THAI MOVIE

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Thai movie Khao Nok Na (ข้าวนอกนา) was released in year 1975 and directed by Piak Poster. It lasts 1h38mn. An aunt (Sulaleewan Suwanthat) is raising two children, the elder called Deuan is 5 years old and the youngest is called Dam (หีดำ). Both fathers are different. Dam's father is a black man so she is called Dam (ดำ – black) as a reference to her skin color. The children were temporarily given to the aunt by the mother. Unable to raise them, the aunt wishes to sell them to a rich lady. The rich lady (Marasri Bangchang) doesn't want Dam (ไม่ชอบเด็กดำๆ) and buys only Deuan for 3000 baht. She is renamed as Deuan Krai Saen (บุบผารัตน์ ญาณประสิทธิกุล). Father is veteran actor Adul Dulyarat. Finally Dam (ช่อเพชร ชัยเนตร) is sold to a family to become a helper (คนใช้งาน) and to be the puppet of the daughter. Veteran actress Khomapat Attaya is part of the other helpers. Dam is always stubborn (ดือ) as people dislike her skin color. Phi Pan (Suriya Chinaphan) is the son of a taxi driver, who always supported Dam but died earlier in a car accident. The house is becoming a mess with the daughter being pregnant with one male driver and the son spending like crazy on music instruments to build a band. The real mother is back and is asking for her two daughters. The aunt gives the address but the rich lady (คุณผู้หญิง) refuses to let Deuan go. The real mother, always seen smoking, goes to the police to get her rights respected. She finds first Dam. Adul refuses to give back Deuan and proposes 50 000 baht. She accepts and has to sign a contract. Having the money, she also rejects Dam and asks her to go back to her home. Disappointed by her own mother, Dam is looking for a job. She becomes a singer in a nightclub and sings her difficulties as being black in Thailand. Meanwhile the rich family watches Deuan playing in a ballet representation. Dam finds Phi Pan in the street and brings him to her home. They become lover as Dam believes he would be a caring man like his father but Pan is a lazy boy taking profit of girls' money. Pan is using Dam's money to entertain another lady. Adul finds that Deuan goes back home late and is wearing a ring given by a young boy Pop (เลือดแม่ของแค่มันแรง) (Uten Boonyong). Dam is finally dumped by Pan so indulges in alcohol and becomes a short time prostitute. She is surnamed as ลิง (monkey) or สกปรก (dirty) and being rejected by Thai society (equally by rich and poor Thai people). Dam meets people having problems also and starts indulging in drugs to forget daily problems. Pop tries to bring Deuan to a short time motel but finally changes his mind as she keeps crying and mentioning her father's pressure. Dam meets finally Deuan. Deuan is in paradise (สวรรค์) and Dam is in hell (นรก). Finally Deuan ends up with Dam indulging drugs as her paradise is also a hell being the daughter of an easy lady. Police captures the whole group. Deuan's parents bail her, forgive her mistakes and accept her relationship with Pop. A US black man bails Dam from jail and brings her to USA with him. The movie highlights racism in Thailand. Following Vietnam war, many similar cases of children born from Thai prostitutes and black US soldiers did happen in Thailand. A TV serie on the same story was released in year 2013. Khao Nok Na (ข้าวนอกนา) is an interesting title. Normally rice is white so Dam is the rice “outside” the field, i.e. being black and different from the majority of Thai people. The movie got 4 awards (รางวัลตุ๊กตาทอง), i.e. best actress, best song, best story, best supportive role.

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