September 13 2003

Butterfly Man

Stuart Laing canoodles with sexy Mamee Nakprasitte in Butterfly Man

An Englishman comes to Thailand, meets a girl and totally loses the plot. This familiar tale makes its screen debut in Butterfly Man.

Adam (Stuart Laing) takes his girlfriend on holiday to Thailand in a last-ditch attempt to save their flagging relationship. However, in typical girlie fashion she "finds herself" by shagging the first unsuitable man who comes along - in her case, a long-haired Thai gigolo she meets on Kaosan Road.

Our newly single hero sets off on a quest to discover the real Thailand and makes his way down to Koh Samui. There, he meets a dodgy local farang who introduces him to charming Thai masseuse Em (Mamee Nakprasitte). His life will never be the same again.

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The pace of the film is set by Adam's unwitting involvement with the local farang mafia. What makes it engaging, however, is the depiction of how a western man is gripped by temporary madness when he meets a beautiful Thai woman. Adam's emotional roller-coaster is very convincing.

The two Thai women he meets are also well observed. The spell cast over him by his demure sweetheart is nicely set off by a groin-led encounter with a feisty bar girl. The latter almost steals the show. Both capture beautifully the moral ambiguity of Thai women with dubious occupations.

Mamee Nakprasitte can normally be seen playing bitchy social climbers in Thai soap operas but this is her international screen debut. Seeing her cute brown nipples being sucked (the plot demanded it) allowed me see her in a new and favourable light. If she wishes to discuss future collaboration she can email me at the usual address.

The Beach was Hollywood's big-budget attempt at portraying a man's life-changing experience in Thailand. How on earth did they make it so bland? In contrast, low-budget Butterfly Man is required viewing.

The film is now showing in cinemas all over Bangkok but the unconventional subject matter will probably prevent widespread distribution in the west. Don't let the purveyors of popcorn movies prevent you from seeing it.

Further information

www.butterflyman.co.uk

[Posted to TV/Movies by David]

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Readers' comments

Dan says:

I saw this film but didnt like it at all. Was good to see parts of Thailand that I had been to on film but on the whole it was kinda poor.

I think it was quite accurate about how some guys loose their heads over the Thai ladies though.

I did see a wicked Thai movie while in was in Bangkok though, called Ong Bak. Very good indeed!

April 27, 2004 7:23 AM

Geoffrey Smith says:

Thanks for the tip.
This one has always been my favorite:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0263101/

Anybody else have any recent Thai favorites worth renting?

April 27, 2004 8:17 AM

michael says:

"ONG BAK" rules !!!

No more Jackie Chan or jet Li for me.

May 16, 2004 3:05 AM

Stan says:

I just discovered this site -- it ROCKS! Keep up the good work!
My sister-in-law visited us here in the States bringing "ONG BAK". I was reticent to view it, having suffered my wife's Thai soap operas for years (somebody dies; everybody cries; the poor girl moves to Bangkok . . .) I actually enjoyed it.

Have you seen the following video "Hava Nehila in Thailand"?
Here's the link:

http://greentroll.livejournal.com/265060.html

A friend sent it thinking it was "cute".
But the banter between the performers re "Rua HEEEEE" is hilarious and, I wager, a bit racy! Since my Thai's not very good, could you please translate?
Thanks,
Stan

December 15, 2006 6:37 AM

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