It's been a while since I last saw a beautiful romance movie... I can't remember the last time butterflies move in my tummy because of so much fondness over a the lead guy in a romantic film... This movie sent me back to those times when I had my first crush and first love... those moments of sweet flirting, unguarded teasing, everyday happiness, sleeplessness and heaven-like memories of your first love...
So when I picked a Thai film today, I was just trying to explore some other Asian movies, but the movie opened up with a "charmer" I can't resist and when I stayed on to finish the movie all those years of not wanting to fall in love again vanished as I was left smiling, giggling, feeling heart flutters, being sad, disappointed and first-love-reminiscing.
Friends, here's my movie pick for May and will be one of my favorites first-love-themed movie... "A LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE". ^_^ Yes, indeed Love, is a crazy little thing. I'm in love again... It is happenstance and predestined. If you won't fall for Shone and Nam's ever-after love story, your romantic veins are hopeless.
"All of us have someone who is hidden in the bottom of the heart. When we think of him, we will like umm.. We always feel a little pain inside. But we still want to keep him. Eventhough I don't know where he is today, what he is doing. He will always be that person who let me know... a little thing called love". - Nam
Nam is a typical young girl whose only good at English. Like girls of her age, she secretly likes a popular boy from a far at her school, and his name is Shone.
Nam lives with her mother and her little sister who always teases her about not being pretty. One day Nam was asked by her mother to go to the market, while walking her crush suddenly appeared out of nowhere and gave her mangoes.
She is friends with 3 other girls who are as candid, lively and nice like her. As typical girls they normally talk about young love and their ideal boys.
They belong to the same class where their teacher is a lively sometimes-cool-sometimes-weird-teacher.
<this teacher has a cute side story of her own true love with the school's PE teacher>
When her friends learned that she like Shone, like all other typical girl friends, they researched something about him, but those information need to be proven.. When she learned where Shone's classroom is, Nam excused herself to pass by his class room, and was surprised when she turned back and saw him being penalized by his teacher by staying outside of the room.
<This scene sent me back to those days when I have to pretend to be in a place and do something there when I was just there to stalk my crush>
Nam's family run a guest house while her father works in the US. When her uncle arrived he told Nam's family that if she and her sister gets to top the class, they will live with him in the US.
While lined up to get some drinks one day, Nam and her girl friends were bullied by basketball team members who cut in the line and pushes Nam and the other students. Shone saw it and went to the drinks store to get drinks for Nam and her friends. Because of this incident, Shone got into a fight with the basketball players and the next day received lashes from the Principal. Nam who was worried about him tried to go to the incident but Shone was not there anymore and what was left was bloodstains and a "button" which Nam kept. So she waited after Shone got punished by the Principal to give him plasters for his wound and say sorry for what happened. When she was about to leave, Shone called her "name" and said thank you.
<I love that after this scene, Nam was so elated shouting at a lake knowing that her crush knows his name... I think at one point in my life, I was happy if my crush gave me a piece of paper or drew an assignment for me. Little heart fluttering moments like that are priceless>
She and her friends tried following a guidebook of love so she can pass to him her hidden feelings. The first guide they got was from Greece, saying that you should go with someone you love to a place where there are lots of stars. Nam who was seriously studying to be number one, doesn't want to involve herself much on the love guidebook her friends are mumbling about at first, but then eventually she succumbed to its idea.
I love the "star song" in the movie.
"The only star that I always wait to see everyday... I want it to be the same star that you also keep an eye on. That only star."
Next up they tried giving something to him, but when they left a chocolate, it just melted when he picked it up.
Popular and handsome, Nam has a few nemesis over Shone's love and the most formidable of it all is the pretty Faye who has done whatever they have been planning to do... like giving Shone mangoes, and there Faye was holding a mango cake for him... and pulling up an ankle-injury, but there again Fay was pretending she can't walk so she can ride on Shone's motorbike.
But full of optimism and love, come second year, her love is still in full swing... her friends again tried another trick which is to put her on a make over but in her greenish-yellowwish-show-off at Shone's family's sports equipment store she lost again trying to catch his attention.
School clubs registration opened up and most girls dreamed of joining the dancing club as it was popular. Nam and her friends lined up to register and but heard harsh words from Faye because of Shone which caused pushing in the line which made the head teacher reprimand Nam and her girls to leave.
So they were forced to settle with the drama club of their class adviser which they really don't like to join but when Nam saw Shone as member of the art production team, she gladly join.
Nam was picked up to play Cinderella as she knows how to speak English. When a friend of Shone did a practice make up on Shone, as everyone was amazed on how she looked beauty, Shone just mumbled "Snowhite in braces".
When dress rehearsal came the Prince got sick so the teacher-director asked Shone to act on his role for the mean time. As Nam, was in a dreamy-land-this-is-all-I'm-waiting-for-state she woke up and was shocked to see her ugly classmates face so she almost fell from the stage, but Shone's quick hand catches hers and hold her.
<this was a very sweet scene, pure and unadulterated blossoming love scene *wink>
At night Nam, tried calling Shone when she accidentally picked up her # on a note. When she heard Shone's voice, she went outside and again scream out loud in her heart's content.
<i'm guilty here also, even if I don't have anything to say I'd just like to hear my crush' voice.>
On the school festival, the young men swoon over the dancers on their charming presentation as audience on Nam's drama dozes off. A young man though was amusingly watching the theater presentation.
Nam was disappointed not to see Shone during the play, but was soon happy when she got a note under Snowhite's apple saying that "the apple doesn't have poison".
The next day Nam was teased by the boys in the cafeteria because their performance was recorded and video streaming of it airs in the cafeteria. It turned out that the young man who watched Snowhite happily was Top, Shone's bestfriend who was as equally popular and handsome as he is. Members of their school band fought for him leaving the school out of Drum Lead Majorette. The teacher saw Nam throwing badminton and got an idea who can do it.
Nam practices as hard as she can because she wants to prove that she can be better after getting bullying words from Faye and Hwan.
During one of her practice she also saw Shone doing the penalty kick for their soccer team which he cannot do because his father used to be a soccer player has missed that before causing their province to lose a very important soccer game.
On the School Regional Sports Fest Nam became an overnight success making her very popular that on the Valentines Day celebration she got lots of presents. But she was still sad because she was waiting for the only person she wants to get a present from.
Then came Shone holding flowers...
But he just said his friend wants to give the flowers...
At night Nam saw a note asking her to go somewhere, and while she was waiting there Shone showed up, just as Top did. Top asked her to become his girlfriend. Worried about how to deal with I-love-my-suitor's-bestfriend, Nam was left thinking what she should do.
Top asked her to join him watch Shone's first soccer game so they headed cheering for him. Top gave him the water, and when Shone came in asking for water, she shyly gave hers.
<I love the scene when they went home Nam riding Top's motorbike beside Shone's. Nam was looking at Shone and Shone looked sad.>
Nam became closer to Shone and Top's circle of friends but she's been neglecting her girlfriends even missing attending Cheer's birthday because she joined the boys to go to a dam site.
Settling to the vacation place they went to Nam sat on the hanging bridge and ponder. Then came Shone...
SHONE: What are you doing here Nam?
NAM: I'm just enjoying the beautiful view. Do you want some squid?
SHONE: have you hear of the squid's story?
NAM: No..
SHONE: I will tell you...
Once upon a time there were two squids... They have traveled till they met each other. They they fell in love. They became couple... Finally they got married. On the day of marriage, Squid priest told them to hold their hands... held hands.. held hands... held hands... held hands... held hands...As Shone is saying it, he motioned it with his hand meeting his left and right fingers to Nam's amusement.
NAM: crazy but cute... but I feel like I don't want to eat squid anymore.
SHONE: I didn't squid for a while when I heard that story...
NAM: So, did you use to hold someone's hand like the squids?
SHONE: Once, an awkward-face girl was falling down from the stage. So I hold her hand...
The Top came and ruined the moment and asked the two why they are not eating the squid... They went back to where the rest of the group was but when Nam stood she faltered her step and was piggy-back by Top.
<I love that Nam on her thoughts was happy having Shone carried her bag, what she was not aware was Shone was sad seeing her carried by another guy.>
Nam's friends were sad that they don't do homework anymore so when they were approached by her, they told her to just do it with Shone's friends.
While Nam was waiting for Top to borrow a book, she was found by Shone and had a little talk. Shone told her that his dad failed to do the penalty shot because on that day her mother gave birth to him. So he was blaming himself for his father's soccer career failure.
She asked him if she wants to play football, he just said he doesn't know... he just need somebody.
At night on their friend's birthday while getting some food, Nam deliberately made sweet teases by moving closing to him and touching his hand. Top and Shone made a night show about they liked the same girl one time and their promise not to love another girl again. Top kissed Nam on the cheek while they were dancing.
When Top fetch her home, she told him not to pick her up anymore and told him she likes someone else. Top left heartbroken asked Shone not to hit on Nam no matter what because he won't bear it if the girl she loves will be with her bestfriend.
Nam was also depressed of not being able to show who really her love is.
While Nam's girlfriend was happy about the thought that Cheer will be moving to a different school, Nam came and the awkwardness happened. Nam sang the song they used to sing together and the girls were reunited.
The girls delivered the good news that Nam got to be the top student in class, thus making Nam now able to go join her dad in the US. But she was worried not being able to see Shone again.
On the school's graduation day, Nam and her friends planned on the last recipe of love to be given to Shone... When Shone went to the school's pool house, Nam went there.
SHONE: Nam, you haven't signed on my shirt yet.
NAM: Shone, I have something to tell you...
"I like you very much... Been loving you for 3 years now... I've done everything, changed myself in every aspect to be a good woman for you... Played a stage drama, be a drum majorette, be better at studying... It's all for you... But I know now, that the thing that I should have done is telling you straightly that I love you...
Nam hand a flower to Shone but saw on his shirt that he is now with someone else. He confirmed that it happened two weeks ago, and sad and broken with her confession that took her 3 years to do, she walked away heart-broken...
<Of course she's not she has loved you since she was that nerdy-kinda-ugly girl, and then she became a swan, but still she can't have her prince.>
Shone went home and was happy getting the news about his future soccer career from his dad. When he opened their fridge,we see the chocolate Nam gave him.
He went to his room and open a photobook of Nam's pictures. As he turns each pages, we see flashbacks of his true feelings of love to Nam. As it turned out he also secretly loves her...
SHONE'S PHOTOBOOK CAPTION: "This book hides the truth inside my heart."
Flashback to when Nam and Shone was in a room and Shone's phone # note fell and Nam covered it with her foot as she went out. Prior to that Shone was amused looking on Nam's notebook.
SHONE'S PHOTOBOOK CAPTION: "This book is funny, but it makes me know how much you have worked hard."
Flashback to Nam's Snowhite makeover when he said Snowhite with dental braces.
SHONE'S PHOTOBOOK CAPTION: "I can reveal my true feelings to anyone"
" She looked the same, cute as always"
Flashback to Shone's catching her during the dress rehearsal.
SHONE'S PHOTOBOOK CAPTION: "Touched her hand for the first time,but I had to realease it because others would be curious."
Flashback to the after stage play scene when Nam saw an apple with a note that it doesn't have a poison.
SHONE'S PHOTOBOOK CAPTION: "Gave her an apple but I took a bite on it"
Flashback to when Nam was painstakingly practicing as the Lead Drum Majorette.
SHONE'S PHOTOBOOK CAPTION: You've been better! Good luck Nam!
Flashback to when Nam in her pretty self as the Lead Drum Majorette.
SHONE'S PHOTOBOOK CAPTION: Love can win when you believe.
<As it turned out it was a flower Shone grew as pictures of it in flowerpots were shown>
SHONE'S PHOTOBOOK CAPTION: "My Heart... First Day: It was very difficult to grow" There's one worm inside the pot."
Flashback to when Shone gave her the flowers saying it was from a friend.
SHONE'S PHOTOBOOK CAPTION: "Today, I gave Nam the flowers I grow but I told her it's from my friend. It's because I'm tight-lipped."
Flashback to Top's confession.
SHONE'S PHOTOBOOK CAPTION: "Today, I saw Top confessed. I'm really hurt. Why our time never match?"
Flashback to when Nam was riding on Top's back.
SHONE'S PHOTOBOOK CAPTION: "Me too, wanted you to ride on my back"
Flashback to Shone's first soccer game after Nam gave him water. He was all smiling.
Flashback to when he confided her about his dad's soccer game penalty shot. While she was walking away with Top, Shone said "Nam, can you be my girlfriend?"
While Shone was feeling sad and pondering on his secret love that was wasted, Nam was crying all night because of Shone.
<While they cried I was crying too... You guys, I hate you for making me cry>
Later that night, Shone left the photobook on Nam's doorstep and walk away on his promise to Top that he won't love Nam.
After 9 years...
We saw Shone after coming from his photo studio and bringing his supposed son to his mother. He was asked if he will go to the TV studio. Back in the TV studio, Nam was interviewed about her success as a fashion designer. She revealed that she used to be ugly but because she likes a boy she did what she can to improve herself. She also said that the love she felt for him made her a better person.
Then the designer handed her Shone's photobook and called in a guest, who turned out to be Shone... He handed her some flowers... When the host asked him if he has something to say to Shone. Shone said the button she gave him maybe not his but on the other guy he fought with.
When the host asked Nam if she has something to say... In thrilling-changing-nam and shone-face-sequence... Shone Said... I... am waiting for someone to come back from the US.
And Nam and Shone's love bloomed to an ever after...
