Brandon Judell
Beautiful Boxer: Boys Do Cry
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Beautiful Boxer |
By Brandon Judell
There are identity crises. Then there are identity crises.
Parinya Charoemphol started out his life in Thailand as an effeminate lad who liked to put on makeup, much to his father's chagrin. To cure him of his lipstick fetish, he was sent to a temple to become a monk. That failed. It's hard for prayer to compete with Estee Lauder.
However, as life so often does, it threw a curve ball to Parinya, and he discovered he had a talent for kickboxing. Sooner that you can spell C-L-I-N-I-Q-U-E, he became Thailand's national hero, especially since he kick boxed his way to championships in drag.
If that wasn't enough of a tale, Parinya eventually decided to get a sex change and did just that.
This delicious dramatization of a unique man/woman's life captures both the pain and humor of what it is to be "sexually confused" by society's standards. Asanee Suwan convincingly embodies the hero/heroine's travails, and although Beautiful Boxer's screenplay at times gets a little soap operish, it always make a nice comeback with a solid kick to the head.
Director: Ekachai Uekrongtha
Cast: Asanee Suwan, Sorapong Chatree, Orn-anong Panyawong.[Judell]
Copyright © Brandon Judell 2005
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