Jenny I Love You

This angry sexploitation flick transcends its mercenary expectations, with good performances and a 5-star killing spree with a reaper which includes chopping off a cock, and I don’t mean the bird we eat. But it’s not so simple; in the final analysis this film comes from a place of total despair. That Jenny, or The People, is groomed and corrupted by Somkid (“Wish Fulfilled”) the populist politician, makes this clear. He is the worst of them, but all the men in this movie are arseholes, no exception. The lech school director, the alcoholic dad, the spoilt and good for nothing brother and his gang, the Chinese moneylender and most shockingly, Khwan the boyfriend in this bitter satire of the old classic Thai romance (novel and film) ‘The Scar’, are all shit, sex-crazed and power-mad. Dad wants to sell his daughter as he sells her beloved buffalo to the slaughterhouse. Around the 57th minute the movie seems to lose patience with itself—the gear shift is not convincing, but what the hell. Now it wants to be Kill Bill the Isan version. There is no pretense, unless you think they’re violating a woman to justify the sex and violence as she wreaks vengeance. At times it borders on War on Drugs propaganda. But consider it not so deeply and enjoy the ride. Co-director Boonsong is an actor’s director and his cast is solid especially the leads Jenny (Veeranat Kovintasud) and Somkid (Chaiwat Tongsang); Pisarn Pattanapeeradej (Macbeth in Shakespeare Must Die) shines in his tiny part, as does Prayoon Chaiyes (Lady M’s shrink in SMD) as the creepy slaughterhouse ghoul. It’s a sign of respect when filmmakers agree to appear in each other’s films—the wastrel brother is played by horror filmmaker Jirapat Tuntiwattanakhul. Boonsong himself, thirty years younger, can be seen howling among the dog-worshippers in ‘DogGod’. The ending can be seen as problematic or even artificial with the add-on happy ending. On the other hand, it could all be the fantasy of a ghost; she is dead and they are still alive. A cool ending would’ve been right after the neon-lit lorry is found driverless. Or go full horror by cutting back to the dead girl in the shallow grave, whose eyes suddenly, inexplicably, open, revealing a monster possessed by demons who will Kill Them All with her bare teeth and hands. Film Censors’ rating 18