Pen-ek Ratanaruang is the critically-acclaimed Thai film director of arthouse fare like Ploy and Last Life in the Universe. Here, the 45-year-old looks back at his career and shares his views about love, censorship, the film industry and hamburgers.

People always think my films are difficult to
understand. At first I disagreed with them. But now that I’ve been in the business for 10 years, made six movies and the comment is still the same, I suppose it might be true.

I am not trying to change, though. I believe
films have more entertainment value than just the fun factor. Instead of just laughing, some audiences prefer to think a bit more, notice the details in the films and wait for unpredictable surprises. It’s just that there are not many people who enjoy my kind of entertainment, so my films are often enjoyed by a small crowd.

Lust, happiness, passion, I understand; but
not love. Love is such an abstract word. I am not even sure if love really exists. If you love someone, why cry when they leave you for a better person? Shouldn’t we be happy for them that they are happy? Sometimes I even question if parental love exists. Do parents raise and take care of us because they really love us or they do it simply out of duty? I have never understood love, not even now.

My relationship always ends with “You are too
into your own world.” Almost every girlfriend have said that they can’t penetrate into my world, that I didn’t devote myself to them as much as I should, and that they couldn’t see our future together. Meanwhile, all I think is why can’t we just enjoy each other’s company?

Winning
a lottery is easier than living happily ever after. It may seem like I’m being pessimistic, but that’s just a realistic outlook. How many couples out there are truly happily married? They must be so extraordinarily lucky!

Audiences have become
very visuallyoriented. Their senses have gone numb by all the special effects, so the blockbusters have to pack in even more fastpaced actions—the score has to boom louder, bombs and explosions are essential or else the audience would get bored.

These days, films are like
hamburgers. Almost every film is made on a similar formula in hopes of grossing a lot of money. Combine gays with ghosts and it’s a surefire hit.

My films are streetside grilled beef.
I personally grill it with heart. It may not be gourmet, but it’s delicious. It has soul. 

Voices of directors have
disappeared. Ten years ago, when directors like Oxide Pang, Nonzee Nimibutr and myself started our careers, there were only nine films a year. The (Thai film) industry was in a slump. But I feel the filmmakers possessed a greater morality and dignity. We fought to produce the films we wanted to see.

If we proclaim
ourselves as a democratic society, there should not be censorship. The two words are contradicting. It’s ridiculous to censor a film just because it is “improper.”

A censor needs to
have some level of intellect. You don’t need to be Einstein, but you need to be openminded and know about films as well as the filmmakers and the critics do. It’s totally unacceptable for me to have a government officer waiting for retirement to censor or rate a film.

Films are a mirror to the culture of each
country. What’s the point of watching a movie only to see a culture fabricated by the government?

I’ve become more calm and less demanding.
Before, it was known that if you work with PenEk, prepare for a hairraising experience. My directing style has changed over the years too. When I was younger, I wanted to show off. I tried to translate what I pictured in my head and make it real, so my early films feel forced, stiff and unnatural. But as you can see since Last Life, I’ve become more slowpaced. I prefer to focus on the mood of the films. Not everything is said in dialogue. You have to notice the camera angels, the costumes and the lighting.

Film is like cocaine. It usually starts with a
ridiculous idea popping into my head that I can’t get out, so I write it down and start developing it into a story. Before I know it, I have a plot and filming begins! I love to watch my ideas and my work grow. Its fun, exhilarating, rewarding and most of all, addictive.—Interview by Nuttaporn Sriririrungsimakul