Directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, this Thai film is based on the real life story of Nong Toom (*1981), a “kathoey” (“lady boy”) who chose to become a kick boxer to raise money for her family and her gender reassignment surgery. [The term “kathoey” standing for transsexual women who are attracted to men is common and still acceptable in Thailand and the Philippines.]
The real Nong Toom (who also goes by the stage name Parinya Kiatbusaba) today. You can find an interview with her on Blackboard.
Gender Variants in Film and TV 
Were there two different cinematographers? Was there a different cinematographer for the fight scenes and another for the rest? Because there is something a little off in regards to the quality and consistency of the cinematography here. Some of the fight scenes had more finesse while other scenes were a bit clunky.
Also, there is a question I have. There is a girl with a flower in her hair that Nong Toom meets when he is a traveling monk. Is that supposed to be a representation of himself, the girl he is meant to be? I think it is. That would be the ideal that Nong Toom would chase after his entire life until he was free to become a woman, the woman he was meant to be.
Cinematography aside, “Beautiful Boxer” is about the inner struggle of Nong Toom, for whom boxing is merely a means to an end. He knew his real identity from a young age. Right away her father expresses concern his son is transgendered, but her mother’s attitude is, “if that is his karma, then there is nothing we can do about that.” However, she pushes Nong Toom to be his best and tries to teach him to stand up for himself, scolding him harshly when he was being bullied. Nong Toom uses boxing as a way to take care of his family until he can get SRS.
I have seen a couple of Thai movies, and it seems that caring for the family is a common trope. Another trope I have noticed is how others help the hero. Nong Toom had the old woman who helps his mother get out of prison. There was also the coach who led Nong Toom into the world of boxing, and wouldn’t let him leave even when his boss told him he had to let go of some people. Instead the coach vowed to train Nong Toom harder. Then there was his friend with whom he sold flowers. She supported his true self and initiated him into girly things. She was the one who helped Nong Toom wear makeup, which became his signature in the boxing ring. This was a bit of a contradiction because Muay Thai, like Sumo, has sacred rites associated with it and women are not allowed in the ring. The contadiction is even more pronounced when you consider that Nong Toom has such a warm, gentle nature in contrast to the violence of the sport.
It was interesting that he was respected in Thailand, but after achieving fame and fighting elsewhere, he seemed to be treated more like a sideshow than a respected Muay Thai fighter. It culminated when he was fighting the Japanese woman in the ring. I think this showed how far Nong Toom wandered from his true path and his true self. After that, Nong Toom retired to have the surgery.
I think the message of the film is to stay strong and stay true to yourself. At the end of the film, Nong Toom sees a young boy dancing the same ritual that she used to before a fight, and NNong Toom asked if he did that voluntarily. When the boy replied no, Nong Toom said he should always listen to his inner voice. It was as if, in constrast to the girl he saw when he was young that symbolized his future self, he was now talking to his past self.
Nong Toom faced some hardships in regards to discrimination and harsh criticism in his homeland, but in the end I think he was very lucky that his family accepted him. Even his harsh and intimidating father signed his consent at the end. As we have learned from other films, not everyone is so lucky.
I really liked Beautiful Boxer. I usually don’t enjoy heavier films, but the drama didn’t put me off. It might have been that I’m not as used to seeing Taiwanese film tropes. Most of the time, the acting was really good, but there were a few parts that were very weak. One example of this was with the underwear scene. I thought it was completely justified that Nong Toom broke down emotionally, but the actor seemed to be playing the character as a ‘sissy’ instead of genuinely distraught.
I also wasn’t too big on the framing device. The opening put too much emphasis on the reporter who had nothing to do with the story. But this didn’t really hurt the film.
I thought this movie was very unique. This was the first Thai movie i’ve seen in my life. I’ve visited Thailand a couple times before and I was always intrigued in their country because it seemed like they were so open about transgender/transexuals. I loved how in this movie how they paired boxing (a masculine image sport) with a transgender character because it fights against the stereotypical gender roles.
Something i found great about the story was that the mother and coach was supportive of his life no matter what path he chose. Of course they joked around a lot but it was never in an offensive way. Something else which was encouraging about the film was that Nong Toom used all his haters to fuel his power to fight against his rivals during the boxing match. However, I thought it was a little unrealistic how Nong Toom after his training was so undefeatable and did not lose any boxing matches. It made it lose its realism as a story.
More than anything, i felt that the message of the story was so moving. From the beginning of the movie, Tooms mother always scolds him to be strong. However, she never scolded him for his gender-identity though. The movie makes clear that gender-identity has nothing to do with inner strength. I think the message was that no-matter what your gender identity is, stand up for yourself and never let others walk over you. I think this movie speaks to every person because the message is something everyone should live by.
I would recommend this movie to friends who want to see something different for a change. This film is so artistic and refreshing and is a good change from the regular hollywood movies.
I had to suppress my laughter at how cheesy the opening fighting scene was, where the reporter knocks someone down and ends up causing a commotion (of course it’s another white guy who’s super pissed off and beats him up, haha). And then the main character saves him, just in time, and of course she is almighty strong. Good, I thought. How cliche is this movie going to be?
I was totally deceived. I don’t know how many times up I almost teared up watching this film!! It felt so nice to see that his mother and coach were so accepting of his tendencies, but there was a good balance in that there was a negative reaction from both his little brother and father. You could see how torn Toom was, where one moment he was feeling totally fine about his identity, then shut down with negligence. One scene where I almost cried was when the mother severely punished a young Toom for getting beat up by his little brother. She wanted Toom to be his feminine self, but be able to own up to it and protect himself if he was going to do so. I think that the average mother would merely tell him to be more like a boy, or maybe even give up and neglect him, but no: this mother is a true parent, guiding her beloved child, even if the way may seem rough and unforgiving at times.
I understood that the father and little brother felt hesitant to accept Toom’s transvestism because they are direct family, but I thought Thailand was a country where sex changes are pretty common. I did a quick research and found that transsexuals are discriminated from getting high paying jobs, and are usually lower paid entertainers. I felt kind of ignorant because as a foreigner, I saw Thailand as a happy-go-lucky country that was open to whatever, when in reality, it was just like anywhere else and in need of progress.
Near the end, the reporter asks Toom whether it is more difficult being a man or a woman. Her response is beautiful: “The most difficult thing is trying not to forget who you really are.”
.” I did a quick research and found that transsexuals are discriminated from getting high paying jobs, and are usually lower paid entertainers. I felt kind of ignorant because as a foreigner, I saw Thailand as a happy-go-lucky country that was open to whatever, when in reality, it was just like anywhere else and in need of progress.”
I thought the same exact thing as you. The world still has pretty far to go.
I really liked this movie. I honestly did not know what to expect at first but the story worked out very well. I thought Nong Toom is such an incredible person. Being able to live up to many people’s expectations like what she did before doing the surgery, I believe that not many people can do what she did. She is selfless and she only wanted to make her coach and parents proud and happy. Although this led to being miserable and not being able to fully live. I think her story could teach many people not only for transsexual people but for others as well.
My favorite part was the ending because she finally found who she truly was and she found her happiness and that is to completely become a woman.
I was moved when she told her coach and her mother what she truly feels about her identity. They were surprisingly very supportive. I thought that her mother was such an inspirational person as well as Nong Toom. Nong Toom’s mother was the one who taught her how to fight. Some people were judgmental and sadly people in the film who look down on transsexual people still exist. Hopefully this kind of film could change many people’s perspective toward transgender people.
I really enjoyed this movie. At first, I was a bit annoyed that they didn’t show Nong Toom’s face until the end. But after seeing that the film was about her childhood as a boy, it was nice to see her face at the end to give a sense of accomplishment.
I feel like this film gave me a sense of what a person goes through emotionally and psychologically while growing up. It also gives a sense of what it feels for someone to struggle with a male and female identity.
It was interesting to see the culture of Thailand and how they treat people who are transgender. In the film, we see a Buddhist perspective of negative karma affecting the family of one who is transgender. This is a much different perspective than what we see from a Christian point of view, in the following film.
This was probably my favorite film that we watched so far. It took a much more in-depth viewpoint of someone who was growing up in the body of one who is experiencing gender dysphoria. While, I wasn’t able to relate with the world of Nong Toom, since it was one of boxing and in Thailand, I could easily understand her internal struggle, from the events of the film.
‘Beautiful Boxer’ was a film very unique from the others we watched in this class. Incorporating more of a first-person view, through following the main character’s many stages in life, the film develops a more intimate relationship between the situation of the protagonist and the viewers. Through early childhood experiences, we can see the inklings of Toom’s motivations to become a woman growing and manifesting themselves. I found this to be a very interesting way to go about telling the story because it developed a larger sense of empathy for the choices the adult character would make, choices that are subject to the criticisms of society at large. Although I found the tale inspiring and much more immersive than some of the other pictures we have viewed in class, the production aspects of the movie got on my nerves a little, with the heavy reliance on crane shots and camera moves as well as somewhat cheesy montage-style fight sequences. The moments in which Toom’s character truly developed, however, were handled well and in a way that allows for audiences to connect with the messages of acceptance and overcoming diversity that were present throughout the film.
I also enjoyed this film in particular because it is the first one we have screened in class that deals with a man truly wanting to switch sexes, and become a woman. Despite almost falling into a boxing career that proves to be successful, Toom’s true motivations cannot be hidden and even when he gains critical successes as a kick boxer, his mission to become a woman is still higher on his list. The film offered a valuable and unique view into the situation of a transsexual.
So far I think this is my favorite movie of the course. I trained In boxing and Muay Thai so maybe that is why I was very fascinated in by the movie. it is amazing to see someone from a lgbt community go through this in such a straight male dominated sport. Girls fight get enough flack when doing combat sport what more so someone who’s going through the presses of someone wanting to change gender. Through out the movie you can see his struggling with his identity and like all the other movies to be accepted. I think the transgender community is big in Thailand and is more sportive but this story was even big in there community. Seeing the transformation from a boy to a man to a woman was fascinating. I felt like the more he accepted and started his transformation the more he actually stronger. The ending of the film was very nice and wrapped it up all nicely.
Beautiful Boxer was an interesting film because it was a real adaptation of someone’s life and transition. I hadn’t realized the real Nong Toom was so pretty! 🙂
My first experience with the kathoey subculture started in another TUJ class when we were shown this commercial, so my opinion prior to this film comes from very little about the culture.
http://matadornetwork.com/tv/this-thai-bra-commercial-will-make-you-look-twice-nsfw/
The most obvious thing that came to mind watching this film is the way the culture of Thailand is different than the western societies. There seems to be a greater acceptance I think. While men wouldn’t consider a ladyboy as capable of doing the same kind of sport as seen in the abrasive responses by men over the film, it seems like it has a more accepted and carved out subculture in the society.
Looking back near the film at the beginning, the treatment of Nong Toom as a child was interesting in particular. Gender dysphoria shows itself in Thai/Buddhist culture as a form of punishment for previous bad karma circling around in this incarnation. It surprised me a little to see such an apathetic or overall neutral response. It usually seems, from my western perspective, that religious grounds are geared toward a more heavy moral judgment. Obviously the culture still bullied him, but there was more representation early on.
I have mentioned in previous films that the dressing up has more of a ritual type of set up. Not so, in this film. I found that refreshing actually. It was more of a full process of this person both growing up and into him/herself. Within the film, this transition required for self-satisfaction is different than the earlier films we watched. Where clothes both fabulously over the top and casual were enough before, Nong Toom needed more to feel more satisfied within him/herself.
I really appreciated how delicately the film handled his mid film breakdown when he was chasing himself and then as he was dancing and boxing. I couldn’t imagine the pain people go through when they feel at odds with their own body. Again, near the end, I really thought the imagery of the child Nong Toom to the future Nong Toom on the bus. I think we all, regardless of gender identity, can look at the progression of our life and look at ourselves as we grow. It was really something I could identify with.
The film A Beautiful Boxer was unique, as it was not an American film looking into gender. Especially as of late, America has been one of the leaders in advocacy of gender equality (even to a radical amount). It was very interesting to see a person with issues with their gender identity in another culture besides a western one. It was also fresh to see such an accepting family that understood their child with problems with his own gender identity.
What I enjoyed the most was that this was based off of a true story. Most films like this are fabricated with hints of realism, but this was mostly true. It was also a good nod when the real Toom appeared in the film as a beautician. It was cool to see the comparison between the actress and the real thing.
What confused me, however, was the plot thread with Toom’s best friend who betrayed him. Why did he betray him? For kicks? Because he felt betrayed by Toom for tricking him with his gender identity? But if Toom hadn’t found out about the truth behind the betrayal, he wouldn’t have felt the shock from his friend’s back-stabbing, so his plan doesn’t make sense.
I liked this movie, and would absolutely recommend it to anyone struggling with gender identity. It’s a great success story about how someone can change into who they want to be.
I enjoyed this movie a lot, I think it was the best out of what we had seen so far. This is because I believe it showed a story of a transsexual person in a very realistic way. It might help that it is based on a true life story.
The other movies were entertaining and I learnt from then and others can learn a lot from them too, but I believe they had also very much concentrated in the entertainment value in a way that the Beautiful Boxer concentrates in portraying a true life story. Ofcourse it is hard to really compare the movies so far, since they all are very different stories of very differnt people, connected mainly by them being part of a minority group.
I loved the environment in the movie, the Thai villages and festivals. I have been to Thailand many times but have not seen much of this side of the country. The way they think about trans people is also interesting, since it is tied to their religious thinking in a way. It is funny how other religions are more understating, and others fully condemning. Ofcourse as in the movie we saw, even in the more understanding countries there will be haters (boxing fans saying he was disgracing the sport and their country).
I loved the character of Toom, he was such a sweet boy and somehow so pure at heart. As the movie concentrates on him and his feelings throughout, I believe I got an even deeper understanding of transgender people. Toom really starts to feel he is in the body of the wrong sex already as a small boy. I believe his character is very strong at heart, since he goes through so much and fighting when he feels it’s violent and doesn’t exactly enjoy it.
All in all I think it’s a really good film and a realistic true story.
My favorite film thus far in this course! While I admit the production values are not Hollywood-grade I feel “Beautiful Fighter” is quite artistic and engaging, at times rather unusual but no less enjoyable. It very accurately portrayed the situation of Trans-gender individuals in Thailand, and how even in a place rather open (in certain ways unlike the west) where Trans is more or less accepted as a part of life (though no less in a negative way as it unfortunately can be shown; i.e. negative karma from a past life) there are still struggles for them. Trying to hide the things you like because they conflict with the societal understanding of gender norms, deciding which bathroom or shower room to use, people mocking you for who you are, spiritual/religious beliefs about Transgenders and just down right having to cope with your body and your mind not being in harmony.
However, I found that Nong Toom’s parents were very good people. It made me very happy they held no opposition to her being who she is; especially when the only reason her father originally declined signing the consent for sex-reassignment surgery was because he feared for the life and physical well-being of his child. Not such can be said for Toom’s friend that conned her into throwing a match so he could win money for his “sick mother” because the boy knew Toom liked him. Many people in the movie are very open minded to some extent, it really touched me. I also laughed heartily when the boxing camp owner had no problem with Toom competing wearing makeup, but insisted instead he wear waterproof makeup because sweating made him look ugly.
I admire that Nong Toom could identify as a female, but is not afraid to also do things that reflect masculinity. It was refreshing– so many people forget that just because someone identifies as a different gender from their biological state that it does not mean they automatically (or need to love, as some people in transition convince themselves)love things characteristic of that gender. What we like is a part of who we are, but it should not decide our gender; that should be entirely our own choice in order to be comfortable in our physical state.
Beautiful Boxer started out with a bit of a cheesy scene with a reporter being attacked by a group of thugs and just in time the protagonist saved him by fighting the thugs. The camera angles were a bit clunky since they tried to reveal her face, but because of this it felt a bit amateurish. However, the following scene has the two sitting at a bar as the protagonist agrees to be interviewed. Yet what is interesting here is that there is an incredible dominance coming from Nong Toom that feels a bit intimidating even though the movie does not reveal her face yet. Though we have seen this approach of hiding a certain character’s face in more movies, Nong Toom immediately spiked my interest as she felt in control and I wanted to know more about her backstory. Luckily the movie gave a great backstory starting all the way back to when she was a little boy. This worked great as well, as there was still anticipation of not knowing what Nong Toom’s face looked like. It was great seeing how Nong Toom’s environment dealt with the situation as there were multiple people who had no problem with Nong Toom’s behaviour and, to my surprise, there were also a fair amount of people who were against it. The children’s reaction was very honest I thought as it is still difficult for children to understand some of the feelings these people have. The conversation between the two boys about not looking pretty and that it was regarded as sinful was portrayed very well. From the point where Nong Toom became a boxer, the movie followed a pretty straight line. Fight after fight and a rise in fame for Nong Toom. The movie did a great job of showing the little problems Nong Toom was facing with showering, going to the bathroom or buying/hiding make-up. The movie did not intrigue me as much as To Wong Foo did, but the theme and storytelling of Beautiful Boxer were right up my alley.
The bibliological film “Beautiful Boxer” is as interesting as other films about men who want to appear like women. The interesting point in this film is that the film shows the common struggle those men often have. It is true to claim that Nong Toom, the ex-male protagonist of the film is different from a male transvestite and three drag queens in the previous films we have seen. Unlike the man and the drag queens, she had an ultimate goal that is to become a woman, not a man appearing like a woman. The reason is that Nong Toom had suffered from her gender identity disorder. She feels uncomfortable to have a male body while having “a woman’s heart.” So Nong Toom is different from the man who just want to secretly wear female clothes, or the drag queens who appear like females for public performance, both WITHOUT undergoing transgender surgery.
But the common thing is that Nong Toom suffers from having elements of the opposite sex and revealing them in public, as well as the transvestite in the film and the drag queens in the real world. More specifically, because of behaving like females, Nong Toom faced bullying that stops when Nong Toom developed her skills of kickboxing. In addition, when she became a famous making-up kick-boxer in Thailand, Nong Toom in the film faced complaints by those who anger that she defiles the traditional Thailand’s kickboxing. In other films, the male transvestite obviously suffered from publicly showing her female appearance in daytime. Moreover, drag queens in the real world faces people’s feelings of disgust as Chi-Chi one of the drag queens in ”To Wong Foo” receives complaints at the beginning of the film because of her appearance. It is interesting to compare and contrast the films about the similar kind of person because we can see the interesting differences and similarity.