“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John and other various classics play from the tapes of an old radio show as Aood (Ice Natara) and Boss (Tor Thanapob) take a road trip down memory lane, not all of their memories being good ones. One for the Road by Baz Poonpiriya centres around forgiveness in death, after Aood reaches out to his estranged friend, Boss, from Thailand, with the news that he has leukaemia and wishes for him to return home.

One for the Road is bittersweet in a way that every human being will be able to understand, much like the memories we see from Aood and Boss’ past, each experience of theirs is filled with laughter and pain, but they’re all beautiful in their own way. “The last drink before you head home,” is the philosophy behind the name of Boss’ bar, which is essentially what Aood is doing during this film: having one last drink, saying one last goodbye, before dying. Aood is on a mission to leave this world with no regrets, and this overwhelming need to make sense of your life and to finalise it with a tidy bow is so universal that it is sure to resonate with audiences. 

One for the Road is a terrific film that reminds us that life is coloured by death, which can make everything seem urgent, but leaves you comforted by its lesson that while there’s a time to mourn, there must also be celebration.

An unexpected twist unravels at the end of One for the Road, and it’s only appropriate in a film about the trials of life, that we witness how messy relationships truly are, and that saying goodbye in the end can sometimes seem like a selfish act, but a necessary part of living.

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Tor Thanapob, Ice Natara, Violette Wautier, Aokbab Chutimon, Ploi Horwang, Noon Siraphun

DIRECTOR: Baz Poonpiriya

WRITERS: Baz Poonpiriya, Nottapon Boonprakob, Puangsoi Aksornsawang

SYNOPSIS: Aood, Boss’ estranged friend, calls from Thailand with news that he’s dying and asks him to return home to travel down memory lane.

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