Film: BEAUTIFUL BOXER
Watched "Beautiful Boxer" tonight, a movie from Thailand. I'm giving it 4/5 stars.
It was interesting -- set in several provinces of Thailand with a few scenes in Japan. It's based on a true story. I thought they handled the subject matter rather well, simply telling the story without taking sides or being too sappy. I do think Western audiences who know little about Thailand will wonder about some of the scenes... Particularly those involving apparently nonchalant reactions and the degree of acceptance displayed by people around the main character. This is largely cultural... Linked to belief in karma, reincarnation, fate etc etc and of course there's the whole Bangkok scene, what it stands for, how sex is viewed and so on. Anyway, all in all it's really a pretty good movie. =)
"Synopsis:
Based on the true story of Thailand's famed transgendered kickboxer, Beautiful Boxer is a poignant action drama that punches straight into the heart and mind of a boy who fights like a man so he can become a woman. Believing he's a girl trapped in a boy's body since childhood, Parinya Charoenphol (affectionately known as Nong Toom in Thailand) sets out to master the most masculine and lethal sport of Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) to earn a living and to achieve his ultimate goal of total femininity."
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/beautiful_boxer/
It was interesting -- set in several provinces of Thailand with a few scenes in Japan. It's based on a true story. I thought they handled the subject matter rather well, simply telling the story without taking sides or being too sappy. I do think Western audiences who know little about Thailand will wonder about some of the scenes... Particularly those involving apparently nonchalant reactions and the degree of acceptance displayed by people around the main character. This is largely cultural... Linked to belief in karma, reincarnation, fate etc etc and of course there's the whole Bangkok scene, what it stands for, how sex is viewed and so on. Anyway, all in all it's really a pretty good movie. =)
"Synopsis:
Based on the true story of Thailand's famed transgendered kickboxer, Beautiful Boxer is a poignant action drama that punches straight into the heart and mind of a boy who fights like a man so he can become a woman. Believing he's a girl trapped in a boy's body since childhood, Parinya Charoenphol (affectionately known as Nong Toom in Thailand) sets out to master the most masculine and lethal sport of Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) to earn a living and to achieve his ultimate goal of total femininity."
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/beautiful_boxer/