Beautiful Boxer (2004)

Bio-pic of transgender Muay Thai boxer Parinya Charoenphol who pursued the sport to pay for her sex change operation.

Director:

Ekachai Uekrongtham

Writers:

Ekachai Uekrongtham (screenplay by), Desmond Sim (screenplay by)

Stars:

Asanee Suwan, Sorapong Chatree, Orn-Anong Panyawong

6 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Asanee Suwan	...	Nong Toom / Parinya Charoenphol
Sorapong Chatree	...	Pi Chart
Orn-Anong Panyawong	...	Nong Toom's Mother
Nukkid Boonthong	...	Nong Toom's Father
Sitiporn Niyom	...	Nat
Somsak Tuangmkuda	...	Pi Moo (as Somsak Tuangmuka)
Kyôko Inoue	...	Herself (Female Wrestler) (as Kyoko Inoue)
Keagan Kang	...	Jack (the Reporter)
Yuka Hyodo	...	Japanese fan (as Hyouda Yuka)
Tanyabuth Songsakul	...	Tam
Sarawuth Tangchit	...	Young Toom
Natee Pongsopol	...	Novice Monk Toom
Nattama Narkpo	...	Pi Nam
Chayaporn Tometh	...	Pi Nid
Panuwath Kongsamuth	...	Jate

Storyline

Based on the real life story of Parinya Charoenphol, a Muay Thai boxer who underwent a sex change operation to become a woman. The movie chronicles her life from a young boy who likes to wear lipstick and flowers to her sensational career as a kickboxer - whose specialty is ancient Muay Thai boxing (moves which she can execute expertly with grace) - to finally confronting her own sexual identity, which leads to her sex change op.

---

Plot Keywords:

muay thai | transgender | thai boxing | kickboxer | transitioning | 

---

Taglines:

He fights like a man so he can become a woman

---

Genres:

Action | Biography | Drama | Sport

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

GMM Pictures [Thailand] (Thai, English) Regent Releasing

Country:

Thailand

Language:

Thai English Japanese

Release Date:

29 April 2004 (Singapore)

Also Known As:

A Luta Pela Beleza

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,713, 23 January 2005

Gross USA:

$133,920

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$638,317

Company Credits

Production Co:

GMM Pictures Co.

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Ekachai Uekrongtham encouraged Asanee Suwan against playing the lead role as a stereotype, telling him "When you play Nong Toom, you have to believe you are a woman, not a ladyboy. If you think to yourself that you're playing a ladyboy, your body language will be flamboyant, over the top. But if you approach it as if you're playing a woman, you will be natural. Your acting will be sincere."

---

Quotes

Jack: But I still don't understand how your parents can be so... accepting... of the fact that you wanna be a girl.
Nong Toom: They know it's my karma. I did bad thing in past life, so I had to suffer in this life.
Jack: Where did you learn that from?
Nong Toom: In the temple, when I was monk.

---

Connections

Referenced in Drag Race Thailand: Beloved Thai Movies (2018)

---

Soundtracks

Chlang Mai Girl
lyrics and music by Charan Manopetch
Performed by Asanee Suwan, Sutaree Wechanon and Da Jim

User Reviews

A Story Everyone Should See

"A Beautiful Boxer" tells a touching story of a girl born into the wrong body, and who, through boxing, would eventually be able to become one through surgery. It's a story about overcoming one's fate.

Nong Toom was interested in dancing, putting on girl's makeup, and wearing woman's clothes from a very early age. His mother comments at the very beginning of the story that it was "just a fad", but it soon becomes clear that this isn't a phase; it's just the story of boy who should have been born a girl.

The writing and filming is solid and so is the pacing with the exception of a few moments. But what makes this film rise above its technical merits is its heart. The acting is superb. At some points, you forget that you're just watching a movie because it's clear that the actors, especially Nong Toom's Asanee Suwan, are really becoming their characters. Thanks to this, we get a plethora of heartfelt moments and really get a feel for a subject area that is relatively untouched, transsexuals. Sometimes transsexuals get a bad rep, but the fact is that these are real people who have to overcome the exceptional struggle of coming to term with their own gender identity while the people around you despise you, bully you, and at times make your life a living hell because they don't really understand.

Overall, Nong Toom is an exceptional movie with a psychological edge that is harshly realistic. I recommend it to everyone, because I believe it's a story that everyone should be familiar with. Transgenderism isn't as rare as people think.