Amazing Thai Movies

[lothda]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed how many Thai movies featuring gay or "gathoey" characters have been produced this year (or any year - but recently there seems to have been an increase). "Ghost Station" is a combined parody of Thai ghost movies and "Brokeback Mountain". It scores 2.1 on the Internet Movie Database (on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being "awful"). Coming up: "Kung <deleted> Tootsie" and "The Odd Couple". In the latter famous Thai comedian Petchtai Wongkamlao ("Ong Bak", "The Body Guard", "Tom Yum Goong") dons the skirt and wig and does his thing in an outrageous fashion - just watch the trailer.

Nobody pretends that these movies are any good. Definitely not any better than the countless Thai TV soaps featuring stereotyped "gay" characters. Why the seemingly endless fascination with these stereotypes? Are they just something to laugh at, thereby loosing any frightening aspects they might otherwise have and making everybody feel safe? Comments welcome...

[iLove]

Yesterday i watched this movie " Silom Soi 2 " and liked much [th Name attracted me ;p]

so this is the first for me to watch Thai movies and hope to watch others such you said..

[lothda]

I'm glad you enjoyed "Silom Soi 2" (available on DVD and VCD, but only in a censored version). However that is a serious gay movie, made for a gay audience. It has nothing in common with the lowbrow comedies I mentioned. There are more serious gay Thai movies, "Down the River" comes to mind. But they are few and far between.

[bkkguy1970]

I'm glad you enjoyed "Silom Soi 2" (available on DVD and VCD, but only in a censored version). However that is a serious gay movie, made for a gay audience.

Thai gays have a serious image problem if Silom Soi 2 is a "serious gay movie, made for a gay audience" and if this is the way they see themselves or want to be seen by a wider audience then there is no hope - the movie is shallow, facile, the characters and storyline are pathetic and one dimensional and while none of the action actually takes place in Soi 2 the gratuitous erotica is about all that you would expect from the worst of the Soi 2 crowd!

I did however like Me...Myself which some prominent gay spokespersons ridiculed - unjustifiably I would say! it is also now available on DVD (with English subs) and much more worth a watch than Silom Soi 2

bkkguy

[dishan]

Hi there i'm Dishan can u all tell me some Thai movies or films or what ever that i can see and how can i download it any web site's that can be recommended please any thing thank you all

[lothda]

If you need English subtitles: there are very few subtitled Thai gay movies. "Silom Soi 2" is available on DVD and VCD in a censored version. I bought my copy at a famous shop in MBK. I have seen "Me... Myself", mentioned by bkkguy1970, at B2S yesterday. Any dubious downloads would certainly not be subtitled.

Edited July 22, 2007 by lothda

[noctiluca]

Hi,

Just wanna chime in.

I've seen both Silom Soi 2 and Me... Myself. Personally, I love Me... Myself. It is one of a few gem Thai films this year. (Not to mention that it is the closest to a real "gay theme" movie, if you want to consider that.) I think they both are in a different league, though.

I agree that SS2 is a bit shallow, and perhaps trying too much to sell erotica side as the film highlight, with only made-to-DVD quality. (I admit one of the two leading men is very sexy in the masculine kind of way. ) I have a feeling that the people who put together this film probably want to offer an alternative genre to audience to choose from, apart from those tiresome but popular Thai gay comedy/ghost themes out there. It seems the target audience is international market, not the local one, since it was only premiered at a BKK theater once and that's it. Those who missed it, like me, have to buy a DVD.

Then came Me... Myself, which is really good, or at least thought-provoking which is rare in Thai "mass-appealing" films, IMHO. Ananda, the leading man, is a talented and wonderful professional actor. (He is also cute, BTW. ) I won't spoil it, but would recommend it.

I didn't see Ghost Station. I heard it is awful. Not even close or related to gays, except that the lead characters claim to be ones; the rest is just comedy. And I heard it's not even funny. The same goes for Hor Taew Tak (translated to something like haunting gay dormitory).

Have yet to see Kungfu Tootsie. (What a horrible English name!!) I saw the trailer of the film, and whoever came up with this trailer is, in my opinion, irresponsible. The movie itself may not be as bad, but the parts they decided to show in trailer indicates that they do anything to lure people to see the movie including relying only on rude language and crude jokes. Now, let me say that I am not against crude language per se. I think it reflects real life if it fits the story line. What I'm talking about is throwing away rudeness and stupid lines without much thought, especially currently there is no film rating to limit who should and should not see the movie. I'm talking about children who have to see and tolerate it on sky train, for example. I think these producers just want to cash in on comedic gay films, with no other values whatsover.

Usually, these films contain crude jokes on gays/katoeys/trans, often downright rude and insulting. As long as Thai movie-goers flock to see this type of films, they will keep producing them until the fad fades. It tells you something about Thai mentality, huh? Although I understand this to some extent, I am so sick of the argument that life in LOS is so difficult that people escape from reality by only wanting to watch this type of movies. (You probably can tell I'm longing for a better gay Thai films that offer more than just a stupid laugh, and BTW I'm Thai.)

I know this kind of films will never go away. I just wish there are balanced alternatives out there for people to make a choice.

In a way, it shows that, although Thais are known to be tolerant to gays and their life styles even perhaps better than our neighbors, many people still perceive or expect us to have only a certain status or be accepted at only certain professions/circle in society. It is not entirely welcoming yet. I think it sadly reflects people mentality (but may not be limited to only Thais) that it's ok to laugh at stereotypes, at other people's expenses, or worse discriminate against, without trying to really understanding them, or be willing to see from others' point of views. I hope this changes soon for all of our sake.

BTW, sorry for my ranting and veering off topic.

[lothda]

Thank you very much for your comments and insights. Just what I was interested in!