The Paradise of Thorns

5 stages of grief

I went through 5 stages of grief watching this movie.

Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance.

There is something so relatable about the plot even though it is set in a village. The complications of relationships, the repercussions of Sek's indecisiveness which caused Mo and Thongkam coming head-to-head with each other. I have seen it happened in real life and I have had the experience of being the receiving end of people's indecisiveness that I totally understand the reasons behind Mo and Thongkam actions. The characters grieving in the own ways, trying to make sense and making their own path in life.

Jeff & Engfa deserves awards for their acting. The subtleness of their emotions plays across their faces clearly and I could instantly understand the pain behind it.

Considering that this is Keng Harit's first acting job (based off his MDL profile), I'm really impressed that he is very natural and engaging in front of the camera and love his chemistry with Jeff.

I was honestly hoping for a happy ending in some form but the ending is exactly how reality is. That's how life is. No matter how much you fight for, most of the time, things are just as it is. Everyone wants their happy endings but how many actually get their happy endings.

Truth be told, I'm not sure what I feel about this movie. I love it but I hate that it is the reality of countless people around the world.

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Portrait of the legal and social marginalization suffered by LGBT+ people in Thailand

What are "rights"? Are they something that all people are entitled to, regardless of age, origin, culture and any other circumstance, or do we earn it? Does the law have the power to dictate them or can we simply assume that we are entitled to enjoy the rights due to circumstances or tradition?
These questions arise in my mind from the opening scenes of 'The Paradise of Thorns', Boss Naruebet Kuno's feature debut, which takes viewers on a gripping emotional journey to address love, loss and the harsh realities of inequality legal in a compelling and visually impressive way.
Thongkam (Jeff Satur) and Sek (Pongsakorn Mettarikanon) are a gay couple who are married in every sense except the legal formalities, and who have spent five years building a durian orchard and the house they live in in the area rural Mae Hong Son.
But when Sek has an accident and goes to the hospital, the doctors refuse to recognize Thongkam as his partner, insisting that only Sek's elderly mother, Saeng (Seeda Puapimon), can sign a consent form for a surgical operation. An accident means that Saeng never makes it in time and Sek dies, revealing the harsh reality that same-sex marriage was not legally recognized in Thailand at the time of the film's release.
Sek's death leaves Thongkam vulnerable to draconian inheritance laws and family members eager to take away what the couple has built.
These scenes alone, in which men are unable to make decisions on behalf of the other when one is incapacitated, should be enough of an example of why marriage equality is so important everywhere.
The house and durian orchard, which belong to both men in spirit, turned out to be in Sek's name. This generates complications after his death, when the invalid mother and her adopted daughter Mo (Engfa Waraha), in charge of pushing the wheelchair, arrive to claim what they believe is theirs.
Thongkam will challenge the intentions of mother and adopted daughter, but since equal marriage is not recognized, the courts side with them, forcing the young man to ask Saeng to hire him as staff to manage the orchard, along with Mo's brother, Jingna (Harit Buayoi).
And right at this moment I ask myself other questions: Would Thongkam have had a happier fate in Thailand today, after becoming the first country in Southeast Asia, the third in Asia and the thirty-seventh on a global scale on January 23, 2025 in allowing legal unions for homosexual couples, and granting adoption and inheritance rights to same-sex couples? Is this a rare case where real life might be better than the movies?
Precisely, this is the theme explored in the film, which aims to paint a compelling and comprehensive image of how marginalized LGBTQ+ people have been legally and socially in that nation for decades.
The melancholic music, especially the song "Rain Wedding", performed by Satur himself, in collaboration with Vichaya Vatanasapt, who is also responsible for the heartbreaking musical themes of 'I Told Sunset About You', adds nuances to the plight of Thongmak, while he watches helplessly as the beloved garden that he raised with tooth and nail with Sek slips out of his hands.
But as the film shifts into a black comedy as he tries to overcome the situation he finds himself in, so does the music, which borders on suspense, preparing the audience for what awaits them.
With a tagline that reads "the land of love and resentment" it is evident from the beginning that the film is not feel-good cinema.
Quickly, the narrative jumps right into the action with death, which is the catalyst for all the events of the film.
Soon Thongkam will understand that the world will not be kind to him, which leads him to plan revenge, and he transforms into the antihero.
Similarly, Mo and Saeng offer an image of malevolent characters, to later show that things are not so black and white.
Although the film gets dark at times, the rivalry between Mo and Thongkam keeps it entertaining. While they are opposites of each other, an opportunistic and selfish woman versus a desperate and romantic farmer, when they start playing each other's games, we realize that they are quite similar.
Through Thongkam's eyes, Saeng and Mo are invading, malevolent forces coming to steal what is his. Saeng even evicts the young man from the bed he shared with Sek, and, to make matters worse, urinates in it. The consequences of her motor disability are used by Kuno to, behind Thongkam's back, also create a feeling of sympathy for both women.
However, the two evil women will even go so far as to expel Thongkam from his own house and his own land. To get back what is his, the young man invents his own plan to please them: a cunning and slow revenge plot that will captivate the viewer, considering the two faces that Thongkam comes to have.
On the one hand, he is practically a classic Disney villain, with a heart of gold and a justified grudge, and the actor who plays him completes the contours of the character with grit and ductility.
The actors bring great passion to their work: Engfa Waraha's performance as Mo is complex and formidable. It reminds me of Cersei Lannister, the fictional character from 'Game of Thrones'. Deeply narcissistic and ambitious, Mo will stop at nothing to take over the house and orchard, and shows little to no regard for others. She is filled with bitterness for having pushed Saeng's wheelchair for 20 years, an effort with which she hoped to be rewarded with Sek's love and recognized as the invalid matriarch's heir.
Since much of the story takes place from Thongkam's perspective, Mo is initially portrayed as a villain, but the very well-rounded performance of the actress who brings the character to life shows us that there is more to her.
Jeff Satur as Thongkam is sympathetic and desperate, a character you can really root for even when his methods of staying on the farm are morally questionable. Her encounters under the mosquito net with the Jingna eventually develop into a tender romance, and you soon find yourself rooting for them both to live happily. Unfortunately, a third act breaking point for Thongkam puts an end to that fantasy.
The colors also define the moods and moments of the film. Warm, romantic tones accompany Thongkam's honeymoon scenes, taking on a harsh tone as Mo and Saeng's true colors come to light. At these moments the lighting becomes harsh and yellowish, as a sign of the rupture of the happiness that reigned in the past in the house and the garden.
The colors perfectly characterize the characters: Mo switches between muted and bright shades of pink, representing her emotional journey. For his part, we see in the young farmer how his out-of-place aesthetic predominates, with leather jackets and shiny dresses, in the same way that society does not accept relationships between two men.
After directing several television series, such as 'I Told Sunset about You' and 'I Promised You the Moon', Boss Kuno applies what he learned on the serialized television set, delivering very high-quality images, an attractive young cast and high dramatic tension, to bring us a story divided into equal parts of revenge thriller, LGBTQ+ drama and social commentary.
The plot, written by Kuno and his collaborators Naron Cherdsoongnern and Karakade Norasethaporn, paints a picture of homophobia, seen primarily through the verbal battles between the mother and Thongkam; the social inequality faced by homosexual couples, while also shedding light on the plight of women like Mo, who have no chance of moving up the social ladder except marrying into a rich family or resorting to crime, manipulation, lying...
A film with many symbolisms: the scene of the moth sitting on Thongkam's nose is a great metaphor for the transformation when Thongkam decides to take justice into his own hands to avenge the damage caused, not so much by the mother-in-law and Mo, but by the Thai laws that deny you the right to what is yours as property.
The cultural richness of Thailand shown in the film should also be highlighted, with events such as monastic ordination, the first rain and traditional weddings, but also consciously used as a determining factor in the conflict.

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Unfortunately, did not live up to expectations

I had been dying to watch this movie but unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. I don't usually write reviews and am always appreciative of other reviews for explaining things I missed or other interpretations. While I understand the amazing things about this movie, cinematography, music, and acting, I think the plot and execution was lacking for me. Maybe it is just me or I missed something, but I wanted to share some thoughts.

One of the main things was that while each of the characters was interesting and had a lot of depth, I feel like not enough time or background was given. The reason I say this is because I did not get emotionally attached to any of the characters like I usually do. I felt like Thongkam and Sek's relationship was too short lived for me to feel their connection, Thongkam and Jingna's relationship felt too sudden (I get that Thongkam was working through a lot of emotions but even so, the relationship felt very rushed and had little substance. I couldn't think of a valid why for them falling in love). Mo and Saeng's relationship was the most fleshed out and very good (though I did feel frustrated haha). And Mo and Jingna's relationship felt like it needed a bit more too as it felt like the only reason they were attached to each other was because they had been through jobs together and relied on each other for that (which isn't a bad thing, but for me it was not deep enough because "betrayal" felt a little too easy. Though if it was supposed to imply that Mo and Jingna had more of a romantic relationship, I would have like that shown a bit more. Though I feel like that wasn't the case since they referred to each other as brother and sister and I interpreted it to be more of a familial relationship.)

My other main gripe was that the social commentary aspects gelt overshadowed by the exaggerated dramatic aspect and overarching revenge plot. The revenge aspect felt a little messy and all over the place. Especially the last 15-30minutes as things felt very rushed and the whole Thongkam and Mo fight.. and how the movie ended overall. To me, the main emotion I felt was suspense and the exaggerated violence at the end felt too unrealistic, a little too illogical, and a bit predictable. I think I wished for a bit more nuance and thought provoking actions from the characters. Not sure how else to explain it..

Anyway, still really enjoyed this movie but it was not quite what I expected or hoped for.

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Doesn't live up to the expectation I got from the trailer.

I had so much expectation for this film, but it did not meet much of it.

Cinematography was the only thing I liked about this film, particularly the way some of the scenes were shot and how it showed the gaze of the characters, revealing each character's emotion and motive well.

Other than that, the plot was subpar, it set out to tackle the topic of marriage inequality only to be sidetracked by a jumble of badly written vomit of drama on top of drama another sob story of who is more pitiful. Exploring human desires rather shallowly, such as greed and lust.

Jingha and Thongkham relationship was rather unbelievable and just came out of nowhere.

The only thing that went as expected was Jeff's face card.

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amazing movie

"The Paradise of Thorns" is an exceptional Thai film. I don't know if it actually reflects only the Thai world or if it is simply a universal film about survival in poverty, about hope for a decent life, hopelessness, frustration, a lot of frustration... I think this can be found anywhere in the world. It seems to me a film about feelings, experiences, not about same-sex love, it could be any couple, it could be man with man, woman with women or man with woman, this film seems to be more of the inner life of some characters more than the fact that the main couple is gay.
What I liked the most is the relationship of growing hatred and frustration between MO and Thongkam. The actors played absolutely superbly ... brilliantly ... I really felt all the hatred between them.
Then I also liked it, although it is ugly and painful for the characters, but I liked that "Sek" took a wife to take care of his mother and a husband to work and make money for him .... so the screenwriter is absolutely brilliant ... I really liked this duality and use, even though he died in a stupid accident, but ... in the end poverty pushes you to do bad things, and the thing in the end that Sek loved Thongkam didn't convince me 'cause he used his money for the land ... for his land ... so ... he used him ...... I really don't think SEK loved anyone but himself. But the ideea of the movie is great.
What I regret is that the relationship between Jingna and Thongkam was not developed. Somehow the whole relationship was in a hurry, and even if Jingna had some feelings of love for Thongkam, he was still on MO's side when Thongkam was at the temple, and flooded the durian plantation.
Somehow the film talks about duality, everything seemed to me to be about duality ... I love you, but I have to do what my family tells me because I have moral obligations to them ... actually you don't even know what the real feelings are, because everything is an abstinence and a frustration.
The landscapes were beautiful and the music actually completed this carousel of feelings.
Unfortunately the ending was quite bad, it left me with a taste of .... why so? ... the way Jingna died is quite stupid, MO's new husband doesn't even make sense to talk about him. It would have seemed fair to me for MO to stay with the land, ok, and for Thongkam to leave as he did, to start his life from the beginning, but with Jingna ... it would have been a fair balance ... at least he would have something left ... 'cause otherwise in the actual ending Thongkam loved SEK, who actually used him, he gave his money to buy SEK's land and in the end he loses the durian plantation and the new lover dies, he leaves beaten ... we don't even talk about frustration anymore, we're heading for depression. I mean why is Thongkam such a loser in life ... why life hates Thongkam? he lost 2 lovers (they both died in a stupid way), he lost all his money, he lost the right to the land, he lost evrything ... but why?

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Traumatic but worth a watch!

Its a tragedy around inheritance and laws before legal gay marriage in Thailand where you are not entitled to your partners estate if he or she dies. It is traumatic and full of twists and turns. It will make you think about it days after you finished watching it because of the intense themes of life, death, family and relationships. It will defiantly spark thought and cause you to think about the topics covered. Jeff is a fantastic actor, able to portray intense scenes beautifully with such a great memorable, skilled performance.

There is not a lot of rewatch value as it is so traumatising and once is enough for me. I hope to see the actors in other dramas/movies.

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Greed Greed Greed

I read some of the reviews but they didn't highlight the major cause of the problem yes there was a mention abt lgbt rights and injustice but the story was majorly about how a greed or obsession of possession can make you blind to the point that you are willing to kill other even sa other and this depicted very clearly in this and not only the greedy main characters hit the rock bottom but they also drag others into the thorns who are obviously innocent so with their actions they had their karma that Greed can make things go worse than expectations And the more you chase it the more it's difficult to get it and even though you get it the consequences only make you regret and that what happens in this story

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Damn

I am at loss of word. I was not expecting THIS when I dived into this movie. I though it would be a cute movie but MAN it was definitely not. Thailand has been boring me with the same old plot and same boring actors with their series and movies lately but this, takes it to a new level. The plot was literally insane. Plot twist after plot twist. Wondering who is in the right and also if anyone could be evil enough to do all that. This movie really showed what desperation can do. When Thong was willing to show his asshole to show they fucked and him almost 'raping' ('' cus i dont think he would have actually done it)Mo just to have any sort of connection to the land and also Mo to 'killing' Saeng and Sek. But in the end, they both ended with nothing. This movie is just cruel. Just when you thought there would be a happy ending for all, it snatches the hope from you and spits it back in your face. I genuinely thought that at LEAST Thong will have a happy ending. IMO he suffered the most next to Mo. He invested stupidly everything he got into this field of thorns only to get pricked by the thorns and when he was given a hand by someone to leave this place that someone was dragged into the field of thorns. It is just so sad. You really feel for the characters as they are both so pathetic and sympathetic. That you can't just help but root for both of them but alas. The acting as well was just outstanding. Jeef and Enfa did very well. This is a really good movie. Bitter but good.

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Very good watch, but conflicted on the ending.

It's been a day since I sat down to watch this movie and believe I am as clear of mind now as I was right after watching.
I will start off by saying the movie is very good. The tension in the movie stays as high as the frustration levels of the circumstances throughout the entire movie. You feel for all the characters to a certain degree before the stuff hits the fan. The scenery is a place where you would think is peaceful and plentiful, but after viewing becomes a battle ground tainted by conceit and blood. The music was well placed and unsettling, maintaining uncertainty in tense moments and made you overthink at certain points of other characters intentions.

Mo did her job as an antagonist to me; fighting tooth and nail for something she felt entitled to, while doing anything in her fragile being to keep every iota of its earnings. Seung has her ups and downs and was a bit frustrating with her own desire in ownership, but I don't hate her grieving process as much as I do Mo. You feel for Thongkam with all the unfairness (and feels even more tragic since the story takes place a year and half before same-sex marriage became far more legally recognized) and I found myself rooting for him to at least find some peace.

ENTER JINGNA. Now, I will come out and say I am bias towards Keng. If not for Jeff acting as Thongkam, Keng as Jingna was one of the other reasons why I watched this movie. That being said, Jingna is the very reason why my rating of this movie falls a little. The acting is fantastic, exactly what the story embodied for someone practically uninvolved in the family drama yet acting off of what everyone else whispers should or shouldn't be about the situation. Jingna has a moment with Thongkam, and I felt mixed about it. Was he being manipulated or was it real? The movie pushes that it's real, but then lessen his screen time until, BOOM "let's get married and run away" then bLAH he dead. The death had me surprised...but not in a good way. Yes, his character is blameless, beautiful, and tragic; but in the context of the moment it felt overdone. In my opinion, I think Thongkam threatening a child implantment in Mo was more shocking of a climax to the scene than (literally) last second death of good brother/boyfriend. Somewhat of a needless shock value moment just to wrap up where the characters need to go. And then, my uncertainty about what Thongkam and Jingna had was reinforced by the leaving of the durian seed/bark at the end. Was Thongkam moving on like it never happened or leaving it like a respectful gravestone? Thongkam fought angerly to have Sek's ring back, and you're telling me after everything he leaves the only product he and Jingna notarized out of love behind? Again, was what they had real? If I don't think hard, Jingna is someone innocent caught in the toxic family crossfires and has a sudden bad ending. If I DO think, Jingna is far more disposable to Thongkam and the plot than they let on...and I find that disrespectful when looking back on the work as a whole.

So, with that rant over, I still had a very good time on the edge of my seat throughout it all, left empty by the end and hoping Thongkam and Mo choose to do something better themselves after the credits roll. I still love what the cast did to tell an insufferable reaction to family death, and other than JingNA, I would give the overall watch experience an 8/10.

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The Paradise of Thorns: A Poignant Thai Drama That Cuts Deep

Released in 2024, The Paradise of Thorns marks Naruebet Kuno’s impressive directorial debut. Starring Jeff Satur and Engfa Waraha, this Thai romantic drama premiered theatrically in Thailand before making its international debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. Now available for streaming in select regions on Netflix, the film delivers a stirring narrative of love, loss, and resilience.

The story revolves around Thongkam (Jeff Satur) and Sek (Pongsakorn Mettarikanon), a same-sex couple who pour their hearts into building a durian orchard together in rural Thailand. Their idyllic life is shattered when Sek tragically passes away, leaving Thongkam to face the harsh reality of Thai laws that fail to recognize same-sex unions. Stripped of his rights, Thongkam must fight to reclaim the home and orchard he helped create, which are legally handed over to Sek's mother, Saeng (Seeda Puapimon).

Jeff Satur delivers a deeply moving performance as Thongkam, embodying a man grappling with grief while navigating an unjust system. Engfa Waraha shines as Mo, Saeng's adopted daughter, adding layers of complexity to the family dynamics. The supporting cast, including Seeda Puapimon and Harit Buayoi, further enrich the narrative with nuanced portrayals.

Set against the lush backdrop of Mae Hong Son, the cinematography is breathtaking, juxtaposing the beauty of the durian farm with the emotional struggles of the characters. The film’s pacing is deliberate, allowing the weight of each scene to linger, while its poignant soundtrack amplifies the emotional depth of the story.

What sets The Paradise of Thorns apart is its fearless exploration of LGBTQ+ rights, marriage inequality, and societal discrimination. It sheds light on the vulnerabilities faced by same-sex couples, making a powerful statement about the need for legal recognition and social acceptance.

The film’s bittersweet ending is both haunting and necessary, reflecting the harsh realities many in the LGBTQ+ community face today. While the story is heartbreaking, it carries a message of hope and defiance, urging audiences to reflect on the importance of equality and inclusion.

Now, with same-sex marriage finally legalized in Thailand as of January 2025, this film feels even more poignant. It serves as a timely reminder of the struggles endured by many and the progress that still needs to be made.

The Paradise of Thorns is not just a love story—it’s a call to action and a mirror to society’s flaws. With its outstanding performances, compelling narrative, and stunning visuals, it’s a must-watch that will linger in your thoughts long after the credits roll.

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