I’m abandoning my usual format for this review as I can’t quite seem to organize my thoughts into neat “liked this” and “didn’t like this” boxes. I’m just going to talk about this.
Let’s start with a note about terminology. The subtitles on the version of Yes or No that I watched referred to Kim as a tomboy. I feel like this is not a totally accurate translation, but as I don’t speak Thai, I have to use context here. Tomboy in this movie, seems to include concerns about her that range from her being gay to her being transgender. I would say that Kim dresses more androgynous more than butch (which is what I originally pictured when reading the review of this movie) and is very adamant about being a girl. Regardless of what she wears or who she loves, she embraces being a woman. While we do know by the end of the movie (or reading the summary) that Kim is ultimately gay (or bi at least), she doesn’t seem to fully understand that herself at the beginning, so the way she dresses or presents does not appear to have much influence from that side of herself – at least, not consciously. All that is to say, I am going to keep using tomboy as the term to encapsulate all of this when writing this review, understanding that it’s a bit different from how I would normally use it.
In short, this movie is about roommates, Pie and Kim. Pie is conservative and therefore concerned when she meets tomboy Kim. Even though she wants nothing to do with Kim initially, the she warms over time as they develop their friendship and ultimately, their relationship.
In watching this movie, I was most profoundly moved by the vulnerability Kim shows. I somehow expected that because she is a tomboy, she’d be forcing a strong façade, but Kim never shies away from showing her insecurities. Whether its fear of the dark or her own feelings, Kim is constantly opening herself to the others around her, in spite of the fact that people treat her poorly. Although Pie is cruel to her for a long time, Kim waits her out and never lashes out at her. Sadly, this does seem to speak to how much she deals with this, but more than that, it speaks to her bravery and strength. Kim seems almost childlike, she wants acceptance and approval, which makes the way people behave towards her even worse.
In this regard, it is much harder to feel for Pie. She starts this movie at a place of ignorance and fear and it is really only through jealousy that she notices her feelings for Kim may be more than friendship. Between the two, Pie displays more outward confidence, but behaves much more cowardly when it comes to Kim. Yet, coming from a religious family, knowing that level of judgment so close to home, it actually takes a herculean effort to accept others and yourself when you’ve been told that it’s not right. In that way, I think Pie actually deserves a bit of slack. It takes her long than the viewer would like to be upfront with herself and others, but she does a good job of being honest with Kim about her fears. Kim, more than anyone, should know what signing up for a romance with her will mean. It’s easy to say that love will win out, but that can be impossible when the world is tearing you down and apart.
On that note, let’s talk about Jane. Jane owns her sexuality, but that’s really the only positive thing about her. Jane’s painted as a drama queen and it is heavily implied that she jumps rather quickly from girl to girl when it comes to love. There is some blame to be laid on Kim, who is not upfront about the fact that she is not interested in Jane until it is way too late, but Jane can see what is happening between Pie and Kim and constantly interferes. While she doesn’t explicitly know the extent of their relationship, it is not OK to just come into someone’s room and kiss them when they can’t see you. I have no sympathy for Jane (which is probably intentional) and waited for her to realize that what she did was wrong, but her own selfishness really makes any redemption for this character almost impossible.
On the flip side, there are supportive characters. The people that Kim is surrounded by are truly heartwarming. I love that Auntie Inn is very upfront with Kim and helps her work through issues that are difficult for her to handle on her own. Furthermore, we don’t get to see Kim’s father much, but his immediate acceptance of Pie is a nice balm on the wounds that get torn open at the end of this movie.
In terms of bravery, this movie embodies it just by existing. As far as I can tell, this is one of the first movies with these themes in Thailand. It is important for people of all kinds to feel accepted and seen and representation in the media is an important part of that. For all the dramas I watch, especially those with the cross dressing, seeing those with true LGBT representation is rare. Especially, all things considered, at its heart this movie is just a romantic comedy. The chemistry between our leading ladies and a script with vulnerability and heart made this a lovely watch.
Final Grade: A-
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