Breaking the Cycle review – meet the charismatic Thai politician striving to change his country’s history

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Gripping documentary examines the Future Forward Party’s unprecedented 2019 election result, and its leader’s aim to break Thailand’s repeated military coups With his disarming good looks, pro-democracy activist and businessman Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit resembles an actor rather than a typical Thai politician. Heir to the country’s largest car manufacturer, he is blessed not only with personable charisma but also inexhaustible funds. His stunning rise into public consciousness is the beating heart of Aekaphong Saransate and Thanakrit Duangmaneeporn’s debut film, a thrilling documentary about an extraordinary political campaign that shook a nation. As founder of the progressive Future Forward Party (FFP), Juangroongruangkit’s central message cut through the noise of electoral politics: secure a brighter future by correcting the wrongs of the past. Since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand has undergone a never-ending cycle of military takeovers, including 12 coups. Dur...
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Antidote review – ayahuasca tourism film lauds hallucinogenic tea’s healing powers

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Is the vogue for the Amazonian drink a beneficial driver of tourism – or a form of capitalist exploitation? This film lacks the rigour to find out

Often mocked by standup comedians and sitcom writers – a sure sign of its ubiquity – ayahuasca, the hallucinogenic tea, has brought an influx of western travellers going on healing retreats to the forests of Peru. Focusing on its medicinal properties, Marc Silver’s documentary aims to dispel certain misconceptions about the psychedelic brew.

Among Indigenous people, rituals involving ayahuasca have been practised for millennia. Made from vines and other plant extracts, the concoction relieves patients of physical and mental traumas. The cure also carries a ceremonial aspect; the taking of the medicine is at times accompanied by songs and chants.

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