Mee And My Dad

[Mrbiggus]

Maybe some of you guys might like this

(Documentary : 28 mins)

“Mee and My Dad” is a documentary that follows the film maker’s journey to Thailand, where his sixty year old dad is about to marry a twenty seven year old Thai woman called Mee.

The film has been selected for the 2008 Sheffield International Documentary Festival and has also won the director, Lorne Kramer, Channel 4’s prestigious Emerging Talent award for Documentary.

http://www.vimeo.com/1314479

[asiancup2007]

Very interesting, thanks for the link.

[wasabi]

God bless that old git!

[tasasc]

A well-made documentary, thank you for posting the link.

None of the protagonists came out of it particularly well, though I have to admit that my sympathies were with the son - even though I'm more likely to end up in the position of the father!

I wonder how many times a similar scenario is played out across thailand every year?

[Geekfreaklover]

Excellent documentary. Thanks for sharing.

[Spee]

Maybe some of you guys might like this

Yes, thanks from me as well. I enjoyed watching the film.

[Goshawk]

a well made & edited film that i can identify with..

it sort of mirrors me & my old dad's story, he chose Spain with a much younger bride rather than Thailand but virtually everything else is in parallel..

also detect in this film an air of distrust / jeolousy between the son & the young wife - without actually saying it, it seems that ultimately they both know that they're competing for the old man's wealth when he 'goes'..

Mrs G is forever saying, mountain lady very cha laat.. and that could not be more plainly obvious than in this flick..

good luck to her and the old man (& the son)

[katana]

Nice documentary. Not too long.

[TerryTibbs]

A roller coaster ride of mixed emotions from both the father and son. The son grew into quite a nice fella IMO he came across as a really pleasant and down to earth bloke, good on him. Sometimes men can love someone very very much but just don't know how to put it into words or actions due to the way they was bought up as a child. This was apparent with the old man and i wish he could of done/said more to ease the pain that his son was in. As for the marriage.... no comment. Nice Doc thanks for sharing.

[incrediblebutnotinterested]

Interesting Good luck to the old man ...just few points from person who lived in thailand and in uk for more than 5 years and from an asian background:

1- Old guy instead of enjoying what reamins of his life in a quite and peaceful way, he is marrying 27. unfortunately it is the story of most old europe men who are tired of capitalist europe.

2- marrying 27 years old will not bring u a quite life instead responsiblities and disaster follows.

3- if you are interested in thai culture and want quite life away from a bussy Uk life why not marry 60 years old !!!!

[rick75]

Great Documentary, thanks for posting the link

[Misplaced]

Thanks for the post. It was an excellent Documentary. Enjoyed it!

It's a good trade-off for the old man and the Thai girl. He gets companionship and she get security. A Win win situation for both.

At 24 the young man is an incredibly matured person. I know many people older than him who is less matured.

Good on him to accept his father for who "he is", and not, "who is was".

Edited June 3, 2009 by Misplaced

[Dave the Dude]

Thank for posting this, its a quality British documentary.

Dave

[Neeranam]

a well made & edited film that i can identify with..

it sort of mirrors me & my old dad's story, he chose Spain with a much younger bride rather than Thailand but virtually everything else is in parallel..

also detect in this film an air of distrust / jeolousy between the son & the young wife - without actually saying it, it seems that ultimately they both know that they're competing for the old man's wealth when he 'goes'..

Mrs G is forever saying, mountain lady very cha laat.. and that could not be more plainly obvious than in this flick..

good luck to her and the old man (& the son)

Any old guy who chooses to leave his money to a young Thai gold digger rather than his own children is a gullible fool .I found the documentary very sad as this kind of family abandonment happens all the time even by nice, "good" fathers. I bet she has a Thai husband lurking in the background.

[jubby]

Seems like she's a honest Girl. Doesn't find him attractive at all. Hope she can tell him he's ' Hansome' occasionally .

[Neeranam]

Seems like she's a honest Girl. Doesn't find him attractive at all. Hope she can tell him he's ' Hansome' occasionally .

Of course she does - he built her a house she could only ever dreamed of after knowing her how long? Bloody fool.

[IanForbes]

a well made & edited film that i can identify with..

it sort of mirrors me & my old dad's story, he chose Spain with a much younger bride rather than Thailand but virtually everything else is in parallel..

also detect in this film an air of distrust / jeolousy between the son & the young wife - without actually saying it, it seems that ultimately they both know that they're competing for the old man's wealth when he 'goes'..

Mrs G is forever saying, mountain lady very cha laat.. and that could not be more plainly obvious than in this flick..

good luck to her and the old man (& the son)

Any old guy who chooses to leave his money to a young Thai gold digger rather than his own children is a gullible fool .I found the documentary very sad as this kind of family abandonment happens all the time even by nice, "good" fathers. I bet she has a Thai husband lurking in the background.

Don't come across so bitterly, Neeranam. None of us know all the details. I don't call a woman a gold digger if she is just trying to better her and her family's life. You can't compare western standards to the Asian culture. I highly doubt if the woman has a Thai husband lurking in the background. The father isn't fooled by his new Thai wife. He knows how she feels, but he still thinks it's worth the risk. He certainly viewed the documentary before it was released to our viewing. I wouldn't do it, but I can't speak for anyone but myself. I don't think the son is too worried about the inheritance. I think he's more worried that his father is at risk of being hurt in the future. None of us can comment on the previous marriage to the first wife at home in England.

I've been married twice to western culture women and consider both marriages as a success... even though they both ended in divorce. I got what I wanted out of both marriages and still would be married if it hadn't been the women's decision to split. I won't go into details other than I'm now quite happy with the situation they created.

[Thakkar]

She's straight up about why she's marrying him: security.

"He's a good man" "my family is the most important thing"- translation: he seems responsible and honest, has the resources and he'll take care of me, my kids and my parents. In Cantonese parlance, he's her 'long term rice coupon'

If the relationship fails, it'll be because the man comes to resent, or fails to embrace this practicality of the relationship.

The son seems a cool guy. I don't think he's arsed about the inheritance. The new wife, though, may be understandably worried.

I've seen Indian arranged marriages (arranged by parents for entirely practical reasons) where the husband and wife eventually grow to love and respect each other, but it isn't the kind of love people with Western attitudes may necessarily understand.

Personally, I don't think I could make a marriage like this—significant age difference, step kids to boot— work, but that's just me. I wish these people well.

[Dave the Dude]

Any old guy who chooses to leave his money to a young Thai gold digger rather than his own children is a gullible fool .I found the documentary very sad as this kind of family abandonment happens all the time even by nice, "good" fathers. I bet she has a Thai husband lurking in the background.

Remember he didn't HAVE to travel 1/2 way round the world to find a (in your words) Gold digger plus the divide between husband and wife, seemed to appear BEFORE he travelled to LOS.

I thought the father & son bonded rather well in the end.

Dave

[IanForbes]

If the relationship fails, it'll be because the man comes to resent, or fails to embrace this practicality of the relationship.

Bingo! I doubt if she will kill the golden goose. But, I've seen it happen.

I hope the guy knows what he's in for. It would drive me stir crazy. And, us old guys don't learn the Thai language all that easily, and learning Thai will go a long way in making life better for him.

[sanook2me]

He came across as a right knob! telling his wife to "<removed> off you don't understand he's my son" what a jerk off!

erh hello! she has 2 of her own sons and didn't run away from them.

Typical plonker who comes here and splashes the pension pot on a girl

credit to the girl she came across as sincere - security is important...the 100% truth spoken.

The sad thing was it just looked ridiculous living in a hut the same as the country folks.

Do all blokes go bonkers when they are older? gulp

[Geekfreaklover]

He came across as a right knob! telling his wife to "<removed> off you don't understand he's my son" what a jerk off!

erh hello! she has 2 of her own sons and didn't run away from them.

Typical plonker who comes here and splashes the pension pot on a girl

credit to the girl she came across as sincere - security is important...the 100% truth spoken.

The sad thing was it just looked ridiculous living in a hut the same as the country folks.

Do all blokes go bonkers when they are older? gulp

Disagree. I think in that scene Mee showed her true colours. She ruined a special moment between father and son and deserved to be told to f&*k off. Also, when she said that she is not attracted to him and if he did not have money she would not be with him is a sad reflection of the general situation with such marriages.

I thought the Son was very diplomatic throughout.

The father and Mee, I think, deserve each other.

[Patsycat]

Bugger!!

You made me cry at 8 in the morning!!

Very interesting and moving. Good luck to all of them.

[pattaya_girl]

What a lovely 28 minute documentary, made me cry.

What a lovely relationship between Father & Son, that is how it should be.

[Jingthing]

One wonders how the son turned out so well ...

Everyone will take something different out of a film like this, but I don't predict great happiness for the newlyweds, sorry ...

Father, son? The son was the father, the father a big baby.

Edited June 3, 2009 by Jingthing

[fredrikslc]

great link and documentary...... tnx for a well spent 28 minutes

[rogerchiangmai]

Must have been really difficult to do a documentry using your own family, so well done to the filmaker and for getting the recognition. As for the couple, I think they say that successful marriages are those based on honesty - get the deal right before you tie the knot. Sounds like the couple know pretty much where they stand and are honest about it, so good luck to them - the rest is not our business...

[jubby]

He came across as a right knob! telling his wife to "<removed> off you don't understand he's my son" what a jerk off!

erh hello! she has 2 of her own sons and didn't run away from them.

Typical plonker who comes here and splashes the pension pot on a girl

credit to the girl she came across as sincere - security is important...the 100% truth spoken.

The sad thing was it just looked ridiculous living in a hut the same as the country folks.

Do all blokes go bonkers when they are older? gulp

I would have another look at the film and see if you can spot the real 'Hut' they were living in . certainly puts my 'Hut' to shame.

You could be right about the rest of it though

[IanForbes]

If things end earlier than expected, then all I can say to any couple is to take all the positives out of the relationship and ignore the few negatives. Remember the good times and forget the bad. Life is a journey of ups and downs and all you can do is the best you can. But, you DO have to go into any relationship with open eyes and expect there will be some down times. If you get two or three years of great bliss then it's been worth it. It sure beats a sorry, boring existence alone, or with someone you don't like.

[sanook2me]

He came across as a right knob! telling his wife to "<removed> off you don't understand he's my son" what a jerk off!

erh hello! she has 2 of her own sons and didn't run away from them.

Typical plonker who comes here and splashes the pension pot on a girl

credit to the girl she came across as sincere - security is important...the 100% truth spoken.

The sad thing was it just looked ridiculous living in a hut the same as the country folks.

Do all blokes go bonkers when they are older? gulp

I would have another look at the film and see if you can spot the real 'Hut' they were living in . certainly puts my 'Hut' to shame.

You could be right about the rest of it though

Sorry you maybe right, i only saw them drinking beer/alcohol while in a typical wooden Thai house.

Nothing wrong with Thai houses i just thought it made him look like a lunatic half way up a mountain drinking beer witha 27 yr wife and her relatives about his age. Maybe i need to watch it again

I bet alot of blokes are now re-evaluating their lives today, thought invoking to say the least.