THAI SOCIAL MOVIES
Social problem movies (หนังสาธรสังคม) produced in the 1980s presented various problems in Thai society. Most of social problem movies (หนังสาธรสังคม) present the problems of poor people such as prostitutes, peasants, and slum-dwellers. The protagonists are usually poor people in rural and urban areas. To fight against poverty and support their family, some women become prostitutes.
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It is about Malee, a Thai country girl, coming to Bangkok and forced to prostitution. She is the hotel angel as she is very kind to everybody. This movie shows the difficult life of prostitutes, i.e. being beaten by pimps, visiting unofficial abortionist in order to terminate unwanted pregnancy, committing suicide, being forced and humiliated by customers, fearing Police, difficulty to have a stable relationship with a man, getting mortal diseases, being denigrated by Thai society. Three girls are depicted. One girl, Malee, all you have to do is give her one smack and she's willing to be a prostitute. She said it's better than working in the fields. Another girl, you have to beat her up quite a bit before she's willing to be a prostitute. And the last one, the third girl, no matter what you do she won't be a prostitute. She'll jump down, kill herself, but you can't change her. Malee continues to stick to this life because she can have a place to live, food, money to send to her parents in order to build a house. In a famous movie sequence, Malee opens her blouse many times to show her nudity to customers and then her father in the same gesture opens his new home windows paid by Malee hardship. But Malee understands that she has no future as her youth is rushing away. She is not interested by becoming a pimp and grab younger girls so she decides to study tailoring. Being cheated by her boyfriend but having her diploma, Malee can hope for a brighter life and quit this job. Finally she reclaims her dignity. ChatriChalerm Yukol lived for nine months in a brothel when he was writing "The Angel". During the popular uprising on October 14 1973, ChatriChalerm Yukol was shooting this movie, then took the camera out and filmed the demonstration on Ratchadamnoen Avenue. The footage was inserted in the film and was a big success when the movie was shown.
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It is about women working as partner in bars, i.e. the lack of respect toward them, the quest for a true love to quit this harsh life, their quest for consideration, the abuse of greedy people towards them... It also deals about poor farmers migrating to Bangkok to find a job. The sad and bloody encounter between the bar girl and an Isan farmer will only benefit to the powerful and rich people, who are manipulating the poor people. More a showpiece than a social study, the film is nevertheless remembered for its undaunted subjects. The film was not successful at box office but received good reviews and awards.
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In North of Thailand, a mother has got two daughters, Pim and Kaew. Pim has been a prostitute and has now a new boyfriend. Kaew is in love with a poor peasant. The mother pushes Kaew to go to Bangkok during one year to be a prostitute in order to buy her a house and pay her debts. Pim tries to hinder her mother but has to go to Bangkok. In Bangkok, she discovers that her boyfriend is already married. She also discovers that she is sick with leprosy. Meanwhile Kaew follows her mother's order and goes to Bangkok to be come a prostitute. Pim's boyfriend left her and now takes care about Kaew. Knowing this, the boyfriend's wife throws acid on Kaew's face. Nobody becomes happy. This movie shows the good view (girls going back to their home with nice clothes, gifts to family, money to buy house) and the sad view (girls beaten by pimps, forced to have many customers and getting diseases). It also emphasizes the cruel dilemma, i.e. stays poor or loses dignity but becomes rich.
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This movie is about prostitutes's hard life, i.e. rape, violent pimp, having a baby with no father, their life without hope and good future, the society disdain, their life as sex objects and without any consideration from their customers, the "MAMASAN" forcing to serve too many customers every night, the sadness of being old and still a prostitute, young prostitutes' suicide. One day a prostitute with a baby quits the bordel to live with a man, who really loves her. Unfortunately he is a killer ("MEU PEUN" - มือปืน). Will she ever find happiness?
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Boonrawd is coming from a poor Isan family but she is proud and wants to succeed in work and family. During Vietnam war she works in a Pattaya restaurant and also opens a small bakery. An American officer, who speaks Thai language, wants to become her friend as he appreciates her strong spirit and mind. She faces the discrimination of prostitutes (Boonrawd is strong minded and refuses to become a prostitute for easy money), American GIs (they think all Thai women can be bought), Thai people (discrimination when she is seen with the American officer). Boonrawd faces pressure from her mother who wants her to become a prostitute (same as her sister) in order to pay her mother's lottery bills. She finally overcomes all difficulties and marries her American officer.
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It is about of feminist association fighting for women rights. They help women forced to prostitution, women beaten by their drunk husbands, women raped in police jails. They strongly punish the men doing bad acts. Their gaining popularity annoys a local felonious politician. This one is using gunmen to get rid of the association. Can they win?
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It deals about a young Thai lady sent to Japan to become an escort girl. She discovers the sad life there, the huge debt to pay back. Anyway she supports her family by sending money back to her home. Homesick, she goes back home and discovers that he father has lost all the money she has sent due to unscrupulous investments, her mother has become a nun, a sister is partying everyday after learning that her sister is a prostiture. Fed up by her family who doesn't understand and compassionate about her burden, she goes back to Japan. Disappointed by her pimp's selfishness, she kills herself.
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This is the second opus of "Twilight in Tokyo". The Thai lady is not dead but only hurt. Back to Bangkok, she takes revenge over her previous pimp by having her own business.
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Kaew is a beautiful university student but she is coming from a poor family. Accompanying a friend for job interview, she meets a lady, Waew, that proposes her to work as escort girl and promises her easy money and life. Kaew has to leave her aunt's house as her uncle is trying to take advantage on her so she accepts to work as escort girl and gives 40% to the mamasan. She gets 30 000 Baht for the first night for the loss of virginity. She gets used to easy money. She starts to get advantage of the men that wish to marry her, her office boss and her university friend, Chon. Both of them buy her gold bracelets. Chon is a nice guy coming from country side (Santisuk Promsiri plays again a character similar to Boonchu) with only a 5000 Baht monthly salary. He even sends her money to prepare the dower. A german customer, Jacob, also proposes to marry her in Germany. But Kaew has higher goals. She is used to easy money and doesn't want to lower down her status. She starts to seduce the son of a rich family, who is already fianced. He rapidly gets fond of Kaew. The parents reject this love and enquiry on Kaew's side activities. They cut their son pocket money and his car. The relationship gets tense with Kaew as she is the one to support to him. They finally break up. Meanwhile Chon and Kaew's office boss understand they have been tricked and the police catches her. Kaew tries to have a new life but fails. Being too old for working with Waew as escort girl, she gets trapped with a brutal local pimp, who beats her and forces her to see many customers. She only escapes this hell by stabbing him. Wishing to get an easy life, she only gets pain. She finally leaves for Germany by answering positively to Jacob's offer. Arriving there, some local men take her passport and money. She understands she has been tricked in a local prostitution ring again. She needs to work hard to pay back her debt to Jacob. Fed up by this life with no future, she starts to deeply upset the local prostitution ring. Finally Jacob strangles Kaew. This movie shows the bad situation in which young Thai ladies can be trapped if they choose easy money way of life.
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It is about a young Thai lady leaving her country and going to Germany in order to find a husband through a wedding agency. It shows the harsh life of those ladies dreaming of a prince, the abuse of such wedding agency, the bad behavior of those foreigners wishing to "try" their wives before any wedding. This movie has got four Thai awards and was shot in five countries, i.e. Thailand, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria.
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This movie is adapted from Thai author Rong Wongsawan's best-selling novel. It follows the lives, loves and lusts of men and women whose relationships start in a high-class brothel 50 years ago. This post-war story focuses on love and relationships between the brothel madam, a pimp, young prostitutes and customers. It relates many stories about customers that come for initiation, customers that are in a lovestory with a girl but suffer because she has to go also with other customers to gain money, customers that marry girls, girls who get diseases... The movie highlights the tough existence for those ladies without a livelihood. The story is set when the Thai government was planning to outlaw prostitution. Home-style brothels were flourishing without any competition from massage parlours and entertainment complexes. Many women were driven to prostitution to support themselves as a result of poverty and basic education. 50 years ago Thai society encouraged women to stay at home. No need to study as the future husband shall take care about them.
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This Singaporean-Thai docudrama was shot in 2 weeks in red district Singapore Geylang. It is about two groups of people, the pleasure seekers and the pleasure providers and how their lives cross and interact. Three stories take place in parallel. In first story, two friends come together to brothel but one of them is too shy to select and go with a girl. His friend pushes him to get some experience as first time initiation. Finally he chooses a girl from Mainland China. He enquiries why she has to do such job. Her father died so she needs to support her home. Both are crying. Will she see him again? A girl shall not love her customer. In the second story, a man follow up a young girl to a hotel room. The girl is joining an older woman, who is already with a customer. It is related to initiation of the young girl as a prostitute. She discovers the brutaly of the job but gets some support from the older jaded woman. There is a temporary communion between the man and the two ladies. The jad woman listens to love songs as love is not possible for her and cries. The man brings the young girl home but the wallet is still the transactional basis. In third story, one girl has a rich patron but she is not happy. She finally brings a young guy, making his living by singing songs in the streets, with her. Both of them are drop-outs. She always gives pleasure but this time she receives. In the old days, the Geylang area used to be populated by processing factories for the coconut plantations. These days, the machines are still running at full steam but producing pleasure for those seeking it, night after night. What would happen if the pleasure factory stops and if humans stop being pleasure seeking / giving machines? Due to censure, two minutes were cut.
Some social problem movies (หนังสาธรสังคม) deal with male prostitution. First movies on this topic were ผัวเช่า and ผู้ชายขายตัว in 1974 during the three years democratic window between 1973 and 1976.
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Pim is a very busy business woman. She is independent, smokes, drinks beer. She wears men clothes like suit and tie. She is a modern 1980s emancipated woman compared to Thai traditional standards. She only believes in herself. A young man called Bird and his friend are living together in a small flat. They have always no money. Pim needs a new model for an advertisement and is looking for one in Siam Square. She meets Bird in a cafe. Pim has a suitor called Komsan, who asks her for wedding. Pim is 30 years old already but she doesn't want to follow traditional ways, i.e. have husband, have children, stop working and stay home. So she refuses. Bird is recruited for underwear commercial shooting. Bird is younger than Pim. He follows Pim to a camping on Pattaya beach. Bird's mother needs 5000 baht. Bird needs to work again. He is Chippendales dancer in the "Rainbow" bar, a club for women, and then male prostitute for ladies. Bird is coming from Northeastern Thailand and has almost no studies knowledge. He is impressed by Pim (แม่โฆษณา) and her leadership. Pim considers herself same as prostitute selling her brain. Bird is fed up with his life as a gigolo. He only meets crazy ladies looking for sex only. One night, Komsan tries to force Pim but Bird chases him. They both tell their life. Pim has been traumatised by the Thai students massacre on 6 October 1976. Pim met Komsan during those events and loved him. But then Komsan changed a lot being mainly interested in money (เงิน) and power (อำนาจ). Regarding Bird, he is a farmer son and his real name is Wang. Pim has choice between Komsan, rich man and ละครพระเอก, and Bird. She is looking for a simple man (คนง่ายๆ). A love story starts between them. Bird is a good hearted man. Bird is often treated as a buffalo (ควาย) in his job as he is coming from countryside and doesn't have high studies knowledge. Bird leaves his job but then needs to do it again to get money to cure his sick friend. Pim's friend knows Bird. Due to jealousy, she announces Pim's relationship with Bird to Pim's boss and Komsan. But Pim doesn't care (ช่างมันฉันไม่แคร์). She quits her job and decides to stay with Bird despite society and family reprobation. The particular punch of this story, apart of from its depiction of low life in Bangkok, was provided by the fact that Pim has been a member of the young radicals in the 1970s. The 6 October 1976 students massacre in Thammasat University has never been fully investigated. When Pim meets old friends, they sing old songs for life (เพลงชีวิต) reminding them about the 1976 events.
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Yut is a young man selling his body to other men. He has no choice based on family survival necessity (ความจำเป็น). He is living with other men having the same job. Gik is also a poor lady student. She meets Pon that declares his love to her. Gik gets pregnant but Pon doesn't want to keep the baby. Yut meets Da (Naowarat Yooktanu), a lonely woman, who is rapidly fond of him. Da invites him to stay with his mother in her home and also pays for his studies. Da has already a baby. At the university, Yut meets another young lady called Mem. Mem is just a friend but Da is very jealeous and her love is excessive. Da is the mistress (เมียน้อย) of an older man, who is Mem's father! Yut decides to quit Da, who cannot bear it. She eats pill to die. She legates her money to him so that he can build his future through study and not through selling his body. Everybody has its own secrets and own problems. Hapiness doesn't come easily. Everybody want love and warmth (อบอุ่น). This movie highlights love misunderstandings and twisted loves between friends, children and parents.
Some social problem movies (หนังสาธรสังคม) deal about contemporary problems such as drug addiction and Aids.
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It deals about a young man entering the drug realm and his lapse until death. The former rocker turned screen star Ampol Lumpoon received Best Actor Awards for this movie. In 1984, Ampol Lumpoon snatched Best Actor award at The First Southeast Asian Film Festival for his role as a drug-addicted teenager. He eventually made his name known in 1984 with Namphoo, which broke the blockbuster record held by the classic Phlae Kao and made Bt17 million at the box office. It was to be his most successful movie.
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The movie title means "What a pity!". It shows the useless life of teenagers, who are addicted. Most of them come from problematic families. They start sniffing glue, then switch to heroin. Some girls are even selling their body to get money to buy drugs. Some die due to overdose. Whith their parents' help and not rejection, they can hope to go back to a standard life. This movie got 10 distinctions at Thai awards. Sia Dai 1 (about urban teenagers and drug abuse) earned more than 50 million baht, while Sia Dai 2 (about Aids and discrimination) brought in less than 10 million baht.
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This second release deals about Aids. This movie shows the Thai society rejection and fear towards HIV people. The film has a informative goal as it shows a rich family confronted to Aids due to contaminated blood transfusion. It demonstrates that Aids is not limited to drug users and sex workers. It emphasizes the family love towards sick people. Sia Dai 1 (about urban teenagers and drug abuse) earned more than 50 million baht, while Sia Dai 2 (about Aids and discrimination) brought in less than 10 million baht.
Some social problem movies (หนังสาธรสังคม) deal about contemporary problems such as hill tribes' minorities issues.
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It is about life of a highlander. Chased from his village, it narrates his struggling life. This movie shows hilltribes life (Yao, Akkha, Lao), customs and animist beliefs. It also shows the way that Thai people treat them (cheating them, corrupting them by selling them goods they don't need, encouraging them to produce opium).
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After WorldWar 2, Burma got its independance from England but the Karen minority problem was left unsolved. So an independance war between Karen and Burmese started. This movie takes place around Salween river, which the border between Thailand and Burma. Aound this area, there is no law, only guns decide. Different protagonists take part: a policeman acting like a outlaw and wishing to revenge his wife killed a few years ago, a young policeman coming from Bangkok with no experience in such difficult area, a Thai deceitful merchant playing Karen against Burmese in order to have access to rich forests full of teak logs, a Burmese general wishing to destroy the Karen stronghold around Salween river, a Karen captain wishing to defend his stronghold and giving in a wrong alliance with the Thai deceitful merchant. The war between Karen and Burmese is still going on and many people call it the forgotten genocide against the Karen people in Burma.
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Based on a true story, a young girl decides to become a teacher at 15 years old in order to promote reading awareness among mountain villagers that cannot go to school as they are not recognized as Thai citizen. She also convinced local poor parents that children are not goods to be sold and not listen to Bangkokians that promise false job offers. She also convinced villagers not to use drugs and young girls not to enter the flesh trade.
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It depicts a well-to-do Thai-Chinese businessman called Mongkol, his wife, two daughters and son. Things go wrong when two Burmese immigrants hired by the family to do household work get into a fight with his son. They are arrested, but escape from the police and return to the family's house. There they kill the daughter and attack the remaining family members. Dang, a homeless man, witnesses the entire thing. Dang comes from a troubled past, his father was a police captain who was drunkard. His mother's lover subsequently murdered Dang's family. Dang, shocked by the event, became mad and started wondering the streets. As he witnesses the immigrants attack the family, he has his own uncontrollable flashbacks of his own family getting murdered. He tries to communicate with the police to tell them what he sees, but is unable to do so. He is finally the one to help the Thai-Chinese family. It puts the stress about how Thai people are oppressed by the police (i.e. ruthless policemen beating illegal Burmese immigrants, policemen asking and receiving bribes, policemen taking advantage of prostitutes, policemen modifying proofs and truth to get promotion). The multi-layer visual style might turn off normal audience but this is a rare example of avant-garde Thai indie film.
This Thai Social movie page 2 contains 21 records.
ThaiWorldView movie database contains 581 records.
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