Q&A: Chookiat Madiew Sakveerakul

November 29th, 2007

Chookiat "Madiew" Sakveerakul made his directorial debut with 2004’s horror flick Pisaj before being showered with awards for his psychological thriller 13 Beloved. The 25-year-old also wrote the script for Body # 19. The up-and-coming director is now back with his first love/drama The Love of Siam.

Why did you switch from thrillers to a love story?

It’s a good change of pace. I don’t want to fall into the thriller genre. I started writing the script for The Love of Siam when I was fresh out of university, but I had the opportunity to direct the two thrillers first.

How did you like working on the project?

I love it. The film brings back memories from when I was younger. The formula for writing this script was not “who’s doing what, when and where”, but “who feels what, and for whom.” I think it’s more difficult to write a script for dramas and love stories.

Because…?

Thrillers have twists and turns to keep the audience intrigued, while dramas tell a simple story of ordinary people. You have to figure out how to write an interesting script from seemingly mundane materials. The most important thing is to avoid the cheesy staples of soap operas.

And what do you think distinguishes The Love of Siam from other love flicks?

I think my film is real. It has a realistic view towards love. Some are busy looking for an idealistic view of love and “the one”. But I think love is actually within ourselves. We are affected by love, though we might not realize it.

Why Siam Square?

It’s an interesting location, isn’t it? You get to see various life stories there.

Which is your favorite love story in the film?

The husband and wife characters. There are no right or wrong answers in their relationship. We can’t tell why they are still together after all these years, despite the fact that the husband is an alcoholic loser. Is it because of love, close bonds or something else?

You also composed the soundtrack.

Before I became a director, I was a musician and wrote lyrics for many artists. My first and only goal was to be a musician. But one day, it hit me that I still have other things I want to pursue. I made my first short film in university and since then my life has been all about making films. Music is a hobby now.

What is love to you?

It’s indispensable. No one can live alone. We need someone to live for.

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