Transcending the Same-Sex Spectacle of Thai LGBT Culture Through the Chosen Imaginative Other: A Review of ‘Present Still Perfect’6 min read
Reading Time: 5 minutes“It is our imagination that is responsible for love, not the other person.”
– Marcel Proust
Is Toey (played by Adisorn Tonawanik) really in love with Oat (played by Kristsana Maroukasonti), or was it his imagination that kept him going during his 4 years of waiting? When they eventually get married with the blessing of Oat’s wife Namwhan (played by Chalida Sutitosatham), what was she thinking? Are western values (as proposed by director Anusorn Soisa-Ngim) so progressive that Namwhan could overlook the needs and expectations of a married woman in relation to her closeted husband, not to mention bringing up their son Aam on the side, to accommodate her husband’s “real” love Toey into their marriage? — These are pressing questions to the viewer who clearly senses that director Anusorn is equally invested in authenticity as he/she is, since Anusorn has used his personal story as the narrative of the film. His meta-narrative seems to anchor on a universal truth: Love Conquers All.
It is precisely his idea of Love Conquers All that I am interested in unpacking. Toey travels to the Kadungnga Resort and meets animated inn keeper Jen (played by Darina Boonchu) and fellow Japanese tourist Kenta (played by Ryota Ohmi). The next day after checking in, after a mistakenly sent Facebook message to Oat, Toey meets him. From learning to swim to catching up with the past and honestly addressing their feelings, the valuable predetermined 3-day “lovers only” stay in the resort becomes an intense battle between true love and the sin of infidelity (Oat is now a married man with a son). The film ends with Oat’s wife Namwhan giving her blessing to both of them and witnessing their marriage in the resort.
Initial reading leads us to the notion of Love Conquers All. The mantra goes: As long as we are true to ourselves and live as we are, good things will be bestowed upon us. Another reading could be: Honesty is the best policy, for lies can’t be contained forever. If one were to carry on with the above 2 notions of what true love should be (provided if there is such a thing as true love) as takeaways from the film, it would be a pity. However, the film as it stands, complexities in the relationships among Toey, Oat and Namwhan haven’t been fully developed. In addition, a singular reference to liberal democratic Western values as a solution to Thailand’s deceptive openness to LGBTQ culture might be too narrow a view to hold water against the complexities of human desires and sexual imagination.
There is much to learn from the West about love and relationships, especially the French. From Roland Barthes A Lover’s Discourse (1977) to Marcel Proust — in the quote I have used to preface this review — where he made a strong case for imagination in a loving relationship. If we were to read Present Still Perfect in the context of the imaginations of Toey, Oat and Namwhan, then the final threesome arrangement in Oat’s marriage could be key to solving infidelities resulting from human foibles. Although director Anusorn did not clearly articulate how Namwhan had come to such wisdom, her final scene with Oat in the living room could have been a game-changer. The final patch-up between Jen and Kham (played by Dhamawat Suntanaphan) could have been testament to the core aspect of the director’s probable meta-narrative: Love with Wisdom Conquers All.
Toey’s moral guides Jen and Kenta’s moral guidance proved to be inconsequential, to say the least. However they play a crucial role to defining the social context Toey and Oat are in, not to mention the moral conservatism in same-sex relationships in Asian Thai society. Director Anusorn also peppered a fair amount of activism involving same-sex marriage and acceptance in the film.
A baffling moment for external readers of Thai LGBTQ subculture indeed, given the overwhelming support and love to LGBTQ members in Thai society through innumerable web series and Boys Love (BL) commercials. Spectacles of fandom in Boys Love (BL) has clearly failed to explain the scenario director Anusorn has portrayed in the film. Beyond this spectacle lies the raw emotion of whether you want to put faith and devote trust in the person whom you have chosen to be the right partner, to which I accord the term “Chosen Imaginative Other”. Out of the many Toey has encountered, he has chosen Oat. This was clearly shown in his response to Oat’s question after agreeing to a swimming lesson: Do you really trust me? Toey replied, “Why shouldn’t I trust you?”
Trust is not given to the other, but to our own judgement. With it comes acceptance to consequences that follow. Actor Adisorn delivered a stirring performance as Toey throughout the “3-day Oat only holiday”. Toey is vulnerable and fragile. He is indecisive between to selfishly have Oat to himself, or being responsible for Oat’s marriage by not being the “mistress”. His performance in the scene where Toey tells Jen about forgiveness in a relationship could be nuanced, if not for a limitation in the script. A pity. Adisorn’s gem of a performance lies in his moral struggle after hearing Oat’s intention to divorce Namwhan, right after they had sex. Unfortunately, fellow actor Kristtana didn’t seem to have collectively pushed the scene to another level. Adisorn’s dexterity in shifting emotions got its full showing in the final scene on the beach where everybody anticipated his agreement to be in union with Oat. Adisorn has consistently proven his mettle as an excellent character actor from Present Perfect to Present Still Perfect.
Finally, the production team’s collective imagination has given Present Still Perfect the perfect tune. Director Anusorn Soisa-Ngim, Directors of Photography, notably Krischai Thittibunyarat and Nattavuth Sukchuen have framed the Thai resort in service to the subtle emotions of the characters, not to mention letting nature shine in its natural beauty. Music and score by Hirotaka Tako, Shivivat Studio, Pichit Kenthong and Thaweesak Srithongkom are evocative aural experiences that run parallel to Anusorn’s direction and the development of characters in the film. Their efforts are testament to Marcel Proust’s treatise on imagination. Proust has written about subjectivity of love extensively. Liminal spaces within these subjectivities such as deceptive imagination and masochistic jealousy are constant themes. Director Anusorn has exhibited deceptive imagination in giving Present Still Perfect an alternatively good ending, albeit rather rushed. The production team’s talents have also shown through the images they have collectively created.
Written by Richard Chua
About The Author:
Richard Chua teaches film and criticism. He writes to discover new perspectives provided by films. His research interests lie in Chinese theatres in Singapore and Malaysia, theatre ecologies and culture, performance and politics, entertainment arts, and online arts criticism and media. Interdisciplinary in scope and method, he attempts to make sense of how performance theories could be used to implement new action researches in weaving performances. Having completed a PhD from University of South Wales, together with theatre collective World-in-Theatre, online media Theatrex Asia and Wuwei Performance Series (Performance Art), he continues to embark on researches through curating performances and organising performance events, as well as writing critiques.
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