Based on the true story of Thailand’s famed transgender kickboxer Parinya Charoenphol, affectionately known as Nong Toom, Beautiful Boxer is a poignant action drama. Believing since childhood that she is a girl trapped in a boy’s body, Nong Toom sets out to master the hyper-masculine combat sport Muay Thai, to earn a living and to pay for her gender reassignment surgery. Uekrongtham’s touching, funny debut feature retraces the boxer’s steps from childhood days, to teenage life as a travelling monk, to the gruelling days spent in training camps, to widespread fame as a martial arts champion. Through intricately choreographed kickboxing sequences and a breathtaking performance from real-life fighter Asanee Suwan, Beautiful Boxer brilliantly confounds traditional perceptions of masculinity and femininity.
Beautiful Boxer
Ekachai Uekrongtham
บิวตี้ฟูล บ๊อกเซอร์
2003
Thailand
118 min
07 December / 19:30
07 Dec / 19:30
Reading Biscuit Factory
23 September / 20:30
23 Sep / 20:30
Midlands Arts Centre
18 May / 18:15
18 May / 18:15
Genesis Cinema
Ekachai Uekrongtham
Ekachai Uekrongtham is a director and writer, known for Beautiful Boxer (2003), Pleasure Factory (2007) and Skin Trade (2014). He has worked in both theatre and film, and was one of the founding members of the Singapore ACTION Theatre. He often works in the biopic and docudrama genres, and was included in the official selection for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.