sansha jaquai nealanyah
Floriana Grundy
The Thai-language film has been in Netflix's global Top 10 for non-English films for the past four weeks since its release. And while themes of class explored through the world of food and fine dining have become a trend in recent media like "The Menu," "Triangle of Sadness" and "The Bear," this film both fits in and stands out.
In the film, Aoy (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) is a master with fire and her wok, working at her family's street food stall and stir-frying up bowls of pad see ew and other Thai dishes. When she's given the opportunity, Aoy joins Hunger, a catering service for the wealthy run by the famous Chef Paul (Nopachai Chaiyanam). In his intense, cutthroat kitchen, Aoy learns to cook expensive, elaborate meals with more emphasis on technique, shock value and price tag than she's used to.
Hunger (Netflix)Later, Aoy finds herself competing with her former mentor turned rival. Chef Paul manages to harness the fire that Aoy has come to be known for in a jaw-dropping way, to which her wok skills pale in comparison. Spoiler: it includes a carcass of beef descending down from the ceiling.
Throughout the film, Aoy finds herself grappling with the pressure of fine dining and cooking expensive meals for the rich. But "Hunger" director Sitisiri Mongkolsiri doesn't see the food as the main focus of the film.
But "Hunger" also inverts the appetizing way we're used to food being presented onscreen. In one scene in particular, a group of wealthy guests at a politician's birthday dine on meat slathered in a thick, red sauce that drips outside and around their mouths as they eat. It's unsettling, uncomfortable and a little bit gross, which is exactly what Mongkolsiri wanted.
I worked with another person, Kongdej [Jaturanrasamee], to write the screenplay together. The initial idea was that we wanted to do a project about food, that was the rough idea, because Thailand is known for its food. When I look at the street, you see people cooking and eating all the time, and this goes on around the clock.
There's been a recent trend of poking fun at high culture restaurants in media. Do you see any specific similarities or differences between "Hunger" and "The Menu"? Why do you think films that focus on fine dining and class are becoming more prevalent now?
Hunger (Netflix)I think with "Hunger" and "The Menu," it's more about the reaction of people who watch it. You watch it and you start to question yourself. The movie isn't just about fine dining, because the main character Aoy, she comes from a local noodle restaurant, which you can see all over in Thailand.
I feel like Thailand, in the past 10 years, we've gone through a lot. And there's a lot of problems with class division In Thailand right now, and it's really not fair. The people who are more wealthy or rich, they have more access to things versus the people who are underprivileged. I feel like the gap is getting wider and wider. I feel that the underprivileged people don't really have a voice. And I think that's the thing that connects many projects together, whether you're doing a movie, or you're a musician, or any field, I think we're trying to convey the voices of those groups of people.
The character of Chef Paul, he's not that real. I actually wanted the character to be quite an exaggeration, because he represents the dark side of Aoy. So, he's not that realistic actually. He's more of a fantasy type of character, which I see as God sending down to test Aoy.
This is something that really happens in Thailand. People with power, they actually do this and it's in the news. It's just going through the law right now, going through the process. I think my approach to this is that this scene is not really talking about food, but rather is talking about power. These people in power just want to show their power. Because the hornbill is not delicious, it's just a bird. They're just doing it to show that I can do it, I have the power to do it.
If you watch to the end of the movie, it was showing you that wok-fried food or street food, if you develop it well, is quite comparable to fine dining. Thailand is known for street food, and you see it on the street everywhere. The thing is, it hasn't been developed in order for it to actually have value or be expensive. So that's really my point of view, I feel that you can develop a street food to have value by really going back to your roots.
The challenge really falls with the character Aoy or Aokbab [Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying]. She had so many burns on her arms. I feel that, working in food, there's a lot of challenges and difficulties, especially because you want it to come out realistic. And my intention is not to use CG. I wanted the characters to really feel the real heat at that moment. Hence it was extremely challenging for the characters, but everything ended up well and it went well.
I think the scenes are scenes that I see on the streets, that I can see nowadays. And especially the location of Aoy's restaurant, the local one, it's called Old Town and you can see the scene the way it is [portrayed]. I think that the importance is not really whether it's realism or not, but rather that the movie is trying to make a statement by comparing the people who have and the have-nots.
Lily Doton is an intern at Salon and will graduate from Castleton University in May. Though her true love is K-Pop, she is studying Media and Communication with a concentration in journalism and a minor in film studies. She is passionate about telling stories and seeking out Asian representation, whether that's in movies, shows, music or writing.
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The Hunger Games franchise got a big resurgence in 2023, and soon you will finally be able to stream all four original movies on Netflix. The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2 will all be added to Netflix on March 31, 2024. Unfortunately, the new prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will still only be available to rent or purchase on PVOD services like Prime Video.
The Hunger Games was one of the biggest breakout franchises of the last decade, adapting Suzanne Collins' trilogy of novels into four movies by splitting the third book into two installments. The films star Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, the teenage heroine who becomes the champion of a violent system only to find that she is still at its mercy. Collins revived the world of Panem in 2020 with a prequel novel, which was adapted for the screen last year in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. At the time, it was hard to find the four original movies on different streaming services, but now they will all be in one place on Netflix.
In fact, from July of 2023 to March 31, 2024, there was no unified streaming home for the series. The studios were free to license the movies to the highest bidder, which ended up being PVOD stores in most cases. Last year, you'd have had to rent or purchase each of the movies, but starting next month you can stream them all on Netflix. They will still be available to rent or purchase on digital stores as well.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was released on DVD and Blu-ray on Feb. 13, 2024 by Lionsgate Home Entertainment. So far, it does not appear to have been included in any official box sets or collections from the studio.
These days it's fair to wonder if a blockbuster movie will be a theatrical exclusive since so many get a simultaneous streaming release. In this case, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes played in theaters when it was released on Nov. 17, but it went to PVOD stores starting on Dec. 18. It is still available now to rent or purchase on services like Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, Google Play and YouTube TV. This is the only movie in the franchise that is joining Netflix next month.
Since The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel it's fair to wonder about the proper viewing order for this series. Technically, there's no need to watch The Hunger Games series before watching this prequel, as it was designed to make sense on its own. Whether viewers start here and then go on to Katniss' adventure or circle back around to the prequel, both should serve to enrich each other. However, most fans would probably recommend watching the movies in release-order to catch all the callbacks and Easter eggs. That means the viewing order would look like this:
Die-hard fans who really want a refresher on the series can always seek out The Hunger Games trilogy in its original form. The books were published by Scholastic and released in print, digital and audiobook formats. Any of these can be found at a local library, or purchased either used or brand new. Adaptations like these are also a great way to get younger fans interested in reading or listening to books on their own.
As an avid Netflix enthusiast who often harks back (knowingly) to the screen on buses and trains, I will be sharing how the newly launched Netflix film Hunger (2023) has created room for me to mindfully tease out Dhamma and chill in a meaningful manner.
Although she is now at the apex of her career, she does not feel a sense of complete satisfaction. What was she really striving so hard for? What are the trade-offs she has to make from this insatiable appetite?
The first dimension of hunger which the film portrays deals with physical hunger. As depicted in the film, many homeless and malnourished were lying along pedestrian walkways, curling into a ball as they quietly withstand their hunger pangs.
Although these scenes in Hunger (2023) may seem very trivial, hunger is a very real problem faced by many on a day-to-day basis. Living in a developed country, we may simply gloss over physical hunger and take for granted the food we consume every meal.
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