Thai blockbuster Heart Attack merges deadpan humour with an art-house ‘slow cinema’ vibe

Thai comedies are usually crazed affairs that telegraph their jokes way in advance, so Heart Attack (2015) pleases because of its quiet moments and deadpan humour.

The story of a freelance designer who can’t slow down, even when his workload makes him ill, is such a considered piece of filmmaking that it sometimes doesn’t seem like a comedy at all. Indeed, even the romantic element that underpins the story isn’t quite a romance.

This lack of histrionics and genre staples makes for an interesting and unusual movie that mixes art-house stylistics with a commercial idea. The only negative is the running time, which, at 124 minutes, is slightly long and deadens some of the comedic thrust with unnecessary longueurs.

Freelancers everywhere will relate to Yoon (Sunny Suwanmethanon), a graphic designer who finds it impossible to turn down assignments. If he doesn’t take the job when it’s offered, he explains to his dermatologist, the subtly pretty Imm (Davika Hoorne), any future work from that client probably won’t come his way.

Fuelled by copious quantities of Red Bull, Yoon habitually works five days and nights without sleep. When he develops a nasty rash all over his body, Imm tries to persuade him to change his workaholic mindset. As the treatment progresses, Yoon falls in love with Imm.