No Other Choice: ‘Doi Boy’ Trailer Sheds Light on Refugees in Thailand

“Would you be interested if I can find you a job?” The opening question in the trailer for DOI BOY sets the premise for a gripping character drama that revolves around an illegal immigrant in Thailand who ekes out a living as a prostitute in a gay bar before getting entangled in the conflict between the Thai government and political activists.

When the pandemic shuts down his workplace, 21-year-old Sorn (Awat Ratanapintha) is forced to accept a risky proposition from Ji (Arak Amornsupasiri), a regular customer who offers him a deal that involves Wuth (Aelm Thavornsiri), an activist wanted by the government amid local political turmoil and the mysterious disappearances of fellow activists.

Written and directed by Nontawat Numbenchapol, a seasoned documentary filmmaker known for works like Boundary, By the River, and Soil Without Land, DOI BOY marks his debut in fiction and delves into socio-political issues such as human rights and border conflicts, all of which have been central themes in his previous works.

The film was particularly inspired by Soil Without Land, which featured Tai Yai soldiers. “Many of them don’t have dreams and don’t even realize that they can have the luxury to dream. One possible dream is to live in Chiang Mai for a better life,” said Nontawat. But without identification documents, their choices in life are limited, and many end up working in the gay bars for better pay.

When making documentaries, Nontawut would plan the issues and let his subjects take the lead. With DOI BOY, he applied the same approach and let things flow on the set. “Since I don’t have any experience in directing actors, I let them improvise especially towards the end of the film. This really helps add more depth to their characters,” he explained.

Giving the marginalized a voice

Clinching his first lead role in a film, Awat Ratanapintha threw himself into embodying Sorn. He read up on the marginalized Tai Yai people as well as the sex work industry, and even visited a gay bar in Bangkok to speak with its workers.

Sorn speaks the Tai Yai language, and because he’d been in Chiang Mai for a while, he also speaks Thai but with a Tai Yai accent. For the Tai Yai lines, Awat recorded his language coach speaking those lines and diligently memorized each word and intonation.

But speaking Thai with an unfamiliar accent proved a bigger challenge. Awat found videos of a Tai Yai YouTuber who had moved to Thailand and conscientiously imitated him, down to how the muscles of his tongue, mouth and neck should move.

“I practiced on my own every day for many hours until it became a routine, and I’d wake up in the morning speaking in this accent,” he said. “After the shoot ended, it took me three months before my Thai got back to the way it used to be!”

Awat, who was on the verge of giving up acting, has found a new purpose in his passion, saying, “I want to give these marginalized people a voice, so that their stories are heard.”

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