Two is company and 'Threesome' is a lot of fun

DC COMICS might consider hiring Tanwarin Sukhapisit if it ever wants to reboot the Catwoman franchise. Granted, Tanwarin’s Catwoman in the ghostly romantic comedy “Threesome” (“Ther Khao Rao Phee”) is just a slutty character in skin-tight feline gear, meowing and rubbing up against her male co-star, but the short scenes are infinitely more entertaining than that supervillain bomb that starred Halle Berry.
I only mention that to illustrate how films with average-sounding plots can actually turn out great in the hands of talented directors. And that’s the case with “Threesome”, which is about a young woman who breaks up with her boyfriend and takes up with another guy – who turns out to be a ghost.
In any other hands, such a premise might turn out dull or laboured. But writer-director Tanwarin, following up the critically acclaimed transgender drama “It Gets Better”, takes “Threesome” to a conclusion that’s refreshingly logical and straightforward but also light-hearted and entertainingly funny. Support from a strong cast, easy-on-the-eye camera work and a pop-laden score puts the film in the top tier of Thai productions so far this year.
Arpa Pawilai is appealingly cast as Som, an ordinary young woman who works as a movie makeup artist. Her long-time live-in boyfriend Rang (Chaiyapol Julien Poupart) is also in the business. But the muscle-bound prop guy – always wearing biceps-baring vest T-shirts – captures many adoring eyes, like those of the promiscuous Catwoman, but also his straight-acting gay boss (Akarin Akaranithimethara) and just about anyone else with a pulse.
Som has about had it with Rang being distracted by all the flirting. She’s finally pushed to the brink when she arrives home to find him drunk and passed out in bed after being taken advantage of by the predatory Catwoman. She kicks Rang out and then goes to her apartment rooftop, which is of course the first place any heartbroken young woman should go. She stands at the precipice, only to be held back at the last instant by a neighbour guy named Ple (Steven Fuhrer), who’s been hanging creepily around.
While he’s handsome enough, something’s not right about Ple. Som doesn’t notice anything amiss though. “He always brings me food. I think his parents are rich,” she tells a friend. Not even the fact that the food is an oddball conglomeration of items that might be offered to monks or at a spirit house raises Som’s suspicions. Nor does it seem to matter that Ple’s room next door hasn’t been occupied in years.
However, Rang, heartbroken, is wise to Ple and looks for ways to expose him while also trying to win back Som. He enlists the assistance of the local temple’s abbot as well as Som’s colourful friends and co-workers from the hair salon where she’s taken a job. They mention the legend of the ghost-wife Mae Nak of Phra Khanong, saying Som is just like the Nak’s husband, Mak, who has no clue his wife is dead.
Along with the trio of two leading men and one woman, a few familiar faces liven up the cast further. Among them is “Dear Dakanda” director Komgrit Triwimol, playing the director on the film set. He hilariously seems all too eager to demonstrate how Catwoman should lick her man’s face.
“Love of Siam” star Witwisit Hiranyawongkul turns up as one of Som’s friends, part of a trio of concerned neighbours who aid Rang in recapturing Som’s heart.
The supporting cast represents nearly every stripe of the queer rainbow. Among them are a transgender makeup artist who’s been through the wringer, teen-idol actors who are actually gay, and a male couple, both hairdressers, who fluidly switch husband-wife roles.
“Threesome” is campy without going over the top. The queer characters are actually the most-grounded and real of the bunch. In “Threesome” there’s a warmth that’s absent from most other Thai films, which tend to be mean and exaggerated when it comes to portrayals of gay and transgender folk.