When people talk about a standout indie filmmaker with a distinctive and intriguing worldview, the name Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit inevitably comes up. Every film he directs is entertaining and absorbing, leaving audiences with lingering reflections—although some ideas may take a little time to fully unfold.
Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit is a screenwriter, author, and film director whose work has won over audiences time and again. He first gained widespread recognition through his screenplays for Bangkok Traffic (Love) Story and Top Secret: The Billionaire, before going on to create a string of acclaimed films. His latest work, Human Resource: The New Employee, earned international awards even before its Thai release. All of this underlines Nawapol’s status as one of the industry’s most valuable creative voices: sharp in thought, playful and inventive in presentation, unafraid to break away from convention, and remarkably adept at turning complex ideas into stories that are easy to digest in his own unmistakable style.
If you consider yourself a film enthusiast and are interested in his work, here are five things that, if you know them, will help you enjoy—and understand—films directed by Nawapol even more.
Where answers are left unsaid.
All nine of Nawapol’s films begin with questions: why, what, where, and how. These questions come straight from everyday life, rooted in experiences that most people recognise. Sometimes they are simple questions we have asked ourselves countless times; at other moments, they are the very questions we often pose to others. Nawapol weaves these strands of inquiry into narratives that feel engaging, surprising, and quietly provocative. His films do not demand clear-cut answers at the end, because each viewer arrives with their own. That is why many of his films appear to end abruptly—yet, almost without realising it, we walk away having found an answer of our own.
Each film as a chapter of Nawapol’s life
Beyond questioning the world around him, Nawapol draws deeply from his own life experiences. From 36 through to Human Resource: The New Employee, his films reveal perspectives, observations, and emotional states that grow increasingly layered and complex over time. In MARY IS HAPPY, MARY IS HAPPY, we see his recklessness and creative daring at a moment when his artistic fire burned brightest—bold, experimental, and unafraid to take risks. Happy Old Year emerged from a period of reflection around the New Year, shaped by the need to let go of certain things in order to begin anew. His most recent work distils over two decades of professional experience. These films do more than externalise his thoughts; they function as intellectual diaries, capturing where Nawapol stood—mentally and emotionally—at each moment in his life.
Unclear, but understood
Another defining quality of Nawapol’s direction lies in his deliberate play with ambiguity. This may appear in storylines that feel elusive, even disorientating; in characters whose inner lives feel so complex they test the audience’s patience; or in editing choices that occasionally feel dizzying—yet somehow remain lucid. Nawapol reminds us that ambiguity is not an abstract concept but something we confront every day. He simply places it in front of us, in sharper focus. What we do next is up to us: do we try to clarify it, or do we allow it to remain unresolved? There is no right or wrong choice—only a personal one. This is the clearest form of ambiguity Nawapol seeks to communicate.
Films that ask for time
Nawapol has openly acknowledged that his films do not follow familiar conventions. It is therefore unsurprising that many viewers initially feel confused, or as though a light mist hangs over their thoughts while watching. Yet if you sit quietly afterwards, allowing your mind and emotions to process what you have seen—taking the time to reflect, slowly and patiently—you begin to uncover the many Easter eggs he has carefully embedded. MARY IS HAPPY, MARY IS HAPPY offers a perfect example: no one has ever been able to summarise its plot with certainty. And yet, the longer it lingers, the more deeply it takes root in the hearts of its audience.
A global debut before coming home
Human Resource: The New Employee marked the first time one of Nawapol’s films premiered overseas. It was also the only Thai film selected for the World Premiere in the Orizzonti Competition, one of the main sections of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. The film received the Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente Award, which honours individuals or organisations contributing to the development and management of economic, labour, and environmental issues. It later went on to receive the FIPRESCI Award at the 2025 Singapore International Film Festival—further cementing Nawapol’s standing on the international stage.
Photographer:@somkiat__kangsdalwirun
