytelling style, different content, and issues that can be discussed with people around the world, not just in Thailand.”

Nawapol further explained that the model he wants to experiment with is to bring Thai films to the widest possible audience, starting with premieres at film festivals abroad.

"Major film festivals around the world, like Cannes, Venice, and Berlin, have a rule that their films must have a world premiere. If we premiere in Thailand, it means we won't get to meet an international audience because it will be a different demographic. That's why we have to screen the films abroad first, and then bring them back to Thailand."

This is an attempt to bring Thai films to a wider world, to reach a larger and more diverse audience. If this model is successful, it could inspire many more small film projects and also help to increase the diversity of the Thai film industry as well.

“We know we have a niche interest. Our job is to make the films we make self-sustaining. So we're trying to make this model work. We might have to try to screen our films in as many different places as possible—Thailand, Italy, France, etc.—so that a film can continue to thrive. Working with studios also gives filmmakers more motivation to bring a film to as many audiences as possible.”

Throughout his journey as a film director, up to his ninth film, Nawapol reveals that his feelings have never changed. "My spirit remains the same, my desire to make films about various issues remains steadfast as it was on the first day," even though creating this work required immense physical and mental energy.

“The difficulty in making Human Resource is that it's a film about feelings, which are quite difficult to measure—whether what we're doing is okay, too much, too little, enough, or not enough. It's a feeling of 'uncertainty,' like when we were young and just starting out in filmmaking. Especially when we have to submit our film to big, international festivals, we never feel like we're important. Even though back in Thailand we might be mid-career or older directors, when we're at those big festivals, we feel small and insecure, like we're a young filmmaker again.”

Surprisingly, amidst this feeling of insecurity, Nawapol's heart raced. "Actually, these are things I enjoy and they make me feel refreshed, like a constant flow of adrenaline. Because every day there's something to think about, how to solve different problems. These feelings make me want to learn and improve myself continuously to tackle new problems without getting bored. It's like playing football once in a while, feeling satisfied knowing my body is still strong, then going home to rest. I think this kind of feeling is what allows us to live life to the fullest."

It has been over five months since Human Resource began its journey to various film festivals around the world, and it is now about to return to the land where it all started. We are curious to know what message this talented director has for his Thai fans who have been waiting to see it.

"In the past, we probably hoped that everyone would like our movies. But as we've grown older, we've realized that it might not be as important as meeting people who watch our movies and sharing their feelings with us, talking and exchanging stories that resonate with them. That's enough to make us feel satisfied."

“We want this film to be an option for everyone who wants to try something new and different. We want this film to reach a large enough audience so that we can continue to produce diverse content for the Thai film industry. We want this film to create a space for discussion, questioning, and serve as a springboard leading to open conversations among people in society.”

“One of the most important things I learned from making this film is that in creative work, we need to hold onto our beliefs tightly because they can slip away at any moment. It's like a test of our mental fortitude, not being swayed by every voice around us. I hope this two-hour film will be an opportunity for us to reflect on ourselves, and perhaps we might find 'answers' to our real-life questions.”

Please just open your mind and consider... (Human Resource) ...

Read more:

At 36, Taew Natapohn Pornprapha enjoys the happiest moments of her life, business, and relationships.

Kamala Sukosol, at 89 years old, shares her lifelong lesson: "If you don't Live... you won't Learn."

Pete Pranithan Pornprapha shares the behind-the-scenes story of 10 years of the magical world-class festival “Wonderfruit”.