Abortion remains one of the most polarising debates in the world: a subject weighed down by politics, religion, and morality, but rarely centred on the lived experiences of the women forced to make impossible choices. Too often, the men who play a part in unplanned pregnancies can walk away, while women are left carrying the physical and emotional burden, even when both partners want children. Human Resource, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s new film, enters this contested space with empathy rather than judgement. It is a film that does not give answers but gives space for the conflict between love for an unborn child and the realities of the world they would be born into.

Set in contemporary Thailand, where abortion is legal in the first trimester, Human Resource follows Fren (by Prapamonton Eiamchan), a young woman one month pregnant who spends the next two months weighing her decision. Her choice isn’t black and white; it’s portrayed as something complicated and human. Fren’s job in HR gives her access to the stories of others – new hires who share their anxieties, dreams, and fears about work and survival. These encounters become a reflection of her own anxieties about whether she can provide the stability and love a child deserves. Nawapol draws parallels between the personal and the systemic, asking how anyone can plan for life in a society where labour feels disposable and the future is uncertain.

Nawapol, who has long combined storytelling with social realism, allows silence and hesitation to speak louder than dramatic outbursts. As Fren contemplates her pregnancy, the camera focuses on her face in moments of solitude, revealing the private storm that countless women endure behind closed doors. Prapamonton delivers a career-defining performance, portraying Fren’s strength and vulnerability with natural, heartfelt nuance. Her interactions with Paopetch Charoensook, as the father-to-be, also show a painful imbalance – he seems more distant as her burden grows.

Nawapol himself has described the project as his attempt to explore “what it means to bring life into a world that feels increasingly unstable.” This is not a polemic but a reflection on responsibility, and in an era of declining birth rates and rising precarity. By situating Fren’s story within the global conversation around fertility, labour, and care, Human Resource expands from the intimate to the universal. It is as much about one woman’s dilemma as it is about a generation’s uncertainty.

Shot with subdued naturalism by cinematographer Natdanai Naksuwarn and paired with Siwat Homkham’s score, the film is truly beautiful. Nawapol once again demonstrates his talent for creating films that are local yet speak to universal experiences. The only drawback, I would say, is the film’s long runtime.

Overall, Human Resource is a call for empathy and a reminder that no one should face such difficult choices alone.

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Written by Maggie Gogler

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