''Beautiful Boxer'' ( th, บิวตี้ฟูล บ๊อกเซอร์) is a 2003 Thai

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

sports film A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme. It is a production in which a sport, sporting event, athlete (and their sport), or follower of sport (and the s ...

produced, directed and co-written by

Ekachai Uekrongtham Ekachai Uekrongtham ( th, เอกชัย เอื้อครองธรรม; ; zh, 吕翼谋) is a Thai theatre and film director. Based in Singapore, Ekachai is the founding artistic director of ACTION Theatre, a Singapore professional ...

. It tells the life story of

Parinya Charoenphol Parinya Charoenphol ( th, ปริญญา เจริญผล; ), nicknamed Toom,; also known by the stage name Parinya Kiatbusaba; and the colloquial name Nong Toom or Nong Tum,; ; meaning 'Lil Sis Toom' is a Thai boxer, former muay ...

, a famous

kathoey ''Kathoey'' or ''katoey'' ( th, กะเทย; ) is an identity used by some people in Thailand, whose identities in English may be best described as transgender women in some cases, or effeminate gay men in other cases. Transgender wo ...

, Muay Thai fighter, actress and model. Charoenphol was portrayed by male kickboxer Asanee Suwan.

Cast

* Asanee Suwan as Nong Toom /

Sorapong Chatree Sorapong Chatree ( th, สรพงษ์ ชาตรี; born Pittaya Tiamswate; 8 December 1950 – 10 March 2022) was a Thai film actor. He had frequently starred in the films of Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol, as well as in Cherd Songsri's cl ...

as Pi Chart * Orn-Anong Panyawong as Parinya Charoenphol's mother * Nukkid Boonthong as Parinya Charoenphol's father * Sitiporn Niyom as Nat *

Kyoko Inoue is a Japanese female professional wrestler. She has held the WWWA World Single Championship three times, and is the first woman to win a men's title in Japan. Inoue performed in the World Wrestling Federation at Survivor Series 1995 in an a ...

as herself (female Japanese wrestler) * Sarawuth Tangchit as Parinya Charoenphol (as a child) *

Keagan Kang Keagan Kang (born 5 May 1976) is an Australian actor living and working in Singapore. Kang's first professional acting role was in ''Sweat''. Soon after, a theatre director invited him to star in the stage play ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern ...

as Jack the reporter

Reception

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website

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, the film has an approval rating of 81% based on 36 critics. The website's critical consensus reads: "''Beautiful Boxer'' blends boxing and identity politics to create a striking, if overdrawn, portrait of self discovery." There was controversy in Thailand about the full frontal nudity in this film. For the Thai release, the nudity was cut.

Awards and nominations

;Won *

Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

– Best Feature Film *

Thailand National Film Association Awards The Suphannahong National Film Awards ( th, รางวัลภาพยนตร์แห่งชาติ สุพรรณหงส์, also known as the Thailand National Film Association Awards) is the primary film award of the Thai film ...

– Best Actor (Asanee Suwan), Best Makeup ( Kraisorn Sampethchareon) *

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in ...

– Sebastian Award *

Milan International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has ...

– Best Film *

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

– Achievement Award – Outstanding Emerging Talent (

) ;Nominated * GLAAD Media Awards – Outstanding Film

References

External links

*
Official U.S. Site
*

by Susan Aldous and Pornchai Sereemongkonpol published 2008 by Maverick House Publishers 2003 films 2003 biographical drama films 2000s sports drama films Thai biographical films Thai LGBT-related films Thai-language films 2000s English-language films 2000s Japanese-language films Biographical films about sportspeople Boxing films Films about trans women Sports films based on actual events LGBT-related sports drama films Muay Thai films Thai Muay Thai films Here TV original programming Kathoey Cultural depictions of Thai people Cultural depictions of boxers Cultural depictions of transgender people 2003 LGBT-related films 2003 drama films Biographical films about LGBT people 2000s American films Films set in Thailand {{sport-film-stub