Our take
How to Win at Checkers (Every Time) is less a film about checkers and more a coming-of-age drama about brotherly love. Sure, they play the game. Oat gives some rules to play it. But it’s heartbreaking to see that despite knowing these rules, and applying them to the game that is life, Oat and his older brother Ek still can’t win against chance, the chance that’s actually rigged behind the scenes. It’s a subtle way to depict the frustration towards Thailand’s draft lottery, one that’s rigged by class, gender, and corruption. There are some elements that are left underdeveloped, but the sacrificial love shared between the brothers is what makes How to Win at Checkers (Every Time) worth watching.
What it won
Berlin
1 nom
The story
An 11-year-old boy steals money for bribes to remove his gay older brother from Thai military conscription rolls, unaware of the ramifications.
Elsewhere
"This low-key but deeply felt tale of fraternal bonds... reps a confident feature-length debut for the Texas-born Kim, who brings both non-native objectivity and a traveler's eye for geographic detail to the pic's earthy Bangkok setting."
— Guy Lodge
Upon turning 21 years old, all men in Thailand are required to participate in the annual military draft lottery. On the morning of his lottery, Oat remembers his older brother Ek, whose lottery Oat failed to fix in their favor.
Framing most of the story through Oat’s future can make Ek’s outcome feel a bit predictable, but it sets up that melancholy tone for the whole film.
Ouch.
The details
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
