Pop Aye

In Bangkok, Thana (Thanet Warakulnukroh), a discouraged retiring architect, purchases a performance elephant he remembers from childhood, named Popeye (he actually hums the “Popeye the Sailor Man” theme to guide the elephant) and sets out on a journey across Thailand after his wife leaves him for having found her dildo! Along the way, he encounters various odd characters including a hobo at an abandoned gas station who is convinced he’s dying but hopes to give his wife one last bike ride before his demise! And, at a roadside bar, a few miles down a street full of watermelons, he joins a trans-woman (Yukontorn Sukkijja) singing Sue Thompson’s “Sad Movies” as karaoke! But what’s best for a man’s elephant? To find a place where it can freely roam, like the family farm. The debut feature by director Kristen Tan captures the wanderlust of a man whose first designed building is set for demolition as he realizes everything is transitory and temporary, and he sets out to recapture a world he has lost!

[NR]