Saturday, November 10, 2007
BEAUTIFUL BOXER! (PART 2)
This post will cover the Southeast Asian themes that can be found within the movie regarding Muay Thai. I will also briefly mention how the outstanding film has made a mark in SEA and exposes non-Thai people on the martial art. Okay brace yourself, for this post is going to be one lengthy read!
People have gotten used with the idea of linking masculinity and callous aggression to Muay Thai. It is after all a violent, brutal sport originated from unarmed combat in warfare. Yet in this movie the stereotype is challenged. Parinya "approaches Muay Thai as an art form to be mastered with balletic grace, channelling the necessary aggression into elegant moves that flatten her opponents mercilessly." (Hodgkinson 2005) People disregard the artistic version of Muay Thai which was actually performed for the royalty in the past. Although elements of it may be seen in the Wai Kru - the dance of paying respects, people still find it abnormal to see the correlation between elegance and Muay Thai. This remains so despite Charoenpol winning 20 out of 22 matches with his style of Muay Thai.
Parinya, also known as Nong Toom in the movie, was also marginalized for his effeminate behaviour and also because he challenged the norm by wearing makeup on matches. Before meddling in the boxing world, Nong Toom entered monkhood and this could be seen as a method of normalizing him. He was isolated from society to undergo the normalization process. This includes him getting in touch with his spirituality and mixing with other monks who adopt strict guidelines of conduct. After he entered the boxing world, he faced plenty of discriminations which troubled him greatly as he tried to come to terms with identity. He was ridiculed by his friends, and taunted by his opponent in the ring.
There is a line said by the protagonist that marked an impression in my mind - "The more make up I put on, the harder they kicked me. So I kick them back harder." This clearly exhibits how his increasing attempt of expressing his feminine identity meant greater competition for him. Yet its motivating how he managed to turn his adversity around and convert it to strentgh. Apart from his opponents and friends, the general society and Muay Thai enthusiasts also showed objection to his wearing makeup during matches. Indeed, discrimination towards transsexuals were widespread and further heightened as it existed within the masculine world of Muay Thai.
The movie also showed how devoted the Thai people were to Buddhism as their religion. It was pervasive throughout all aspects of their lifestyle; the art of Muay Thai included. Nong Toom believed deeply in karma. He thinks the reason why he was born a male was due to his sin from his past life. He then entered monkhood at a young age to improve karma for himself and his parents. There was a scene where he secretly went to the isolated waterfall area to put on lipgloss on himself although he knew it was a sin for a monk to beautify or decorate himself. Later on his parents encountered misfortunes and he blamed himself as he believed that he had worsen their karma due to his commitment of sin.
Religion in Muay Thai is seen particularly in the performance of the Wai Kru. It is a form of prayer done before a fight to pay tribute to the gods. Fighters may also chant religious verses during fights. This is all done in hope of transcending their physical limitations and to be replaced by an invincible holy spirit. (Villalobos, Schuyver 2002)
Another SEAsian theme that is seen in the movie is rural poverty. In a scene, Nong Toom 's father laments how he has to find "work wherever (he) can". His mother who mans their lychee plantation also doesnt earn much from it. In a way, Toom's entrance into monkhood was due to him not being able to complete his elementary education due to lack of funds. Later on, as his parents fell into tragic cirumstances, he had to sneak away from the temple to find jobs and support his family.
His entrance into the world of Muay Thai also provides a means for him to provide a better life for his family. In the first match that he won, he bought 'good food' for his mother to cook using his prize money. As he became more financially stable, he soon started saving for his sex change operation. He managed to collect money to achieve his want, as he has covered his basic needs, which is to become a woman.
Pi Chart also mentions how many children in the training camps come from broken homes. By mixing with the other trainees and adhering to a strict daily routine of training, they are sheltered from influences of social ills.
There is also the element of migration. As Nong Toom got more famous, he moved on from provincial matches and advanced into matches held in Bangkok. It is thus revealed how the best congregates, trains and competes in the capital where resources are abundantly available and dreams are achieved.
Yet coming to the city also proved to be a trial for Toom as he encountered the press. They accused him of adopting feminity as a promotional gimmick. They ridiculed him and made him into a 'clown'. They didn't understand his true self or his honest intentions of pecking his opponents on the cheek as a method of apology for hurting them.
Thus we observe how the film provokes the audience by making them think of social issues such as discrimination of transsexuals or the widespread poverty in the countryside. The film also exposes Muay Thai as a martial art practiced in training camps and how it is battled out in the ring. The art form of Muay Thai is also showcased in a scene where Toom performs a ritualistic dance of ancient movements of Muay Thai. The film was distributed all over Southeast Asia. With its promotion of Muay Thai, it has contributed in making non-Thai people more aware of the martial art and evoking an interest in them to take it up. The several awards and nominations the film received on the international platform further boosts its popularity and spread within the SEA.
Credits:
Kru Pedro Solana Villalobos and Mark Van Schuyver 2002, Fighting strategies of Muay Thai – secret of Thailand’s boxing camps
Poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2005/beautiful_boxer_ver2.html, viewed on 10th November 2007
Pictures from: Yahoo Movies, http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808607923/photo/stills, viewed on 10th November 2007
Will Hodgkinson, 19th August 2005, 'I don't think about gender. I think about winning', http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,1551894,00.html
-Izzah (:
* my stories -
4:36 AM
