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The Express Gazette
Monday, January 26, 2026

Same Day With Someone on Netflix: A Thai Time-Loop Rom-Com Weighs Heart Over Hype

A time-loop romantic dramedy led by Jarinporn Joonkiat blends workplace politics, family ties, and self-discovery in a glossy Bangkok setting.

Culture & Entertainment 4 months ago
Same Day With Someone on Netflix: A Thai Time-Loop Rom-Com Weighs Heart Over Hype

Netflix’s Thai Original Same Day With Someone stitches a glittering museum world to a compulsively repeating day, using a familiar time-loop premise to probe personal growth, family, and ambition. The story follows Mesa Worathepanant, an affable but occasionally aloof museum curator who has carved out a high-status career with family ties ensuring opportunity. On a day meant to inaugurate a landmark exhibit—the 800-year-old Sirsila Stone and its unveiling to Thailand’s Chinlin allies—Mesa’s life careens from victory to catastrophe when a cascade of mishaps unravels a fragile diplomatic relationship and her personal life. She wakes up to the same calendar repeat, a loop she must break if she is to salvage the day and, perhaps, herself.

From the outset, the film anchors Mesa in a realm of privilege and responsibility, with the Worathepanant Museum Bangkok serving as both backdrop and character. Mesa has earned broad professional respect, even if some colleagues view her as a nepo baby who rose on lineage as much as merit. The on-screen stakes are real: a carefully staged exhibit opening to the country’s ambassador and a delicate negotiating process to secure a business alliance with Chinlin. The private dimension is equally fraught, as Mesa contends with a fiancé, Tul, who embodies a complicating mix of charm and conflict, and a mentor-like boss, Ben, who has quietly supported her from the wings. On the night of a celebratory gathering, Mesa’s world collapses after a string of miscalculations culminates in a damaged exhibit, a public embarrassment, and a personal breakdown that culminates in the moment she knocks over a shrine statue associated with the Red Ribbon Goddess.

The sequence of events that follow resets the clock in a literal sense, dropping Mesa back into August 8, 2025—the day she hoped would put her on the path to lasting success. The loop persists as Mesa battles through repeated versions of the same day, gradually learning what she has missed about the people around her and the consequences of her choices. The premise allows the film to explore how a person can evolve when given the chance to rewrite conversations, mend strained relationships, and reassess professional priorities. What begins as a goofy conceit evolves into a meditation on humility, accountability, and the small acts of care that keep a community functioning.

Mesa’s journey is propelled by a cast that anchors the farcical and the heartfelt. Jarinporn Joonkiat carries the lead with a steady blend of charm, frustration, and vulnerability, giving Mesa a throughline that keeps the film anchored even as the day repeats. Supporting performances help balance the energy: Warintorn Panhakarn as Ben embodies dependable steadiness and quiet humor, while Trisanu Soranun as Tul injects a sharp, sometimes abrasive energy that complicates Mesa’s evolution. The film also leans on family resonance, with Mesas’s mother, played by Siriam Pakdeedumrongrit, providing a grounding counterpoint to the fast-paced museum world, and Ning, portrayed by Charlette Wasita Hermenau, offering a practical glance at the staff who keep the museum running day by day.

The tone shifts throughout, transitioning from buoyant, comic moments to more tender, introspective beats as Mesa learns to see colleagues and loved ones through new eyes. The Red Ribbon Goddess shrine scene remains a running joke and a turning point, a moment that crystallizes the film’s thesis: growth begins when someone finally listens, forgives, and chooses to act with empathy instead of ego. The dialogue straddles light humor and earnest sincerity, with some lines delivering both laughter and a genuine sense of humanity. The film does not pretend to rewrite time-loop rules, but it leans into the Thai setting and corporate-diplomatic milieu to give the familiar premise a fresh texture, blending cultural specificity with universal themes of self-improvement and reconciliation.

Visually, the production finds a glossy balance between museum aesthetics and intimate character moments. The Bangkok setting provides a vibrant cultural backdrop, and the exhibit sequences are staged with care to convey the stakes of curation, heritage, and public perception. The fantasy element—Mesa’s repeated day—serves as a narrative device that underlines the real-world drama of leadership, family expectations, and personal accountability. The result is a cohesive blend of whimsy and heart, anchored by a cast that carries the comedy through to its more emotional crescendos.

In terms of texture and pacing, Same Day With Someone remains accessible without shying away from weightier moments. Some tonal shifts can feel abrupt, especially when the film moves from lighthearted gags to earnest emotional exams; however, the thread of Mesa’s personal growth holds steady, inviting viewers to invest in her relationships with Ben, her mother, and her colleagues. The film lands on a message about humility, connection, and the idea that even a life of privilege can benefit from a pause to consider others’ experiences and needs.

From a cultural and industry perspective, the film showcases Netflix’s continued investment in Southeast Asian storytelling. The Thai-language romance-drama milieu, with its local flavors and cosmopolitan ambitions, sits comfortably beside international time-loop comedies like Groundhog Day and Palm Springs in the cinematic conversation, while carving out its own niche through distinctly Thai elements—from the revered shrine to the dynamic museum ecosystem. The film’s emphasis on collaboration across personal and professional spheres reflects a broader trend in contemporary cinema: genre storytelling that doubles as character study and social reflection.

Critical responses have focused on the film’s craftsmanship and ensemble chemistry. Reviewers note that although Same Day With Someone doesn’t reinvent the time-loop formula, it succeeds in delivering warmth, humor, and a satisfying emotional arc that keeps viewers engaged across repeated scenarios. Joonkiat’s performance is repeatedly highlighted for its balance of wit and vulnerability, and the supporting cast earns praise for grounding the more fantastical elements in believable, humane dynamics. The result is a polished, accessible work that works well as a light but meaningful entry in Netflix’s catalog of international romantic comedies.

For audiences seeking a streaming option that blends a familiar genre with a distinctly Thai sensibility, Same Day With Someone offers a appealing balance of entertainment and heart. It’s a film that invites smiles without shying away from genuine humanity, making use of its time-loop premise to explore what it means to change for the better when confronted with the consequences of one’s actions. In that sense, the movie positions itself as a warmly crafted addition to the gallery of contemporary romance-dramas on Netflix, one that can be enjoyed by fans of the genre and newcomers alike.

Still from Same Day With Someone


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