In 2001 my pals Jon and Sky and I decided to make a short film about two different types of tourist in Thailand: a drugged- out sleazeball and a preachy amateur Buddhist, both trying to find redemption in this very libertine country, where nothing is what it seems and everything is possible.
The result: Nice Illusion. A rushed two week shoot and continual casting changes resulted in a pretty enjoyable 25-minute flick. It’s a great little window into what certain lost souls are doing in strange, semi-lawless places around the world.
It also offers a great slice-of-life of Chiang Mai, showcasing a variety of the natural surroundings, markets and cultural aspects of the area.
You can watch it at the Internet Archive
By the way, my acting is pretty bad at the beginning. But it gets better. Jon and I weren’t supposed to act in it at all but if you want to do something right, do it yourself. Unless it’s acting, I guess.
You can read the screenplay here.
Here’s an article I wrote about the experience, published in Chiang Mai’s Citylife Magazine.
