The Moonhunter

Seksan Prasertkul was one of the student leaders of the 14 October 1973 protest that forced the heads of Thailand's ruling military junta into exile but failed to usher in real democracy. Like many others, Seksan became a guerilla; he spent six years in the jungle before disillusionment with the 'People's War' led him to surrender. Although co-scripted by Seksan himself (now a writer/academic), this dramatisation of the struggle lurches awkwardly between Pontecorvo-style political realism and lyrical adventure-romance. The best thing here is the account of the factional infighting in the jungle; you can always rely on the Left to tear itself apart. (Highlight: watching how the Maoists react to news of the fall of the Gang of Four in Beijing.) It was probably a mistake even to attempt this story as a mass-market film, but Bhandit puts it together with intelligence and shoots it with gusto.