The Motion Picture Teller

The principal pleasure of Thai postman Supot, the hero of this offbeat standalone set in 1996 from Cotterill (the Dr. Siri Paiboun series), is watching old movies with his friend Ali in the latter’s Bangkok video store. When Supot and Ali discover Bangkok 2010, a dystopian near-future film among a collection of used cassettes, they’re overwhelmed by its brilliance and pronounce it possibly the greatest Thai movie ever made. The duo’s efforts to find out more about it, however, are stymied at every turn; the movie was never released, and they don’t recognize the names of any of the cast, director, or crew. Authorities at the National Film Archive claim ignorance, but Supot believes they’re hiding something. For Supot, the search for answers quickly becomes a fixation that ultimately leads him to a commune in the northern Thai countryside, where the mystery of Bangkok 2010 slowly unfolds. In effect, he’s part of “a detective story without a crime.” The heartfelt characters, vividly drawn setting, and subtle humor more than compensate for this lack. Both established fans and those new to Cotterill will be charmed. (Jan.)