Abstract:

Tells the true-life story of Parinya Charoenphol, a transgendered kickboxer whose winnings from fighting in the ring funded his sex-change operation. The film tracks Charoenphol, affectionately known as Nong Toom, from his childhood, where he first discovered his feminine side, to his youth in a monastery to an arduous training program and eventually his championship bouts, where he would don makeup and drag. Choreographed kickboxing scenes are interspersed with the story of Toom in his quest to realize his dream of sexual reassignment. The New York Times said, "Its blazing emotional core is the real-life boxer Asanee Suwan's joyously physical performance," which won Suwan the Thai equivalent of Oscar's Best Actor. An unforgettable film that will inspire, delight and provoke.