Thai queer cinema

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Thai queer cinema is a category of Thai films that in some way represent non-normative gender and sexuality.[1] In other words, the narratives explored in Thai queer cinema go beyond heterosexual relationships and the male-female gender binary.[1] The classification of this genre of Thai film as "queer" rather than LGBT, is used by film scholars, Brett Farmer,[1] Oradol Kaewprasert,[2] Karl Schoonover, and Rosalind Galt,[3] in an effort to fully capture the range of Thai gender and sexuality, or phet (Thai: เพศ, RTGS: phet) portrayed in film which may not be accurately represented through Western LGBT terminology.

Thai language scholar, Monruedee Laphimon, defines phet as gendered desires, expressions, behaviors, and sexual activities within a spectrum of masculinity and femininity.[4] Thai gender and sexuality scholar Peter A. Jackson coined the term "gendered sexuality" to discuss the lack of separation between the concepts of gender and sexuality in Thailand.[5] Jackson argues that for this reason, while the use of some English LGBT terminology has been adopted in Thailand, the meaning carried by these terms is not the same as their Western counterparts.[5] Film scholar, Brett Farmer, uses the term "vernacular queerness" to discuss how phet is represented in Thai queer cinema, highlighting how many films illustrate non-normative sexual desire and behavior but do not define the relationships nor the character's sexual identity.[6]

Thai queer cinema had its start in the 1980s with films such as The Last Song (1985), Tortured Love (1987), and I Am a Man (1987),[2] part of the first wave of Thai queer cinema, and continued through the post-1997 Thai Film Revival, also called the new wave of Thai cinema.[6] Currently, queer narratives are very popular in the Thai film industry.[7] Prominent Thai film critic for the Bangkok Post, Kong Rithdee, says that since the mid 1990s, queer narratives have become central to Thai cinema.[7] Within an international context, Lisa Daniels, an international film-festival director, has identified Thailand as one of the leading producers of queer cinema in the world.[6]

Within the genre of Thai queer cinema exist many sub-genres in both independent and commercial films. The sports film sub-genre was one of the first Thai queer cinema sub-genres to garner commercial success during the new wave of Thai cinema.[3] Sports films center storylines revolving around sports and prominent films in this sub-genre include The Iron Ladies (2000) and Beautiful Boxer (2003).[1] Teen dramas, also called melodramas, are another popular sub-genre of queer cinema in Thailand that portray the non-normative relationship and gender expression of teenagers.[1] Prominent queer teen drama films include Love of Siam (2007) and Yes or No (2010).[6] Art-house films are another prominent sub-genre of Thai queer cinema. Art-house films like Tropical Malady (2004)[8] and Supernatural (2014) have garnered critical success in the international film festival circuit.[9] Thai film directors, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Thunska Pansittivorakul, have been recognized both in Thailand and internationally as key figures in the Thai queer cinema genre.[10][1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Farmer, Brett (2018). "Chapter 8: Queer Cinema". In Ainsley, Mary J.; Ancuta, Katarzyna (eds.). Thai Cinema: The Complete Guide. Tauris Academic Texts. pp. 193–208.
  2. ^ a b Kaewprasert, Oradol (2005). "The very first series of Thai queer cinemas - What was happening in the 1980s?" (PDF). University of Essex.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Monruedee, Laphimon (2011). "Chapter 1 - Reuang Phet: Sexual Matters". In Boonmongkon, Pimpawun; Jackson, Peter A. (eds.). Thai Sex Talk: The Language of Sex and Sexuality in Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand: Mekong Press. p. 27.
  5. ^ a b Jackson, Peter A. (1997). "Kathoey >< Gay >< Man: The Historic Emergence of Gay Male Identity in Thailand". In Manderson, L.; Jolly, M. (eds.). Sites of Desire, Economies of Pleasure. pp. 166–190.
  6. ^ a b c d Farmer, Brett (2011). "Loves of Siam: Contemporary Thai Cinema and Vernacular Queerness". In Jackson, Peter A. (ed.). Queer Bangkok: 21st Century Markets, Media, and Rights. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. pp. 81–98.
  7. ^ a b Rithdee, Kong (26 June 2006). "A pair of new Thai films touch on the subject of homosexuality". Bangkok Post. p. 23.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).