Movie Loner

Don’t be thrown by the weird title. In Thai it translates to “A Story About 6 and 9.” I actually prefer the translation but for some reason they went with 6ixtynin9 for English audiences. Anyway, I dig it when I stumble upon a movie I’ve never heard of and thanks to IFC Channel this hidden treasure popped up on my radar. Grab your popcorn and strap in for 6ixtynin9, a dark comedy with a high body count.

Tum (Lalita Panyopas) just got fired from her finance job. Bad news for sure, but life is about to get worse for Tum. After a night filled with suicidal dreams, Tum awakens to discover a mysterious box outside her apartment door. The box contains $25,000. Tum stashes the loot and calls her friend Pen. To keep or not to keep, that is the question. Before Tum can reach a decision two thugs knock on her door looking for the box. Not buying her feigned ignorance, the two hoods get a little rough. Not a smart move because they end up dead.

Stolen money and dead guys complicate things for Tum. She quickly devises a plan: ditch the bodies and skip town with the dough. Of course the best laid plans never go smoothly. More interested parties drop by Tum’s place. A bevy of street toughs, a nosy neighbor, and a cop all pay her a visit. Gun-play and violence ensues. The demure Tum finds herself entangled in a bloody mess. Will she escape with the cash or will her illicit activities catch up with her?

Writer/director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang nimbly keeps the laughs coming despite a brutal storyline. Tum’s improbable plunge into darkness never rings false. A ridiculous series of events powers the plot forward offering a fair share of twists along the way. Lalita Panyopas delivers a pinpoint performance as Tum, an unlikely criminal mastermind. Her striking face reveals a myriad of emotions from innocence to rage and everything in between. 6ixtynin9 was a pleasant surprise and I love to share my surprises. If you don’t mind a lot of blood, give it a watch.

The trailer for 6ixtynin9: