THAI SOCIAL MOVIES
Social problem films (หนังสาธรสังคม or หนังสาธรปัญหาสังคม) stories point to injustice in Thai society. This genre is not popular among audiences because the stories do not support the law of karma. The villains are not punished. The social problem films in Thailand boomed from the 1970s through the mid 1980s. After the events of 14 October 1973 Thai people enjoyed a form of democracy that was provided with increased freedom. As a consequence, Thai people became more openly interested in politics and social problems. Some social problem movies deal about farmers' difficult life and their migration to Bangkok. Bangkok is a symbol for poor up-country people, i.e. dream of wealth, glittering lights of the big city and so on... Some people dream to get rich there but most of them come back home without money.
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Thongpoon is a Thai farmer coming from Udon Thani and going to Bangkok. He has spared money during five years to buy a taxi. This taxi represents the future for him and his young son. When his taxi get stolen by bad boys, his life alters. His goal is to get back his taxi by all means. He forgets his girlfriend and son. This madness leads him to prison. This movie highlights the impossible fight between poor and rich influential people, the analogy between the buffalo and the taxi for poor Isan people in Bangkok.
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It deals with the life of a family on barges that carry sand from town to town on the "Chao Praya" river. One day the wife tells her husband that she is fed up with this life. In Bangkok the wife decides to go away and to take her chance. In Bangkok she meets a woman who tries to make her enter into the prostitution world. Both wife and husband have problems in Bangkok. The youngest sister stays on the barge to take care about her sister's baby. Disappointed by Bangkok's life, the wife finally comes back to discover that her husband is now living with her sister. All are going back upcountry.
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It shows the importance and abnegation of teachers working in Thai remote rural villages in order to intruct poor children.
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Two sisters are living together with their mother in a northern village. Their friend has gone to Bangkok and is making a good living. When their mother dies, they have also to go to Bangkok to earn money but they refuse to work in entertainment business. They finally work as domestic helpers in a high end family. Both of them love the family's son. But their family love is stronger than a rivality towards a man and they finally go back to the country side. if all rural people go to Bangkok, who will cultivate rice for Bangkok people?
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It is about "ISAN" (อีสาน), area in the Northeast of Thailand. This is the poorest area in Thailand. This movie relates the life of Koon, a small boy living in a village. It is based on the book "A Child of the Northeast" ("LUK ISAN" - ลูกอีสาน) written by Kampoon Boontawee. It has won Thailand's first SEAW ite Award in 1979. The film is shot in Lao language. It shows the harsh life of Isan farmers. Some villagers are leaving the area due to drought. Remaining villagers have to quest for water every day. Raining is not coming so a cat ceremony is organized. Water is thrown to an encaged cat in order that his shouts make the rain deity to take pity on him. Monks are the advisors of the communauty and children go to schools located inside temples. Village shops are held by Vietnamese and Chinese people who argue together to sell goods to local people. Koon's family is setting up a caravan to go to the Mun river and stock fishes for a few months. Koon learns hunting skills from his father. Koon's cousin has to marry swiftly as her parents found she spent a whole night with one young man. Molam singers visit the village bringing joy and news from the outside world. An old woman is lamenting on her future as her husband is dead and her daughter only wishes to quit the village and its harsh life.
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It is about the harsh life of northern peasants. Northern peasants are poor. They have debts and are chased by borrowers. Above all they are exploited by men who buy rice at low cost knowing that peasants must pay back their debt. Due to their debts, some peasants have sold their land and leave towards big cities. Some quit in order to live in the mountains and trade opium to earn easy money but face policemen. Despite this harch life, northern peasants still help and support each other and are waiting for the yearly bountiful monsoon. The movie ends on a positive way. Poor peasants finally succeed to gain money by working hard and founding cooperatives. Borrowers get bankrupted having no more customers.
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This sad story relates the story of a man coming from countryside with his family to earn a living in Bangkok. They are living in a slum. He has two kids. He has to work hard on construction side. His daughter is selling flowers on a street. His son is helping his mother to prepare the flowers. They have a third child. The family borrows money to build a house. His grandfather is also joining the family in Bangkok. The man becomes a fisherman and has to leave home from long periods. His wife has an affair and gets pregrant. He expelled her from home. His daughter is having an affair with a young man and he also expelled her from home. The fishing boat is caught in Cambodian seas and he is sent in jail for 6 months. His grandfather get hurt on his back and cannot walk properly anymore. His son is sent to youth jail as he robs metal to buy medicine for his grandfather. Feeling useless, the grandfather gets suicide. When he is back from Cambodia, his family is wracked.
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The director ChatriChalerm Yukol had done a remake of his own 1978 movie. There are new actors and similar scenario is used. This movie got three Thai awards.
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It is about a young rural man's quest for fame as a folk singer. Phaen has a great love for music and always sing at temple fairs in his village. During one fair he meets and falls in love with Sadao. On their wedding day, Phaen gives Sadao a transistor radio. Soon, Sadao is pregnant but Phaen has to leave home as he has to enter military service. While there, he enters a singing contest and wins. He spends two years in a band that never goes anywhere. After a tragic accident with his boss, he is forced to flee and work in a sugarcane plantation. But a fight causes him to lose his job. As things go from bad to worse, he is sent to prison after robbing. Finally he goes back home with empty hands and lost dreams. This movie has received many Thai awards.
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This movie is a reality film about 4 people from Isan area. They have moved to Bangkok to find a job. It deals about their life, their hopes and sorrows. 3 men and 1 woman are interviewed. The men are working as stuntman, country folk singer, aspirant comedian. The woman is a taxi driver dreaming to drive a big truck so she could be able to visit her parents more often. The stunt man is lying to his parents saying he is a real actor and he dreams to be a stuntman for superstar Tony Jaa. The aspirant comedian is willing to do all tasks and wear silly costumes as a restaurant tout in order to join a well-known comedy troupe. The country folk singer is famous but still living in a cheap motel as he wishes to go back home in Isan one day. It has been filmed over one year. They were able to achieve their dreams. Like many Isan people, they are coming to Bangkok to achieve dreams and get rich.
Some social problem movies (หนังสาธรสังคม) deal about conflicts between poor people, government officials (policemen, soldiers, bureaucrats) and businessmen. The plots of these films usually involve the conflicts between classes such as poor people and their oppressors. The villains are the businessmen, embezzled politicians and corrupt government officials. At the end of these films, the conflicts cannot be resolved. The poor people are always the losers and the injustices continue. In such films, monarchy and Buddhist monkhood are present to symbolize the Thai community but do not help to solve the problems of poor people. Main characters in 1970s films are often killed as they do not have the support of the bureaucratic system. A new generation of government officials, reflecting the ideals of Thais in the 1970s, become the middle class in the 1980s. They represent the hope of solving social problems and of making the bureaucratic system better.
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It is the story of a young and idealist doctor sent in a remote province in Thailand. Poor peasants lack access to public services. The district officer runs an illegal gambling house. The officials are all corrupted and try to bribe him. Dr. Khan refuses and offers medical acts at low price for inhabitants. Problems and confrontations with officials happen until he is murdered. ChatriChalerm Yukol criticized the Thai bureaucracy and presented the problems of rual area. The film was successful at box office and received good reviews. As the district officer was a corrupted character, the movie has difficulty passing the film censorship committee. ChatriChalerm Yukol showed the film to Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn and then the film passed approval. It is likely that if ChatriChalerm Yukol were not the great-grandson of King Chulalongkorn, the film wouldn't have passed the censorship committee as he couldn't have met the Prime Minister.
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It is the story of a teacher called Pia, who is an idealistic man. It shows the teachers life in a remote village in "ISAN" (อีสาน) area in the Northeast of Thailand, poorest area in Thailand. He wishes to bring knowledge to the village by teaching the young children. He even sets up a small garden to feed the poor children. He also contacts a newspaper as some influential guys are cutting trees in a protected forest causing the village to lack water. Another young lady teacher is supporting him. Unfortunately his activities towards the illegal timbering cause his death as the influential guys hire a hitman.
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The teacher called Pia is dead but the young lady teacher continues to stay in the village. Farmers have many debts, so are forced to sell at low price the harvest before reaping. They are being cheated. The young lady teacher convinces the farmers to unite themselves in cooperatives in order to sell in common after reaping and to get the "real" market price. One hundred chariots leaded by buffaloes bring the rice into the city. But the powerful buyers don't agree... Her life is in danger.
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It is about the story of Sommai, a barber, who is acting as a gunman ("MEU PEUN" - มือปืน) in order to get money to cure his sick boy. He is an veteran soldier who has fought in Laos but was left behind by his superior Tanu after saving his life. Now his previous superior is a policeman involved in gunman investigations. Tanu has a reputation for killing criminals. Applying gratitude ("KATANJOO" - กตัญญู) towards his previous mate, the investigation is going slowly until a younger policeman gets involved... This film highlights conflicts between poor people (the gunman and his family), the government officials (policemen and soldiers) and wealthy influential businessmen. This movie has received 5 Thai awards.
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It is the second opus of the movie Citizen. As the Citizen I movie's main actor has died, Sorapong Chatree was used instead. It is about Thongpoon Khokpoh, a convict going out of prison, and looking for his son. His son refuses to meet him as he was left over many years. His father was in prison and his mother lives abroad with a foreigner. Thongpoon wishes to get reunited with his son. The movie deals about the lack of freedom about ex prisoners, i.e. difficulty of reinsertion, difficulty to find a job, bad image - an old convict will always be a bad man. He sympathizes with a young girl, who is a pickpocket . People don't trust Thongpoon as he is former convict but he is also not trusting the young girl when she brings back money, thinking she has stolen it. A pickpocket will always be a thief. Thongpoon is a nice guy, never wishing to break rules, never lying or doing something against law. So people call him stupid or buffalo! Thongpoon has difficulty to find a job as he is too honest and always says he is a former convict. Once you're in jail, you're always in jail, in this society. Once you get out of jail, you are still branded by the evidence. He is still an outsider. Through a misunderstanding, he is also confronted to bad policemen who don't believe Thongpoon can seek redemption but the head of police trusts Thongpoon. When a car bumps him, he refuses to sue the car driver and blames his own careless mistake. Finally the car driver seeing his kindness recruits him in his restaurant for tourists. Unfortunately one of his former inmates abducts his son and threatens Thongpoon to hurt his son if Thongpoon doesn't kill his boss, who has an issue with local mafia. Thongpoon's choice is difficult and is put in analogy with an ongoing Ramayakian dance (Rama facing demons) in the restaurant. Finally Thongpoon simulates his boss' murder in order to be reunited with his son and has to work hand in hand with the policeman, who formerly looked down on him, to stop the gangsters. The policeman acknowledges his misjudment on Thongpoon. Thongpoon, his son and the young girl are leaving to Udon Thani. This film highlights conflicts between poor people (Thongpoon, the pickpocket girl), the government officials (policemen) and wealthy influential businessmen.
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It is about a big company, which wants to expel slum inhabitants in order to build a modern complex. A young teacher called Somsri is representing the slum and is fighting against the company. This movie shows the power of big Thai companies over slums, Thai rich people power over poor people and the Thai useless bureaucracy. Hopefully a Thai official and a lawyer are helping the teacher Somsri as the slum inhabitants are fully in their rights. Unfortunately, the big company doesn't hesitate to use strong ways such a fire, threats and gunmen. The slum finally wins but the lawyer and teacher Somsri loose their life.
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This movie is a remake of the movie "Dr. Khan" shot in 1973 but with new actors. The previous version was directed by ChatriChalerm Yukol.
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Jack refuses to be a scapegoat and to be involved in a big corruption scheme managed by his boss. As a killer is trying to get rid of him, he has to flee in Switzerland. There he meets another Thai man, who has fled for similar issue. They wish to fight against the corrupted Thai society but there are too many people in the system and the numbers keep increasing. They alone cannot possibly change anything when the majority still sticks to the old system. A hitman finds Jack back in Switzerland. A young woman, who in fact Jack's boss daughter, is helping him. Is she truly helping Jack or protecting her father? This movie grabs 10 awards.
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A rich young boy is fond of a girl living in a slum. The boy's father, who is deputy, has decided to expropriate the slum inhabitants in order to build an estate. The young boy decides to help the inhabitants to build a wall around the slum. Their love story is endangered by the slum inhabitants, who doubt about the young boy sincerity, and his father, who doesn't accept a poor bride and doesn't hesitate to destroy the slum by fire. Shall their love overcome all these obstacles?
Some social problem movies (หนังสาธรสังคม) deal about environmental problems.
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ChatriChalerm Yukol portrays environmental problems in this movie about the sea overexploitation in South of Thailand. Sam is a young fisherman living with an old man. Sam has a lazy girlfriend called Boonta. The old man has also adopted a young girl, Dookmai, 10 years ago when her parents died in a forceful storm over the sea. Such forceful storm accompanied with a yellowing sky is called อุกาฟ้าเหลือง. The old man lives in harmony with the sea and blames fishermen who uses grenades to catch fish. These grenades kill many fishes and destroy the coral, which hosts fishes. Once the coral is dead, fishes disappear. It is an easy way to get immediately many fishes but without thinking about the future impacts. It is forbidden by law but a local politician with the fishermen boss is preventing any changes. Boonta wants a better life and convinces Sam to leave the old man in order to work with other fishermen and earn more money. Sam is working hard on a big drifter with huge nets that catch big, small fishes and even species that are not edible. if fishermen catch small fishes, those small fishes can never grow and reproduce them-selves. The old man successfully succeeds to have the sea police to capture a fishboat using grenades to catch fishes. One fisherman group leader promises to get his revenge. Meanwhile the local politician and the fishermen boss have arguments. The local politician hires a hitman to kill him. The hitman knows Boonta since her youth. Boonta is seduced by the man as he is offering to her an opportunity to leave the South and go to Bangkok. They become lovers. The fishermen boss is killed but before his death tells everything to Sam. Sam repeats to Boonta, who then tells her lover, the hitman. Following a tragic chase in the mangrove, the hitman kills her and decides to get rid of Sam also. Followed by the hitman and the fisherman group leader, Sam, who is injured, take refuges in the old man's house. The old man, knowing that another forceful storm is coming, goes to face the hitman in order to slow him down. He dies but both the hitman and the fisherman group leader disappear within the sea due to forceful storm. Those who hurted the sea have been punished by the sea. It is certainly Sor Ardsanajinda's best role ever as an old fisherman respecting the sea.
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It is about forest exploitation by rich people. Boonsong is an elephant keeper, who is having debts with a local and influent pawner. The pawner is supported by a local corrupted police officer. Kamroon is a ranger fighting against illegal loggers in order to protect the forest. Some gunmen try to get rid of Kamroon but Boonsong helps him. Boosong has to do illegal logging in order to pay back his debt to the pawner. Kamroon wants to help him but is killed by the corrupted policeman, who also wants to suppress Boonsong... This movie puts the stress on forest diminishing size due to overexploitation and illegal logging, elephants lacking work as the forest is getting smaller, corrupted policemen, influential people escaping troubles, illiterate poor people exploited by rich pawners, companies possessing official logging concessions and cheating by adding illegal logging.
This Thai Social movie page 1 contains 21 records.
ThaiWorldView movie database contains 384 records.
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