Pae isn’t doing too well at his new high school. His only chance to go to university and avoid working at his father’s flour mill, arrives in the form of a short film contest. Betting on the sentimental potential of a story about his recently deceased classmate Joe, Pae embarks on a short film project with his schoolmates amidst much hype and hope. But the group’s best laid plans go awry when a close friend of Joe’s returns to school after illness.

Thai filmmaker Atta Hemwadee’s vivid and flavourful Not Friends begins as a sprightly high school comedy before blooming into a bittersweet drama about the meaning of friendship. Despite its playful setting and persistent humour, Hemwadee’s debut feature unfolds as a series of real ethical dilemmas that its teenage protagonist must learn to negotiate. Every decision that Pae makes involves determining the right thing to do. In the process, he comes to discover what originality means and where the true character of an individual lies.

Dynamically shot and edited, Not Friends is an ode to the heady adventures of adolescence and to days and nights consumed in passionate collaboration

– Srikanth Srinivasan