Baytong is the fifth film of Nonzee Nimibutr who stands at the center of the Thai film industry. In the director′s words, Baytong is a "fish out of water tale." It is the story of Tum, a Thai Buddhist monk, who leaves the monastery, where he has spent all his life, to look after his niece when his sister dies. It depicts a smaller and simpler world compared to his previous films. Tum is 27 years old but doesn′t know any better about the world than his 7-year-old niece. He comes to Baytong to take care of her and to help her find her father. There are not many things he can do though, as he has spent his entire life in a monastery. Tum finds his own path of life between enlightenment and entertainment with the help of beautiful neighbor Lynn and his niece Maria. His eaming process is similar to that of a little child trving to learn about life in a limited period of time. This may be the director′s attempt to relate a Buddhist life to a secular life. It is a heartwarming drama with comic touches as the young monk is always at a loss or confused. Underneath the surface, the director shows his flexibility by not championing a single life style and shares with the viewers his religious belief that even the joy of life sometimes comes with pain. Baytong teaches us that if we believe in the goodness of men, life is worth praising. (Kang So-won)