"Beautiful Boxer" is not only a beautiful film but is evocative. Even
though I do not care much for the sport of boxing and am not crazy about the
transsexual experience, this is one of the most gratifying films I have ever
seen. It manages to transcend time, ethnicity, gender identity and culture
while entertaining at the same time. The illumination of the humanity of its
characters is astounding and the lead actor, Asanee Suwan as Nong Toon gives a
performance that made me want to jump up and say "Bravo". He manages
to communicate the full range of his character's being and is able to integrate
the feminine and masculine sides of personality with what seems to be little
effort.
"Beautiful Boxer" is a coming of age story about a man who wants to
be a woman. So that he can earn the money necessary to both live and pursue his
dream, he begins kick boxing. As time passes, he is gradually accepted by his
friends who are also boxers. The way that the third gender is presented in
another culture is refreshing. The film is sensitive, poetic and vivid and
shows a different side of Thailand. The cinematography is stunning and the
direction and acting are beautiful in their simplicity. This is not an easy
story to try and sell but the director, Ekachai Uekrongtham manages to give it
to us with finesse and care.
We journey through the life of Nong Toon
and see his childhood in a family which loves and accepts him and respects his
feelings for feminine things. We watch his brief period of living in a
monastery and his attempts at being a monk and then his beginning of playing
women's roles in the theaters of Thailand. He is ridiculed because he is more
of a girl than a boy and ultimately leads to his parents being incarcerated. We
get to see his beautiful friendship with a girl who supports his desires to
become a female.
The film is based on a true story and attention to detail is great. The movie
touches the viewer with its great power and this story of determination focuses
on the idea that one must stay true to himself and inspires anyone who has a
dream that may seem unreachable. Realism and symbolism merge to give us a
poetic visual that is likely not to be easily forgotten.
Thai life,
January 17, 2008
I lived in Thailand for seven years, my friend was Thai
boxer, went to Lumpini for matches. The story and acting are excellent and
true to life. Just wish format of disc was up to HD full screen quality. True
life, Good,
LOVED IT,
May 14, 2007
This is a very unique movie, maybe not for everyone, but
extremely well acted & filmed. It is one of my favorite movies ever. And
wow are the actors beautiful...
Beautiful Movie,
December 26, 2006
I could go on and on about this movie--however, I can say
that this isone of my favourite. It's a coming of age story that one does not
hear all the time. In a foreign land, concerning one of the most brutal andmasculine
of sports--a boy learns to discover himself, with the desireto be his true
and authentic self. I loved it! If you don't own it yet, you should.
I think you'll enjoy,
August 31, 2006
It's basically a story of a person trying to find his/her
happiness in the world, as well as be able to take care of the family.
Kickboxing was means to achieve her dreams.
The fight scenes were well done, and it's always interesting to me to see
other cultures. The actor playing Toom Parinya is quite believable, and
overall the film has a nice charm to it.
