Or so says the tagline to Beautiful Boxer, the latest transvestite movie to take the Asian market by storm (Or at least sort of, anyway). Winner of two Thai Suppannahongsa Awards (i.e. prestigious Thai equivalent of the Oscars) this year for Best Actor (Asanee Suwan) and Best Makeup, it had also been officially selected to play at international film festivals in Berlin, Hong Kong and San Francisco. Quite a mean feat for first time film director Ekachai Uekrongthom, who also produced the movie and scripted it with Desmond Sim Kim Jin.
The film is certainly a refreshing departure from previous box-office, transvestite/ transsexual themed, hits of Thailand, namely Iron Ladies and its sequel, Iron Ladies II. While both of the latter are overtly kitsch, sometimes to the point of distaste, Beautiful Boxer is much less offensive and at times, borders into maudlin melodrama territory in its sympathetic portrayal of the life of cross-dressing Muay Thai (thai kickboxing) legend, Parinya Charoenphol (or more affectionately known as Nong Toom). Kudos goes out to actor Asanee Suwan whose sensitive portrayal was indeed award-worthy and director Ekachai, who somehow manages to make this movie into an ode for two of the things which Thailand is perhaps best known for: muay thai and transvestites. Comedic elements were interweaved so effectively (& sparingly), they add an overall poignancy to the dramatic parts and in this, I thought the director had struck a harmonious balance.
I especially loved the parts where the movie exposes Thailand's lush rural landscapes in artistic camera shots and stills, and the lethally brutal muay thai scenes which were infused with a degree of realism sorely lacking in most of Asian cinema today (Jackie Chan, shame on you~!). Perhaps, this was due to the fact that nearly all of Nong Toom's opponents in the movie were kickboxing professionals in real-life but this knowledge, I assure you, would not detract from one's appreciation of the well-choreographed fight sequences.
On the downside, however, the quality of film and props used were frequently reminiscent of low-buget telemovies (in this aspect, the Jack Neo mush-fest, HomeRun, scores). Furthermore, Keegan Kang's affected performance as ang-moh-accented reporter was simply excruciating to watch; no doubt the only horrible miscast on the part of the casting director. A couple of the dramatic scenes were also too "arty" to conjure any immediate decipherable meaning --- they only lend the show a vague and contrived theatrical air which I found to be too schmaltzy for the bigscreen. Although this is probably influenced by the director's background in theatre (he was the man behind the immensely successful Chang & Eng the musical), he should have realized that tricks that work onstage do not usually translate well to cinema.
These weaknesses notwithstanding, Beautiful Boxer is a direct & honest depiction of Nong Toom's trials and tribulations as a transsexual boxer, but I often wish there was more intellectual depth and dramatic subtlety to the movie. Even the cheesy tag "He fights like a man so he can become a woman... " has no scope for the imagination. (obviously, Nong Toom needed the money from the fights to fund his sex-change operation and this motivation, evidently, is the crux of the film. in reality, he has successfully done this in 1999 and she now works as a model cum actress based in Bangkok). In my opinion, Beautiful Boxer does not set much precedence in the genre of serious transsexual/transvestite films and it would work much better as a stage play rather than a big screen vehicle; otherwise though, its a genuine crowd-pleaser. my ratings ~ 3.2/5 stars!
