Gavin Is Disappointed, Gavin Is Disappointed. This had so much potential: a teen drama with touches of Wes Anderson kookiness strung together/inspired by the 410 tweets of a lovelorn and lonely teenager (real life Mary Malony) is right up my street. But director Thamrongrattanairt takes so long in getting things going there’s a danger of losing interest long before the story wanders by. What could have been a perfect ninety minute movie turns into a drawn out, sometimes-mind-numbingly boring, navel-gazing, indulgent rambler.
Gavin Is Bored, Gavin Is Bored. Mary (Poonpiriya) and Suri (Netjui) are two Thai teens joined at the hip. Mary is the arty, sensitive one, meticulously designing the school’s yearbook and putting off taking the class photo until ‘the perfect light’ of the magic hour on the right day. The friends talk, tweet, potter about, tweet, talk some more, tweet some more, potter some more. The tweets themselves can veer from the inane (Practice leads to improvement, Out of glue, Today in France) to funny oblique commentary on the scene taking place, but generally speaking the thoughts don’t grab attention and are unconnected. This might be the point, but it doesn’t make for engaging drama.
Gavin Is Now Interested, Gavin Is Now Interested. Then, eventually, a story ambles by: the school headmaster dies and the new one is a tough nut, banning opinion and questions, dictating to Mary via a cold teacher to what the yearbook should be and look like. Mary falls for a moody boy but can’t bring herself to confess her feelings. Warmth and heart gushes into the film and it becomes this charming little thing. Then there’s unexpected development and Mary Is Happy... takes on a darker tone. The tweets themselves carry emotional weight. They’re about something.
Gavin Wants To Go Home Now, Gavin Wants To Go Home Now. But Thamrongrattanairt’s frustrating tactic to ramble on catches up again, and Mary Is Happy... takes an age to wind down, ending twice or three times before the end credits finally appear. It’s only been a little over two hours but it feels much longer.
