Some new blood was indeed transfused into the vast body of Thailand's movie-making. This film tries to do something different, and different it is. It is a murder mystery in a monastic Buddhist temple in Bangkok. The motives range from drugs to homosexual behaviour. As a Thai and a Buddhist, I found the first 30 minutes slightly too offensive to my taste. As time goes by, it is quite clear that offending Buddhism is not at all the intent, and a Buddhist like myself can truly enjoy this film till the end credit. It is beautifully shot, surprisingly because there is no attempt to avoid the blemishes you can find in a Thai temple or just anywhere in Thailand. The portrayal is honest while not passing a judgment. The characters of monks and temple kids are believable. I assume that the director does not really speak Thai, thus the use of Thai language in this film suffers slightly. For example, the police ranks of a police major general and a police colonel are pronounced quite similarly, but the mistake is rather great. "Mindfulness and Murder" is a film to entertain and to relax the viewers with a Thai temple's serenity. The only missed opportunity is for the movie makers' failure to apply some Buddhist philosophies to the plot line. If that was added, they would be making a much better use of a Buddhist temple than simply as a nice backdrop.
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