Communing with the PEESAJ

FANS OF THE dark fantasy series “Halfworlds” will no doubt be glued to their screens this Sunday as the second season of the HBO Asia hit expands the underworld universe to the neon-bathed streets of Bangkok.
From the dark, mysterious and fearful streets of Jakarta where demit (the immortals) and humans coexist and collide, the story in season two follows a researcher who tries to uncover the secret world of the peesaj, Thai for demon, as she searches for the Kris of Amarana, an ancient artefact with great power.
This time around the cast is made up of several Thai actors as well as those from Indonesia and the Philippines. Renowned Thai theatre and film director, Ekachai Uekrongtham is at the helm.

The streets of Bangkok become the new playground for mortals and peesaj or demons
“I liked the first season, so when HBO approached me I said ‘yes’ immediately. I was very excited,” says Ekachai of his directorial debut for TV.
“The HBO team told me right from the start that they were open to creative visions, which was why I was attracted to the project. Though the two seasons are connected, there are also some separate identities.
“What we did was to expand the “Halfworlds” universe. That allowed us to keep some characters from the first season but add new narrative strands and new emotional journeys. The two seasons are pretty much stand-alone, like two books from the same story, and you don’t need to watch the first season in order to appreciate the second. Right from the start I was very interested in the concept of immortality, which presents a very interesting dramatic core because immortality is meaningless unless you have someone to share it with. That makes the demons very close to us, and in some weird and warped way, we share the same sentiments whether we’re demons or not. I like that uniqueness about being immortal, while sharing similar sentiments. It’s both unique and universal,” he continues.
“To me, season two is about family and friendship. It’s about two kinds of family: the one that we’re born with and the one we collect as we go through life. And it’s about two types of friendship, one that’s forged under positive circumstances, and another that comes from harsh circumstances. Some of the characters form very unlikely friendships. I like this theme, and I feel that in this day and age where connections tend to be more digital than physical, everyone yearns to really be connected with another person. Every character in this season, I think, has a very strong yearning and yearning is always very good for dramatic exploitation.”
Shot in Bangkok and Batam, Indonesia, which also doubled as Bangkok, over 42 nights, the preparation for the series started back in December 2015. Even though it’s a TV series, “Halfworlds” has impressive film quality and intricate details that smoothly ease the audiences into the second season.

Veteran Thai actress Nicole Theriault, left, and Jeeja form a mother-and-daughter, demon-and-human bond in the series.
“Every character in season one is very compelling. But if you look at the new world we’re creating, we want to find characters from season one that can propel us into season two on the same theme. The two that we brought with us to this season have new chapters in their lives that are very interesting. Fans of season one will find familiar characters but with different dimensions,” adds the director, who is renowned globally for “Beautiful Boxer” and a string of stage works.
One of the familiar faces is Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian, reprising the role of the demon Tony, who is in Bangkok strictly for business. His lover and partner-in-crime Ros has disappeared, and his best chance of getting her back is to enter a no-holds barred flight tournament where the rule is to kill or be killed.

Versatile Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian reprises the role of Tony, the smirking, witty demon.
“My character has not changed dramatically, Reza tells XP. “Tony, in this season, is still very playful and still has his own way of intimidating people around him. But in this season, I do a lot of fights, three big fights actually, in a ring.”
Another key character appearing is season two and bridging the storyline between the two is Barata, the half-breed, who makes his way to Bangkok on a quest of his own.
“I grew fond of the team and the story of ‘Halfworlds’ in season one, so when they asked me to come back I didn’t have to think. I just said yes,” says Indonesian star Arifin Putra.
“I fell in love with the universe we built in “Halfworlds”, the mythology of it. Much like Reza’s character, Barata has not changed but was given new colours and toys to play with. It’s fun.
“In season one everyone was driven by fear, by this end of the world as they knew it. In this season, though, everyone is driven by hope for a better future. For Barata, something happened between the seasons that changed his view on life completely. He’s a changed man now. He has a more optimistic view of the world, and realises that he’s here to pursue something with everything in his power.”
Fans have come to know Barata as a mysterious yet enigmatic lone wolf who kept to himself, lurked in the shadows and slew. This time around he will cross paths with someone from his past and form a difficult friendship. Jake Macapagal from the Philippines plays Kaprey, a tweaked version of the mythical Filipino “tree giant” that lures people into the woods. In the series, Kaprey is a peesaj and is holding on to the powerful Kris of Amarana. His lair is a labyrinth in the most nefarious part of town called the Citadel, where unwelcome visitors do not make it out alive without his blessing.
New characters, played mainly by Thai actors, include Fyter (Peem Jaiyen) a peesaj who falls for Juliet (Tia Tavee) the human he is assigned to kill, the rebellious peesaj Pym (Emma Grant), seer and singer Wish (Myra Molloy) and Mick (Charlie Ruedpokanon) a rule-abiding peesaj who soon discovers that doing the right things doesn’t mean following the rules.
Multi-talented actress and singer Nicole Theriault joins the cast as Warin, a human who rules over both worlds with an iron fist, alongside her bodyguard and confidante Thip, played by action star Yanin “Jeeja” Vismitananda. Thai-French actor, David Asavanond, who starred in the critically acclaimed Thai film “The Last Executioner” and “Tom Yum Goong” takes the role of Charlie, leader of the peesaj world.

Aspiring Thai musical star Myra Molloy made the acting debut on TV as Wish, a demonic seer with a beautiful voice.
HBO Asia started producing its original productions in 2012 and has never looked back. Their originals series to date include “Master of Drunker Fist: Beggar So”, “Master of the Shadowless Kick: Wong Kei-Ying”, “Grace”, “Serangoon Road” and “Dead Mine”. This year, in addition to “Halfworlds”, audiences can look forward to supernatural drama “The Teenage Psychic” from Taiwan, and “SENT”, a comedy with an ensemble cast from Thailand and Singapore.

“Halfworlds” Season 2 premiers with double back-to-back episodes on Sunday at 8pm for free on http://HBOAsia.com/HBO/en-sg/shows/halfworlds/season2/
A new episode will premiere on subsequent Sundays at the same time, concluding with two back-to-back episodes on February 26.