Project D (2024)

Must watch film!

"The Paradise of Thorns" is a powerful depiction of Thai society's deep-seated issues, with a particular focus on marriage inequality. The film excels in its storytelling, blending intense drama with cultural commentary. The acting is superb, bringing the characters' struggles and emotions to life in a way that feels both genuine and compelling. Coupled with some of the best cinematography in recent Thai cinema, the film creates a visually stunning yet thought-provoking experience. The film's original soundtrack beautifully complements the emotional depth of the story, enhancing the overall impact of the narrative. It's an exceptional piece of filmmaking that resonates on multiple levels, making it the best Thai film for me.

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A bit chaotic (Spoiler alert!)

I am a foreigner who lives in Thailand for some time and I went to the movie theater to watch this movie. Thai media have been talking about it for a while and I was curious to see what Naruebet Kuno (the same director of I Told Sunset About You - ITSAY) was going to do here.
I can say I have mixed feelings about the overall result. Kuno is still very good in cinematography. The photography in this movie is so pretty and eye catching as in ITSAY, but we have here the same problem we had in ITSAY also: it is a bit overdramatic in some points. Don't get me wrong, I really like ITSAY, but I have the feeling that episode 4, for example, was a bit too much in terms of emotions. The same thing happens in Paradise of Thorns. The first 2/3 parts of the movie are more balanced, but the last 1/3 looks like somehow a stereotyped Latin American Soap Opera.
It is important to say that the story doesn't talk much about the inequality brought by the lack of recognition of gay rights by the State. This is not an LGBTQIA+ agenda movie (which is not necessarily bad). This topic is just a starting point for the main issue: The fight between the characters for possession of the lands where the Durians are planted. Basically, all the characters are pretty f*cked up and they see the Durians as their gold ticket. The cast is pretty convincing, specially the four main actors and actresses: Jeff Satur, Engfa Waraha, Harit Buayoi and Seeda Puapimon.
Thongkham (Jeff Satur) and Mo (Engfa Waraha) are the main rivals, as they dispute the preference of Saeng, the new owner of the land after her son's death. Saeng is a greedy and arrogant old woman who likes to see Thongkham and Mo humiliate themselves to please her, while Jingna (Harit) is the handsome Mo's brother who comes to work in the farm and falls in love with Thongkham. Jingna and Thongkham's relationship is sweet and charming, but not that well developed. This is probably one of the problems in the movie, although it didn't bother me that much. Some people also might think that the "greedy topic" is not so developed also. I would agree. What is this movie about? Love? Greedy? Selfishness? Rivalry? A love triangle? Maybe a bit of all of this? Well, when you try to put so many things together, maybe you might fail to develop so many topics at the same time. This might have happened here.
The rivalry between Mo and Thongkham grows to the point where they commit atrocities. Mo kills Saeng and makes the old woman sign a declaration before she dies, transferring the land to her name. Mo tries to expel Thongkham from her new possession, but he reacts and tries to r4pe her. The scene is full of screams and violence. Like a real Mexican soap opera! When the two are about to resolve their problems, Mo's new husband appears and tries to kill Thongkham, who is saved by his boyfriend, Jingna. In the middle of this confusing fight scene, Jingna ends up being killed too. With that, Thongkham loses the second love of his life. Tragic as a Greek tragedy!

My biggest disappointment with the film was not that it ended with the death of a beloved character (Jingna was perhaps the only character with any integrity in this whole story), but the fact that it was a very cliché ending. Before the husband showed up and tried to kill Thongkham, the first thing I thought was: "I hope they don't end the film with the husband showing up and killing someone." Well, that's exactly what happened. I thought it was an uncreative ending. More of the same.
Paradoxically, I still enjoyed watching the film. I should have hated it, but I didn't. The thing is: this movie makes you get the feeling that you're watching something with flaws here and there, but when you put it all together, the end result still pleases you in a strange way. At least that's what I'm feeling now, two days after seeing the film. My advice is that you watch it and draw your own conclusions.

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