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Writing women into a historical framework
Two things increased my appreciation for this, and thus my rating. The ending. And reading up on the history. The long (and so very Thai <3) disclaimer at the beginning states that an aim is to "encourage viewers to take an interest in history...[and to] seek additional knowledge from experts or historians to gain an accurate understanding of Ayuttaya history."
It did succeed in getting me interested in the history - primarily what is recorded of Sri Sudachan. There isn't much and it's disputed. We don't even have her name or the names of the other concubines, only their titles. A starting trawl through Wikipedia though shows that the framework of men this story is built around is taken from historical records - Chairachathirat and his connections with Portuguese mercenaries and their war tech, Worawongsathirat and his many titles, Yotfa, Sri Sin, Phirenthorathep, Chan, Ratchasaneh.
And also things written about Sri Sudachan herself, or rather the fictionalised version others chose to tell.
Part of me wishes I'd waited as I spoiled a few things for myself near the end, but it also brought the creators' intentions into sharp, crystal clear, unquestionable focus - this isn't a "historical" fiction flight of fantasy - it's very much about filling in gaps and creating a space for women to exist in that history. One woman, in particular, whose existence was recorded by those who benefitted from making her a villain.
Some of this short lakorn is difficult - war and brutal actions are depicted, sometimes on screen, a few thankfully implied. It's about power, corruption and conflict. It's condensed melodrama too, which will throw some off, especially those who are used to epic long Chinese court intrigues. That's just a different way of telling a story.
Through it all are the women - concubines, confidantes and servants, armed women guards and their leader - their conflicts with each other and struggles to figure out how to get by in a world where they are pawns with limited power and room to move, who they truly love and who they can truly trust.
For these few days, this woman - whose name the men couldn't be bothered to record - was alive again. They did a fantastic job with bringing her, and all of the complicated emotions of a woman in her position, to life.
Links in a comment under a spoiler for those who want to read more. So far it's just Wikipedia as they're understandable summaries and even within these few pages, it's clear how each one takes a different view of Sri Sudachan. I recommend waiting until you've finished the lakorn.
It did succeed in getting me interested in the history - primarily what is recorded of Sri Sudachan. There isn't much and it's disputed. We don't even have her name or the names of the other concubines, only their titles. A starting trawl through Wikipedia though shows that the framework of men this story is built around is taken from historical records - Chairachathirat and his connections with Portuguese mercenaries and their war tech, Worawongsathirat and his many titles, Yotfa, Sri Sin, Phirenthorathep, Chan, Ratchasaneh.
And also things written about Sri Sudachan herself, or rather the fictionalised version others chose to tell.
Part of me wishes I'd waited as I spoiled a few things for myself near the end, but it also brought the creators' intentions into sharp, crystal clear, unquestionable focus - this isn't a "historical" fiction flight of fantasy - it's very much about filling in gaps and creating a space for women to exist in that history. One woman, in particular, whose existence was recorded by those who benefitted from making her a villain.
Some of this short lakorn is difficult - war and brutal actions are depicted, sometimes on screen, a few thankfully implied. It's about power, corruption and conflict. It's condensed melodrama too, which will throw some off, especially those who are used to epic long Chinese court intrigues. That's just a different way of telling a story.
Through it all are the women - concubines, confidantes and servants, armed women guards and their leader - their conflicts with each other and struggles to figure out how to get by in a world where they are pawns with limited power and room to move, who they truly love and who they can truly trust.
For these few days, this woman - whose name the men couldn't be bothered to record - was alive again. They did a fantastic job with bringing her, and all of the complicated emotions of a woman in her position, to life.
Links in a comment under a spoiler for those who want to read more. So far it's just Wikipedia as they're understandable summaries and even within these few pages, it's clear how each one takes a different view of Sri Sudachan. I recommend waiting until you've finished the lakorn.
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