The Last Song

A re-make of the famous kathoey (ladyboy) showgirl drama, The Last Song (เพลงสุดท้าย), is now out in VCD, after a brief run in cinemas.

The Last Song is the story of a kathoey showgirl at Tiffany's nightclub in Pattaya, who as a member of the third sex despaired of her chances of ever finding true love.

Somying falls for a 'real' man, a motor mechanic called Bunterm, who tosses in his job for a part in the cabaret.

After a family loss, Somying becomes increasingly dependent emotionally on Bunterm, who indulges Somying's interest. However, his immature head is eventually turned by a 'real' woman - Somying's own sister.

Aoratai can hold out the prospect of marriage and a family which Somying cannot. The girls' father, who approves of the relationship (but has shunned his kathoey daughter Somying), is also willing to pay for the boy's studies. The pair confront Somying with their love.

In the final dramatic scenes, Somying is singing about her heartbreak before a packed house. Bunterm, played by Watcharakorn Waisi, is aware that she's about to do something desperate. He races to Tiffany's - just in time to witness Somying take her own life.

The film was famous when it was first released 20 years ago, partly because its tragic story was based on real-life events. It was also one of the first films to take a compassionate look at the life of a kathoey showgirl.

Somying came from a good home, but was cut off by her father, who refused to accept that she was a kathoey. The update is made by director Phisan Akraseranee, who also directed the first film. Thai society was now more accepting of kathoey, he said, so he felt it was time to retell it the story for a modern audience.

The nightclub scenes including the dramatic finale were shot in Tiffany's nightclub, where the original events unfolded. Thousands of extras were employed daily to sit in the audience. Each song took three to four hours to film. The cast and crew had to wait until Tiffany's cabaret performances were over for the night before they could start filming.

The closing scenes

The film was made on a B60m budget, includes a love scene, lavish costumes, and even an updated, orchestral version of the song which gives its name to the film. Most of the young leads, however, are newcomers. Phisan says he spent two months training them how to act before shooting started.

Boyfriend Maiyuu recalls the public reception when the first version was released 20 years ago. He says it encouraged many young men to take up the kathoey lifestyle and in some cases even change their gender.

Last year, the young kathoey who played Somying in the Last Song remake herself underwent gender re-assignment surgery to become a woman. At the time she made the film, Araya Ariyawattanashe, 22, was a kathoey but had not yet changed her sex.

Araya

That's her (right), shortly before she underwent the operation at Yunhee hospital in Bangkok. Production on the film had just ended. She did not say how much it influenced her decision to change her sex, but said she had contemplated changing her sex for a long time.

She told the media that her family had given their blessing. However, she admitted feeling nervous about forsaking an identity she had been carrying around all her life.

Previously Araya had surgery to enlarge her breasts and change her voice. Before being chosen for the role of Somying, she had entered beauty contests for kathoey and won a handful of awards.

The title track from the film, The Last Song, is popular to this day. You can watch the updated version made for the film, by Kanakum Apiradee, here.

Araya and Watcharakorn Waisin

Postscript: The film has many funny moments to counterbalance the sad. I am not sure what an overseas audience would make of it - the large supporting cast of gays and kathoeys, such as the Tiffany's nightclub owner and his comic retinue, are so outrageous they come close to parodying themselves.

The key relationships are those between Somying, Bunterm, and Somying's sister, Aoratai. All are newcomers to acting, and unfortunately it shows. Still, their blossoming three-way romance is lovely. Overall the film has a polished look.

The characters seem implausibly well off. The film looks like one of those Thai television soaps whose characters invariably live in palatial-like homes with humble servants and large swimming pools. 

We see few glimpses of the 'real' Pattaya, for which I suppose we should be grateful. The world of kathoey cabaret feels cut off from everywhere else - and perhaps it is. Catch scenes here.