Mindfulness and Murder (Sop Mai Ngeap)

Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand. Bangkok. November 6, 2012. The Thai film Mindfulness and Murder was a rarity: the only Thai film in this year's FCCT Contemporary World Film Series, and, as the last film of the year, it was well worth waiting for. From an original script by the Bangkok-based American writer Nick Wilgus, it tells the fictional story of a Thai monk who, in his former life, was a police detective. When a young boy's murdered body is discovered at the monk's wat (temple), the Abbott asks the monk to investigate and to keep the whole thing quiet so as not to attract bad publicity and alienate large donors. What follows is an interesting detective story involving drugs, corruption, and misadventure. This low budget film was filmed on location and reeks of authenticity. The lead actor, Vithaya Pansringham, was marvelous. I sat next to him during dinner and, after the showing, was able to tell him how much I thought of his acting. Following the screening, Vithaya Pansringham and the Thai-Indian director, Tom Waller, answered questions. 

Lead actor Vithaya Pansringham introduces the FCCT audience to his Thai film Mindfulness and Murder

Director Tom Waller looks on approvingly