วิมานหนาม

Dessert made with durian* will be served before the screening (*the smell of durian may be too pungent for some)

Content advisory: accident trauma, explicit violence, sexual content

Reflecting on the recently passed bill of marriage rights for LGBT+ persons in Thai parliament, this film stands as a testament to the battles queer activists have fought for decades. It rightfully exemplifies the fictionalized but true case of a gay couple: Thongkam and Sek who built a paradise of durian orchards and promised each other an eternity. As homosexual partners without equal rights, when one of them died the other had to fight against the world that came crashing down on him. This tragedy is similarly reflected in Ray Yeung’s recent film All Shall be Well which zooms in on the tension between chosen and biological kin. June Kim of Toronto Film Festival wrote: “As with the durian flowers that need an extra touch to pollinate, it’s imperative to build the right foundations to bear fruit. Thailand’s recently passed same-sex marriage bill — the first in Southeast Asia — is hopefully the first of many.” (SU)