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Twists and turns, steeped in Thai spiritualism
"Shadow" is an all-around solid supernatural mystery (not horror) with some gay main characters. It's not a romance, and there are no BL tropes in sight.
So, anyone who wants a BL romance should maybe not watch it.
However, those who are interested in a ghost mystery with a lot of twists and turns, to the very last second even, might have a great time with it.
Before I go into my thoughts about the script, let me say a sentence or two about the actors. They were fantastic!
This was only the second role of Fiat Patchata's that I saw him in. The first (in this year's "The Death of Khun Phra") was so different that I almost can't believe that this is the same actor! Both Fluke Natouch and Poon Mitpakdee were excellent; and Utt Uttsada led me by the nose with his portrayal of Brother Anurak.
And Singto Prachaya? If there was any doubt at all that he was brilliant as Dan, any doubt would have been swept away by the last eight minutes of the drama.
The sets, the camera work, the background music and the colours were appropriately done for setting the mood of each scene; I admit I am not overly fond of the end credits song.
The script though.
The script was *everything* I look for in a supernatural mystery.
It led me from one question to another -- I had so many theories while I watched it, and most of them made a lot of sense at the time, but then with the next reveal, all of them had to be discarded. And it was well-written in that regard: the new information *always* made sense, and in the end I saw that I had picked up on some important hints and foreshadowing, without understanding what I saw at the time.
When the story ended, there were only very few loose threads and unanswered questions, none of which concerned the main plot.
Apart from all the the parallels to "Hamlet", one other thing in the script I adore was that it managed to include some metaphorical commentary on some other topics, for example on Thailand's history and the influence of western culture, on how being viewed as different can lead to self-destruction, as well as how abuse shapes children, and more.
Just a few, hopefully non-spoilery examples:
* The forest spirit whose mutually beneficial co-existence with the locals is cut by the arrival of western (Christian) culture, and is consequently becoming twisted and malevolent.
* The silence of Thai society about the events of 6th October, which they call "Red October" in the drama (I suggest to read up on it, this is *the* scar on Thailand's communal conscience), ultimately leads to more pain and mistrust in the present.
* Trin, Dan and Nai are different from the norm -- and the difference in how they are dealing with it and if they have the good kind of support leads to growth or destruction.
* An abused and lonely child is easy prey for the next abuser, who can use the child's needs and trauma to forge a connection and the illusion of safety and belonging.
"Shadow" is also deeply intertwined with Thai spiritualism and Buddhist believes, and I'm sure I didn't understand all of it. Like with the events of 6th October, the writers assume that the audience are aware of it, and I'm sure that Thai viewers understand much of what is only implicitely said that I don't.
One belief that does seem to be extremely important is the concept of "karma" -- that is different for everybody from birth, and that we might be able to escape, or not.
I also suspect that the Thai and Buddhist way of seeing the world influenced the ending and the overall meaning of the drama -- which might lead to some disappointment by western viewers because it means the story goes towards a different conclusion than westerners might expect or hope for.
So.
Was it good? -- Yes, the script was solid and engaging, the acting excellent.
Did I like it? -- Oh, yes. It had everything I want in a mystery, made me develop theories and ideas and gave me lots of twists, right until the very end. And I *loved* the ending.
Who would I recommend it to? -- To everyone who likes supernatural mysteries, and like to explore the mystery together with the characters. Not to those who are looking for a BL.
So, anyone who wants a BL romance should maybe not watch it.
However, those who are interested in a ghost mystery with a lot of twists and turns, to the very last second even, might have a great time with it.
Before I go into my thoughts about the script, let me say a sentence or two about the actors. They were fantastic!
This was only the second role of Fiat Patchata's that I saw him in. The first (in this year's "The Death of Khun Phra") was so different that I almost can't believe that this is the same actor! Both Fluke Natouch and Poon Mitpakdee were excellent; and Utt Uttsada led me by the nose with his portrayal of Brother Anurak.
And Singto Prachaya? If there was any doubt at all that he was brilliant as Dan, any doubt would have been swept away by the last eight minutes of the drama.
The sets, the camera work, the background music and the colours were appropriately done for setting the mood of each scene; I admit I am not overly fond of the end credits song.
The script though.
The script was *everything* I look for in a supernatural mystery.
It led me from one question to another -- I had so many theories while I watched it, and most of them made a lot of sense at the time, but then with the next reveal, all of them had to be discarded. And it was well-written in that regard: the new information *always* made sense, and in the end I saw that I had picked up on some important hints and foreshadowing, without understanding what I saw at the time.
When the story ended, there were only very few loose threads and unanswered questions, none of which concerned the main plot.
Apart from all the the parallels to "Hamlet", one other thing in the script I adore was that it managed to include some metaphorical commentary on some other topics, for example on Thailand's history and the influence of western culture, on how being viewed as different can lead to self-destruction, as well as how abuse shapes children, and more.
Just a few, hopefully non-spoilery examples:
* The forest spirit whose mutually beneficial co-existence with the locals is cut by the arrival of western (Christian) culture, and is consequently becoming twisted and malevolent.
* The silence of Thai society about the events of 6th October, which they call "Red October" in the drama (I suggest to read up on it, this is *the* scar on Thailand's communal conscience), ultimately leads to more pain and mistrust in the present.
* Trin, Dan and Nai are different from the norm -- and the difference in how they are dealing with it and if they have the good kind of support leads to growth or destruction.
* An abused and lonely child is easy prey for the next abuser, who can use the child's needs and trauma to forge a connection and the illusion of safety and belonging.
"Shadow" is also deeply intertwined with Thai spiritualism and Buddhist believes, and I'm sure I didn't understand all of it. Like with the events of 6th October, the writers assume that the audience are aware of it, and I'm sure that Thai viewers understand much of what is only implicitely said that I don't.
One belief that does seem to be extremely important is the concept of "karma" -- that is different for everybody from birth, and that we might be able to escape, or not.
I also suspect that the Thai and Buddhist way of seeing the world influenced the ending and the overall meaning of the drama -- which might lead to some disappointment by western viewers because it means the story goes towards a different conclusion than westerners might expect or hope for.
So.
Was it good? -- Yes, the script was solid and engaging, the acting excellent.
Did I like it? -- Oh, yes. It had everything I want in a mystery, made me develop theories and ideas and gave me lots of twists, right until the very end. And I *loved* the ending.
Who would I recommend it to? -- To everyone who likes supernatural mysteries, and like to explore the mystery together with the characters. Not to those who are looking for a BL.
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