ManSuang

Chartchai Ketnust's 2023 Thai film is set in nineteenth-century Siam. Two dancers infiltrate a club serving the upper class; their aim is to expose those betraying the country, and the work forces them to risk their lives. The visual ambition lies in the club itself. The sets, costumes and dance sequences rest on period design and the production scale is large for Thai cinema. The club is built as a place of both entertainment and intelligence gathering. The narrative runs political intrigue and the relationship between the two characters together. Against that, the plot is crowded and many connections are rushed in the final section; the historical background is used without explanation. Who it's for: those who like Thai period films and queer narratives. Who it's not for: viewers unfamiliar with Siamese history; the film uses many names and events without introducing them.