พฤติการณ์ที่ตาย | Manner of Death (2020)

[corvidology]

14 x 45 minutes, it can be watched on WE TV, BiliBili and Dailymotion.

WARNING: This show is pretty violent and while certainly equal opportunity to a large degree, it does contain violence against and the sexual abuse/exploitation/coercion of women. I would rate the intensity of what you see on screen as being at a level that would be regularly seen on US broadcast television but far nastier things are talked about/suggested. Also, if abortion is a topic you prefer to avoid altogether this show is not for you (it's a very small part of the plot and not unsympathetic in portrayal). If you want/need more information, please ask and I'll put it under a spoiler cut in my comment response to you.

Dr. Bunnakit 'Bun' (Tul Pakorn Thanasrivanitchai) is a medical examiner based at a provincial hospital. After carrying out an autopsy on the body of a woman who had seemingly hanged herself, Bun's findings point to homicide. All clues point to one suspect, a man named Tan (Max Nattapol Diloknawarit) who denies any involvement, a man Bun drunkenly forced a kiss on in a nightclub when he'd newly arrived in town.

This is the type of thing I'm always on the look out for, a canon BL series where the murder mystery and not the romance is the main subject of the story. While it has a few twists and turns, it's not the most complicated plot I've ever seen, relying heavily as it does on red herrings and character actions that could be open to a wide range of interpretations at the time... or at least that's what I thought until the plot unexpectedly turned positively Shakespearean tragedy on my arse. Blimey! *shudders*

Nearly all of the cast are wonderful in their roles and the leads have great chemistry which is probably due in part to the fact that Tul and Max are friends and have starred in 9 different Thai dramas together, all LGBTQ+ themed.

( gifs under here )

IF you can deal with the warnings up above, I'd recommend it if you like some plot with your canon BL and/or enjoy murder mysteries and would love to have a BL couple at the centre of it for a change (there's also a younger BL couple and another older one that appears to be forming) *g*

( I'm throwing this extra publicity photo in because I can... You're welcome! ;D )

Some translated GL novels

[aurumcalendula]

I ran across these ebooks on Amazon this weekend, and thought they might be of interest (I'm not sure how the translations are - I just started volume 1 of The Loyal Pin):

23.5 When the Earth Spinning Around by น้ำเงิน นามสมมุติ (translated by TULIP)

The Loyal Pin Vol. 1 by Monmaw (translated by P' Lock and N' Key)

The Loyal Pin Vol. 2 by Monmaw (translated by Jeep ster, P' Lock, and N' Key)

Reverse 4 you by Zezeho (translated by Sweet Bar)

Thai movie recs

[elisheva_m]

I'm putting this together for a friend so may as well post it here as well. Some of the better Thai movies I've seen. I'll give youtube links when possible, otherwise check MDL for official sources. A lot of them just aren't available aside from sites like dailymotion and bilibili.
I am shite at plot summaries. MDL is too a lot of the time so I can't say just go look there. If you need them, ask :)

The Library, written and directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya. Available here, 31 minutes
The story for this is rich enough it could easily have been made into a full length film or series. It would have been less if it had. The acting and directing are exquisite. They convey everything they need to tell this story through a look, or a few words. Together, this richness and brevity make for an emotionally powerful story. There is nothing extraneous to dilute its impact. Cinematography and music complement it well, making the perfect atmosphere.
Cannot recommend this one highly enough. It is quietly, gently, heartbreakingly beautiful.

Bad Genius, also from Nattawut Poonpiriya, 2 hours 10 min
Here he turns a real life high school cheating scandal into an edge of your seat how is this going to end thriller that touches on morals, class and privilege without preaching. Definitely worth searching for.
Irrelevant aside, my memory is such that I usually forget support role actors are in a series between the time I look at the cast list on MDL and when they appear. Thus I have some experience with Wait, that was Khaotung moments. An extra in a crowd scene set that off. The year is certainly plausible. The body and face shape could be. It's not close enough to say chai or mai chai, at least in the pixel count available to me. So until proven otherwise... :D

May Who? (2015) Exactly my type of warm, goofy coming-of-age movie with good characters, genre-borrowing that becomes its own lexicon, told with the surreptitiously intelligent, open-hearted, generous humour which infuses the best Thai comedies.

Homestay (2018) A high school youth movie wrapped up in a mystery with some supernatural. Interesting and effective cinematography in the supernatural parts.

Heart Attack (2015) Tight focus story of a man who works far too hard, the best sort of empathetic doctor and the friendship they make.

The Cheese Sisters (2022) The weakest of these and I did happen onto it shortly after I'd first seen Jennis Oprasert in The Broken Us so there was a bit of carry over bias, but very comforting. Warm, kind, sweet, gentle. Four somewhat interconnected stories of young women figuring out their lives. Easy to treat it more like a 4 episode series and watch one or two at a time. Two of the stories aren't as overtly lesbian as some international fans would like, but pay attention near the end.

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Additions:
Present Perfect- What If You Could Turn Back Time (2014) Nattatwut Poonpiriya Available here, 44 minutes
I'm not sure I have words for this. The farther along it went, the more I loved it. As with (nearly) everything from the director, highly recommended.

Low Season (2020) Goofy Thai humour mixed with perfectly set up jump scare ghosts but never too scary mixed with a sweet friendship/love story, breath-taking tropical forest settings, great music and a female lead who wears glasses. It's like a two hour holiday :)

Nice To Meet You (2018) Film school short, about things unsaid. Available here, 34 minutes