the In a town where people have lost the will to flourish in the aftermath of the tsunami in Southern Thailand, a romance breeds then ends in tragedy.

Ton, a stranger to the small town, comes to this Southern part of the country, as an architect to help with the rebuilding.

He rents a room in a small local hotel and meets Na, a hotelier who helps Ton get acquainted with the town.

The two eventually fall for each other and pursue a secret relationship.

In a conservative town like this, where everyone knows your name, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep their union under wraps.

In this new life, post-tsunami, the town's people have lost their hope of prosperity and it is evident that they all have fallen into mental depression.

There are many locals, particularly the young people, who oppose the relationship between Na and Ton.

There is the obvious factor of jealousy, how can these two have the audacity to be happy when there is nothing to live for?

Despite this, the couple continue to pursue their relationship in private, sneaking out to meet each other in the night, and travelling long distances to uninhabited land to be together.

The two learn a lot about each other over the course of his stay in the town.

Na shares with Ton the trials she has faced since the great tragedy and Ton shares with her his own trials of gaining his father's acceptance, he also tells of his experience with city living.

He explains to her that he is actually relieved and at peace being in the town living a quiet life.

Na's brother, who is extremely troubled after the tsunami, has joined a gang and leads a life of danger, causing havoc among the town's people.

He and his crew are not happy about Ton and Na's relationship and torment Ton in the absence of Na.

First, his car is vandalised and then there are verbal threats. There was even a time when some of gang members taunted the couple, and their lives were put in danger.

Eventually, the gang got a hold of Ton, when he was alone, and he was beaten lifeless and drowned in a nearby river, all because he found his happiness.

Wonderful Town, was the winner of the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam and was commended for its amazing imaging through the film and a fresh perspective on the disaster of the Tsunami.

The film was slow to build and all in subtitles. It also came across as a bit melancholic for those who were looking for and upbeat moving experience.

Regardless, it's worth seeing after a nice dinner with a loved one.

** Wonderful Town is a competing feature at BIFF 11. It will be screened tonight at 6.30 at Liberty Theatre and again Saturday at 3.45 p.m. at Little Theatre.