WATCH: A gay couple’s farm paradise is threatened by regressive laws in this timely Thai drama
Thailand will celebrate the legalization of same-sex marriage, with hundreds of gay couples planning to attend a ceremony in Bangkok, where they will officially register their unions for the first time.The landmark LGBTQ+ rights decision finds Thailand following Taiwan and Nepal to become only the third Asian country to recognize gay marriage, marking a huge win for our global queer community.But the great news also serves as a reminder of just how hard-fought many of these victories for same-sex marriage have been across the world, and even here in the U.S.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.What a way to mark Pride Month!Offering up some timely, insightful context is the arrival of queer Thai drama The Paradise Of Thorns on Netflix this month, which premiered internationally just last summer and takes us to the very recent past when gay marriage was not legal in the country.From first-time feature filmmaker Naruebet Kuno, the story opens as young gay couple Thongkham (Jeff Satur) and Sek (Pongsakorn Mettarikanon) have settled into their lives on the large durian farm they made from the ground up in the beautiful Mae Hong Son province, vowing to get married if and when that day should come.However—and *spoiler alert* though this plot point is revealed early in the trailer, too—Sek dies during a tragic accident, leaving Thongkham to face the realities of Thailand’s homophobic laws.Since their same-sex union was not legally recognized by the government, everything the built and owned together—their house, their land, their hundreds of durian trees—would now technically be the property of Sek’s elderly mother Saeng (Seeda Puapimon), who loved her son but clearly never fully approved of his relationship.Coming to live with Thongkham on her inherited property, Saeng complicates things further by bringing along her caretaker Mo (played by bi Thai beauty queen Engfa Waraha), who has.
