Fridae

Luang Pradit Phairao is one of the great composers and players
of the ranad-ek, and the inspiration behind this biopic. The ranad
is a large wooden xylophone held together by strings and hung from
a rack.

The film starts with Sorn (a character based on Luang) on his deathbed
and then alternates between various events in his life. One recounts
the growing-up years of Sorn who must battle the resistance of his
father to his interest in music. Another tells how the master musician
overcame the political obstacles posed by the Thai government in
suppressing his music in the name of modernisation.

The film is competent in its exposition and its passion for the
subject matter is clearly evident. However, to an audience unfamiliar
with ranad music and its appreciation, certain nuances would be
lost amidst the storytelling. Nonetheless, The Overture
is still a captivating piece of cinema with a resonating message:
it calls for the preservation of an indigenous culture and tradition
in the eroding surge of modernization.