Evil Game, Love Game (Game Rai Game Rak)

So Close - Jon McLaughlin

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

You're in my arms

And all the world is calm

The music playing on for only two

So close together

And when I'm with you

So close to feeling alive

A life goes by

Romantic dreams must die

So I bid mine goodbye and never knew

So close was waiting, waiting here with you

And now forever I know

All that I want is to hold you

So close

So close to reaching that famous happy ending

Almost believing this one's not pretend

And now you're beside me and look how far we've come

So far, we are, so close

How could I face the faceless days

If I should lose you now?

We're so close

To reaching that famous happy ending

Almost believing this one's not pretend

Let's go on dreaming for we know we are

So close

So close

And still so far

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

Such a beautiful song. But somehow it gives me a sad feeling at times. Still love it, though. Actually I got to know this song not through the movie Enchanted (So Close was featured in the movie), but because someone used it as the background music for his/her fan-made MV of Thai lakorn (drama) Game Rai Game Rak (Evil Game, Love Game). 

It is a beautiful and sweet love story that depicts the innocence of love through the eyes of a warm-hearted islander and his wife. They loved each other wholeheartedly but was forced to be separated for more than 3 years. The wife was actually a hi-so girl that was washed ashore after a heavy storm. Due to some serious head injury,  she experienced memory loss and couldn't recall anything about herself, and her behavior was more like a child than a grown up. The islanders became her family and friends, and she was, despite not knowing her real identity, a very happy person because of them. She fell in love with her savior, a man who was very humble and kind and they got married. But very soon after, her real family tracked her down, and forcefully separated the couple, believing that the people of the island were evil.  The girl's family tried to give her proper medical treatment to help her regain her memory, and as a result, she remembered who she really was before the big storm accident, but forgot everything about the island and its people. From this point forward was when the real evil game began. For more info and synopsis, do visit this awesome website , or go straight over to its youtube channel Game Rai Game Rak. 

At first, it sounds like your typical story with amnesia arc. But  clichés, if done right, could very well be a gem. What makes me love this Thai series is the execution and the acting, and of course, the awesome chemistry between the main leads, acted by Barry and Yaya (both from Duang Jai Akkanee, one of the 4-part series of 4 Hearts of the Mountain). Unlike some dramas of similar premise, Game Rai Game Rak actually creates a solid base for us to root for the couple. The innocent love is portrayed in a very thoughtful manner, very gradual and very believable. The leads fall in love with each other on the island, and even though we see this coming from miles away, we still enjoy watching their feelings gradually unfold and their lovely daily interactions make the characters grow on viewers. Later on, when the tide changes and they are at the opposite ends of the love spectrum (or so they consciously tell themselves, when in fact they are lying to nobody but each other), their conflicts give more impact to us viewers. 

During flashback moments, the scenes varies because you have a lot of memorable moments to choose from. In some dramas, flashback scenes can be very redundant and boring because they have only a few scenes to pick from and the scenes become repetitive. Due to less emphasis given on relationship building, and instead the major conflict - which become the main storyline - are introduced too soon and are being dragged all the way, a series could be quite a disappointment and lack credibility when it comes to the legitimacy of the conflict. In that aspect, I think Game Rai Game Rak is a little bit better than most. But at the end of the day, most conflicts in dramas (or in real life for that matter) rose from lack of communication. If people can get a little less emotional, maybe they can just sit down and talk. But then, we have no drama. haha. But often times, once we get hurt emotionally, we become defensive and a little bit selfish and lacking trust in others. It's the survival instinct, i suppose.    

Barry and Yaya, despite being green in the acting industry, are very talented and the fact that they are both easy on the eyes is such a bonus. I notice that in Thai lakorns, they like to pair up the same actor and actress for main leads. Maybe it's coincidence that I just so happen to watch the same actor and actress playing couple in different lakorns. As such, I always associate Ken with Ann (Sawan Biang), Aum with Aff (Jam Loey Rak), Tik with Aom (Leurd Kattiya). But Tik actually looks good with just anybody, like with Cherry in Kaew Tah Pee, or with Aum in Wanida. But for for Yaya, I think she looks the best with Barry on-screen. 

Watch the fan-made video above, then maybe you'll agree with me. ^_^