(aka 'Mah nakorn' or 'Citizen Dog')

Directed by Wisit Sasanatieng
Thailand 2004

A rare Thai cult film, Citizen Dog criticizes various aspects of the modern society with surrealistically colored visuals and a daring plot that can only originate from the most imaginative brain. Director Wisit Sasanatieng, after his creative Tears of the Black Tiger, adapts a story written by his wife into an acclaimed movie, officially selected for the Toronto Film Festival and the Pusan Film Festival. Citizen Dog was awarded the Bronze Prize for the Best Asian Film at the Fantasia Film, Montreal.


Naive village boy Pod (Mahasamut Boonyaruk) moves to Bangkok to work in a factory producing canned sardine fish, where he accidentally cuts off his finger and re-attaches his colleagues'. While working as an office security guard, he meets Jin (Saengthong Gate-Uthong), enjoying a love-at-first-sight experience. After that he switches to be a taxi-driver, so as to drive her around, hoping to win her heart. All of a sudden, she decides to dedicate her life to environmental protection...

Everything seems surreal or even absurd, but despite such craziness the film turns out to be amazingly entertainingly and thought-provoking. The CG effects transform Bangkok to an alien city, but that critical distance certainly helps to convey the film's comments about modern society. Narration is done by renowned Thai director Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Invisible Waves, Last Life in the Universe).

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 15th, 2005 - Toronto Film Festival

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DVD Review: Asian Video - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover

   

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Distribution Asian Video - Region 0 - NTSC

We have been told by a reliable source that the Region 1 Tai Seng DVD released August 28th, 2007 is the exact same excellent transfer as the Asian Video. It may probably be the exact same disc and the Asian Video is presently $4 cheaper and will play on North American systems.

     

     

Runtime 1:38:21 
Video 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 8.1 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Audio Thai (Dolby Digital 2.0) 
Subtitles English, Chinese (traditional), None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: Asian Video

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio 1.78:1

Edition Details:

• Behind the Scenes featurette (subtitled) - 42:08
• Trailer 


DVD Release Date: January 11th, 2007

Transparent Keep Case inside cardboard box
Chapters: 12

 

Comments:

NOTE: We have been told by a reliable source that the Region 1 Tai Seng DVD released August 28th, 2007 is the same excellent transfer as the Asian Video. It may probably be the exact same disc and the Asian Video is presently $4 cheaper and will play on North American systems.

Shot with a Panasonic DVCPRO-HD, aside from the inherent combing (which in very minimal due to the infrequency of panning shots), this is one of the best images I have seen on DVD.... ever. The transfer exports an extremely sharp video with beautiful bright colors and crystal-clear clarity. The film's art direction and occasional CGI create a breathtaking color scheme leaving a strong visual appeal. It is quite remarkable.

Audio is clear and consistent - I noted only one grammar/spelling error in the subtitle translation - which is complete without noticeable gaps. There is a 40 minute "Behind the Scenes..." featurette included as an extra - it subtitled in English and allows the director to explain some of his motivations and the film's unique status compared to other Thai cinema. The film is a hoot - with some underlying depth, but I would say primarily it is a fun ride - light, absurdist and intentionally directionless. The pace is good and it is generally very amusing to sit through - certainly worth a spin or two. Recommended!

Gary W. Tooze

 



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DVD Box Cover

   

CLICK to order from:

Thinking of buying from YesAsia? CLICK HERE and use THIS UPDATED BEAVER PAGE to source their very best...

Distribution Asian Video - Region 0 - NTSC

We have been told by a reliable source that the Region 1 Tai Seng DVD released August 28th, 2007 is the exact same excellent transfer as the Asian Video. It may probably be the exact same disc and the Asian Video is presently $4 cheaper and will play on North American systems.

     

     




 

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