Director of Netflix Hit Movie 'Hunger' Shares His Favorite Thai Dishes

Aug 16, 2023

Warning: Major spoilers below if you haven't seen "Hunger."

"Food is related to class division — I feel and see that in my everyday life as a Thai," Sitisiri Mongkolsiri told Insider.

Mongkolsiri is the director of Thai food horror film "Hunger," currently the number 1 movie on Netflix's Global Top 10 chart for non-English films. Since its release on April 8, the movie has been receiving positive reviews from all around the world.

Set in Bangkok, the story follows Aoy, played by Chutimon "Aokbab" Chuengcharoensukying, a culinary prodigy who was forced to inherit her family's fried noodle business. After being offered a chance to work in celebrity Chef Paul's kitchen, played by Nopachai "Peter" Chaiyanam, Aoy's ambition grows, and she eventually begins to lose sight of the people she loved most.

"Hunger" uses food to tell the story of class division in Thailand, with images of fire conveying the fascinating yet dangerous nature of human greed.

Insider spoke with Sittisiri Mongkolsiri about his vision for the film.

"We live in an age of capitalism," said the director. "Even if you don't understand the Thai language, I think everyone can relate to the movie," he added.

He also noted that the film being about Thai food helped pique the interest of an international audience.

He feels that the value of food is also not just about making someone full, but it's "like getting a medal or winning a prize."

He observed that for some people, taking good photos of the food they eat and posting it on social media is enough to satisfy their hunger.

"I just want to make people question how they feel when they look at the food portrayed in the film. Are you disgusted? Or do you think you're disgusted, but deep within you actually like it?" he told Insider.

In the film, the two leads, Chef Paul and Chef Aoy, are pit against each other.

Their food evokes different reactions from their diners. The former's food makes people devour like ravenous beasts, while the latter has people blissfully savoring their meals.

"Paul's food stems from hatred. On the contrary, Aoy is cooking from purity. There's really no agenda behind her cooking," explains Mongkolsiri.

"As a director, I look at this in two ways. On one hand, I take the side of Paul, but I also take the side of Aoy," he says.

"Sometimes, we enjoy food made by our family, our moms, which we would consider comfort food. But sometimes, we also crave new experiences or types of food, and I think it's the same in this movie,"

"I learned that it takes physicality and determination, and there is no room for mistakes because one small mistake can ruin your whole career or restaurant completely," he told Insider.

"Being a chef, when you create your work, everybody is ready to have an opinion," the director said. He found that each chef has their own way of dealing with the pressure.

"There's such a variety of food everywhere in Thailand. There isn't really a need to cook," he said.

He shared that the best places to enjoy his favorite dishes in Bangkok are often those hidden restaurants owned by regular locals. He also pointed out that he has a soft spot for extra spicy Southern Thai food.

Mongkolsiri's past projects have all included elements of horror, but Mongkolsiri would love to explore a variety of genres.

"I feel that in all my movies, there's some sense of thrill or horror that I like to hide in my characters or as part of the movie," said the director.

He also shared in an interview with NME that the word horror doesn't necessarily mean the supernatural, but it "can just be a feeling of fear."

"One of my themes in past movies is that humanity is scarier than ghosts. That's my horror," he told NME.

Mongkolsiri also revealed that he is currently working on a script right now about the history of Thailand.

"Hunger" was released on April 8 and is available on Netflix.

Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.