Human Resource (film)

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Human Resource
Directed by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit
Written byNawapol Thamrongrattanarit
Produced by
  • Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit
  • Pacharin Surawatanapongs
StarringPrapamonton Eiamchan
CinematographyNatdanai Naksuwarn
Edited byManussa Vorasingha
Music byMellow Tunes
Production
companies
Happy Ending Film
Jai Studios
Bangkok CityCity Gallery
Distributed by GDH 559
Release date
  • 3 September 2025 (2025-09-03)(Venice)
Running time
122 minutes
CountryThailand
LanguageThai

Human Resource is a 2025 Thai drama film written and directed by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit. It had its world premiere in the Orizzonti section at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 27 August 2025, where it won the Fondazione Fai Prize.

Contents

Plot

Cast

Production

Thamrongrattanarit got inspiration for the script from his fascination for the human resources sector combined with his own introspective questions about parenthood. [1] The film was produced by Happy Ending Film. [1]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival, in the Orizzonti sidebar, where it won the Fondazione Fai Prize. [1] [2] It was later screened in other festivals, including the BFI London Film Festival, the 30th Busan International Film Festival, the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, the Zurich Film Festival and the 36th Singapore International Film Festival. [1] [3] [4]

Reception

The film was well-received by critics. Marc van de Klashorst from International Cinephile Society gave the film 4 stars out of 5, and wrote it "has enough impact to stand tall as a portrait of modern Thailand, a side of the country we don’t often get to see in cinema. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit guides the film with a firm hand and clear vision, letting the drama efficiently play out in subdued tones and relying on his two central actors to convey the emotions while barely showing them." [5] Screen International's film critic Jonathan Romney also praised the film, describing it as an "insightful and intimate beneath its chilly, stylised surface", and highlighting the work of cinematographer Natdanai Naksuwarn, who "draws touches of strange visual poetry from the cityscape". [6]

Mia Pflüger from Next Best Picture called the film "extraordinary" for building "existential dread not through melodrama, but through form", through a "glacial" pacing and an "unyielding rhythm that makes the experience so piercing." [7] South China Morning Post critic James Mottram described the film as a "bleak meditation on corporate culture" that "gives pause for thought". [8]

For this film, Thamrongrattanarit got a nomination for best screenplay at the 18th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ramachandran, Naman (26 August 2025). "Thai Director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit Tackles Global Birth Rate Decline in Venice Film 'Human Resource,' First Clip Unveiled". Variety. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  2. Sethi, Natasha (8 September 2025). "Thai film 'Human Resource' wins award at the Venice International Film Festival 2025". Lifestyle Asia . Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  3. "BFI London Film Festival 2025: 35 Movies to Watch". Loud And Clear Reviews. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  4. Ramachandran, Naman (13 October 2025). "Lucrecia Martel to Head Asian Feature Jury as Singapore Festival Opens Competition to All Career Stages". Variety. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  5. van de Klashorst, Marc (3 September 2025). "Venice 2025 review: Venice 2025 review: Human Resource (Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit)". International Cinephile Society . Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  6. Romney, Jonathan (3 September 2025). "'Human Resource' review: A pregnant worker navigates a hostile world in Thai drama". Screen International . Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  7. Pflüger, Mia (4 September 2025). ""HUMAN RESOURCE" - Review". Next Best Picture. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  8. Mottram, James (3 September 2025). "Review | Human Resource: Thai director's bleak meditation on corporate culture". South China Morning Post . Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  9. Ramachandran, Naman (15 October 2025). "'Samsara,' 'It Was Just an Accident,' 'Magellan' Lead Asia Pacific Screen Awards Nominations". Variety . Retrieved 15 October 2025.