#bkpp project

Kopitiam by Wilai x ITSAY 🌅🌴🌺

bonus: hokkien mee 🍜

the beauty of i told sunset about you (2020)

source: pinterest.com

If the West had Call Me By Your Name, the movie adaptation of the book by Andre Aciman that goes by the same name, Thailand debuted its own series, drawing unimaginably impossible parallels of a similar plot, but took it to a whole new Asian aesthetic level.  Screenwritten and directed by Boss Naruebet Kuno, under the production house called Nadao Bangkok, this series features rumored partners in real life, Billkin Putthipong Assaratanakul and PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn, aka BKPP The Series. 

It’s a bare minimum story. Teh and Oh-aew were best friends, until a boyhood line of reasoning, turned them into rivals. Years later as they're preparing for university admissions, both pursuing interests in the field of Communication Arts, the two meet in a Chinese language class. Their reunion awakens complicated and unstable feelings.

Shot in Old Town Phuket, that has its own history of Chinese influence, the story takes us through a maze concocted just around that. Our protagonists rivalling to top their Chinese lessons. History is so gracefully blended in a story through all symbols that the director uses, one with an unobservant eye might just end up missing on it. 

The first scene opens with Teh singing a Chinese song, with flashbacks from his childhood, where he recalls losing his best friend over a role in a Chinese play, organized by their school for the Chinese New Year. The recurring Chinese proverbs, reiterated Chinese inclinations remain a proof of the screenwriter’s detailed research on the town they shot it in. The series carries as much Chinese heritage as Old Town Phuket does.  

source: pinterest.com

There is this constant play of Chinese symbolism, so, so beautifully embedded in taking the story forward. The protagonists realize their feelings for each other while taking Chinese lessons, especially at Teh’s house, the architecture, an acute Chinese home in Phuket, with a restaurant below, selling Hokkian Noodles. Shot at one of the prettiest beaches in Phuket, at wee hours nearing dawn, we observe Teh and Oh-Aew courting each other, in silence, fingers playing with Chinese Rose petals, painting each other’s nails in vermillion. 

The choice of this particular flower, represents the androgynous nature of a China Rose, where a flower bears both the male and female reproductive organs in one; meaning, how one could love without basing their feelings on the sex of their partner, that love is for all. You could love anyone you liked, male, female or the other. This flower would also later be used to represent Oh discovering his sexuality, where he’s inclined toward femininity.    

source: pinterest.com

Their first kiss is underwater. The scene is shot in such a magnificent way, where they’re kissing deep inside water, but the water on the surface remains still. It could be inferred in so many different ways, where one is hiding their sexuality from the world and yet there is a hurricane circling under water. That even when you do wish to negate it, the ripples underwater shall bubble up to the surface, one fine day. 

source: pinterest.com

In a scene where there is a final outflow of powerful feelings, lying dormant in fear of facing them, in fear of rejection from the society, Teh and Oh-Aew give in to their attraction. They had loved each other for so, so long, behind closed doors, just as under the sea water, they could finally give away. There is however a catch in it again, the windows of Teh’s room are open. An impeccable mastery in direction later revealing how these open windows meant they were now perhaps at a threshold of acceptance, accepting their love, their sexuality, their own selves.

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The above scene has to remain the most powerful of all. We see Oh bawling in confusion, because Teh had wanted to hold his breasts just as he would have if Oh were a girl, and when Teh finds nothing to grab on, reality comes crashing down and Teh leaves.

And then here we see Oh, clad in a red, lacy bra, wishing if may be he were a girl, Teh would want to kiss him, hold him, love him. This is such an intimate and bold exhibition of confused sexuality in the art of theatre, it leaves the audience astounded. 

source: pinterest.com

The final scene is a sight to behold. All their prayers at the Chinese monastery, all the meltdowns and confusion take a final leap to end at Teh saying the final, favorite words a fan would wish to hear,

“If I could be anything, can I be your boyfriend?” They finally do tell the sunset about each other. 

Thai BL industry has been venturing into Asian entertainment markets with their business plots of boy love stories, the origins of which can be found in the Japanese yaoi, homoerotic love stories written by women. Even when a product of fantasy, these series have been a breakthrough at representing LGBTQ relationships, fitting themselves into the heteronormative society. 

And there it is...F@ck they are both such gorgeous souls

Line TV/ May 27th @ 8:00PM

Chapter 30: Post-Finale

When Oh-aew woke up the next morning, he found Teh already awake, staring at him fondly. “Morning,” Teh whispered groggily.

Oh-aew groaned softly as he stretched. “You’re awake early,” he whispered.

Teh gave him a half-smile. “I never thought I’d wake up next to you again.”

With a soft exhale, Oh-aew said, “Neither did I… but I’m happy we did.”

“Me too,” Teh whispered, reaching over, and pulling Oh-aew into a hug. “Can we stay here for a while?”

“Mmn,” Oh-aew hummed in return. After a moment, he asked, “So… how long are you staying in Phuket?”

“The rest of the week,” Teh said. “You?”

Oh-aew shrugged. “I don’t know. It was kind of a spur of the moment decision,” he laughed to himself. “I didn’t exactly make plans.”

“Well, if you want, we can make plans,” Teh said with a smile. “Like maybe… we could see all of the places we used to spend time at, just like your last day here before university started.”