#punnasak sukee

[one-of-tankhuns-neurons]

I cannot tell you how terrified I am of rewatching 180 degree longitude passes through us

We all know most first-watch moments are to experience the whole thing, feel it, have it wash over us and let everything be skin and rain, sensation and aftertaste. Then we have rewatches, the ones that allow us to analyze and look closer and peel each layer carefully while bearing our own emotions alongside it... I happily do it for all shows I believe require attention and have details and crumbs leading to better understanding.. but this show.

It ate me alive.

It's been nearly two years yet my chest aches and my eyes feel like they're holding back a storm with just a single stray thought finding it's way to In's house in the middle of the mountains.

It punched a hole in my stomach with so much strength the skin is torn and I dream of the echoes of the impact.

It's the theatre in it, it pulls me in and reminds me of my youth, making me feel from the start that smell of mold, the sting of paper, the darkness of the theatre and the brightness of the stage... I don't know how to describe it.. it's a whole different universe and it's a scary one, because characters in theater are alive, and shifting, and they look at you through eyes you are familiar with. Theater is a form of sorcery I dare not mess with, but this show makes it real once again. It's the colors. The blue city, the green forest, and the grey unknown.

It's the lines. Every wall, every fold, every doorframe tracing an abyss, or a bridge or a portal to a different time. It's the half built bridge. The everpresent reminder of what if's; of fear and cowardice, of a love that's uninished and a life that doesn't want to be found. It's the unknown, the dark nightyet the blinding and shaming light of day. It's the caged bird. One time my feelings were eating me alive and Wang and In jumped out of the mirror as I was breaking down and I could hear Wang's voice growling "stop crying Icarus, can't you see there's no sun?" Do you se what I mean now? They come alive. Once they're let out they live inside people forever. It's the lonely whale... but was it really In? It's the acceptance speech It's the looking through chopsticks It's the way they speak of wine It's the barely grazing of skin It's the horror of a ghost you carry inside you It's the angry love It's Rosalind...right? Rosalind? That was her name? Rosalind? It's a phone that rings but no one picks up I am scared that when I enter that house again I will feel everything in my bones once again. I am scared that I will see more, the layers and the deep ocean beneath my surface and drown in it... But at the same time I am afraid that I will break the spell and make it mundane. I will come to realize it's just a story on a screen and I will no longer be scared of it and I'll lose the last of my real emotions. So I think I'll keep it safe until I begin to forget it. Or maybe I will become Wang and never find In again no matter how much I long for it. They will be a memory and I'll keep the nostalgia and the horror of never seeing eachother again as part of how real it was for me. I'll dust off a picture from time to time and remember. Deep in the night, I'll think of when I cried for several hours and I felt like throwing up my everyinside. I was not sad, I was ripped apart and it took months for me to rebuild what was left.

I can't write anymore, I need to clean the floor before the blood stains the carpet.

[pickletrip]

180 degree Longitude Passes Through Us

Screenwriter & Director: Tu Punnasak Sukee

I had heard about this show but I put it off for a long time because I knew it dealt with heavy and controversial themes. So, when I finally decided to watch it and actually did it I could barely wrap my head around it.

Getting lost on the way to a filming location with his famous director mom, who is also shown to be like his best friend, Wang discovers something he's been looking for for a long time. What started out as fascination and the yearning to know his father turns into admiration and love that tears apart everyone involved because that's how reality is. A small part of my mind wanted Wang to upend everything and do whatever he wanted, but the way Wang deals with trauma, loneliness, and felt love is so much more nuanced than In.

Of course, I can make a case for each of the characters and why they turned out the way they did, but Wang has seen and observed the destruction that comes with secrecy even if the truth hurts to be spoken. He chooses to be as straightforward as possible knowing that it would not just hurt himself but In and his mother.

I want to thank the writer/s, the director and whoever was in charge of photography, because the story was stitched together not just by the narrative but also the atmosphere and the camera work. What a splendid piece of art. I'm honoured that it has graced my screen and my life.

The constant emphasis on lines and boundaries was always reemphasized in the cinematography, and it was a beauty to see how the characters were imprisoned metaphorically.

There are many poignant moments that I would love to capture, but the ending sums up everything that was running through my mind.

[dragonsareawesome123]

Queer media + References to Plato's Symposium

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) dir. John Cameron Mitchell The Half of It (2020) dir. Alice Wu Lil Nas X - Montero (Call Me By Your Name) (2021) dir. Tanu Muino and Lil Nas X 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us (2022) dir. Punnasak Sukee Episode 5 Never Let Me Go (2022-2023) dir. Jojo Tichakorn Phukhaotong Episode 8

[mousieta]

Review: 180 Degree Longitude Pass Through Us

Year: 2022 Country: Thailand Platform: GagaOOLala Every so often a drama comes along that feels truly transcendent; it so completely nails the essentials of writing, directing and acting that these elements come together to make something that is not only better than the sum of its parts but resonates so deeply that, if caught by the right viewer at the right time, emotionally marks them in some way. That was 180 Degree Longitude Pass Through Us, for me. It is the best drama I watched this year, hands down.

The discussion for this show has to begin with the writing. In one sense the story is a parable about Queer Authenticity. What renders it powerful, however, is that this parable never looses the trees to focus on the forest, instead it shows us the forest but looking deeply, intimately, intensely (almost claustrophobically) at four particular trees: Wang, a youth fresh off his first year of college, his mother Sasiwimol (Mol) an acclaimed Drama director, her deceased ex-husband and Wang’s father, Siam and Siam and Mol’s estranged college friend, Inthawut (In).

The show is entirely character driven, the plot revolving around the internal lives and choices of the three main characters: Wang, In and Mol. All three are complexly written and rendered, full of human emotion and flaws and beauty. The writer/director Punnasak Sukee has extensive work in theater which is evident in the show but it not a detriment. There is a visual simplicity to his direction that allows the focus to be on the characters and gives weight to the elements that are visible. The set pieces tell as much a story as the actors and dialogue.

As for sets, there are few. Almost the entirety of the story takes place in Inthawut’s rural home. This could risk the show feeling stale, flat but instead allows the focus to be completely on the characters and the actor’s performances. There are whole episodes that consist of nothing but people moving from room to room, conversation to conversation but the watcher tension is strung so tight as to nearly snap under the strain. There were long stretches where I could barely breathe.

All of this set up - the script, the directorial choices, the sparse and economical sets - provide the backdrop for absolutely breathtaking performances from the whole cast. Each has such a powerful understanding of their character. Their chemistry together pulled me to the very edge of my seat.

The story itself is complex in its simplicity. Wang longs to know his missing father and, finding Inthawut, pleads for what grief prevents his mother from providing: the truth of his father’s past including the nature of Siam’s relationship with Inthawut.

The writer is wise and skilled in ways that blew me away and left me astonished and envious at his understanding of and courage to tell the story as it had to be told. As a lesser writer, I would have made different choices, I longed for other choices from the characters, but those choices would have violated the story that needed to be told. (I’m being a bit coy here because I don’t want to spoil anything)

So while he never loses sight of this characters, he has the insight to never undermine them for the easy and comforting tale. A tale that does confront the homophobia of modern societies but in a way that reiterates why the topic needs to continue to be addressed but in the hands of a Queer perspective.

I literally cannot heap enough superlatives on the show. I’ve watched it twice, written reams of meta and wish I had the time to write more. I sometimes find it useful to draw a distinction between Queer Media and BL/Yaoi/Slash as I do think there are differences between them which don’t disparage either but are important to understand when looking at them, and this definitely sits in the overlap between them but feels further on the Queer side than BL. For that, I’m grateful.

2022 Drama Reviews Masterlist

[blfanfest]

7 Days Before Valentine

Details

Title: 7 วันก่อนวาเลนไทน์

Also known as: 7 Days Before Valentines

of episodes: 12

Air dates: Nov 22, 2023 - Feb 7, 2024

Adapted from: the novel "7 Days Before Valentine" (7 วันก่อนวาเลนไทน์) by Patrick Rangsimant (อุเทน บุญอรณะ)

Screenwriter & Director: Tu Punnasak Sukee

Production Company: Bandai

Summary

Sunshine's love life is plummeting fast. On the very day he's trying to decide what to do with his life, fate sends someone with special powers to restore his previous relationship within seven days. However, nothing is this world is free. Everyone must pay something in return and that person is teaching him a very expensive lesson. (Source: Bandai Channel YouTube)

Click the link below for more updates.

[makeblintolgbt]

By the way if you're treating 180 degrees longitude passes through us like your run of the mill cute love story bl- YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT.

Learn media literacy, this is an interesting and complex piece of media it is NOT AN APPROVAL OF REAL LIFE RELATIONSHIPS!

[lgbtally4ever]

POND, ON HIS CHARACTER, WANG

180 DEGREE LONGITUDE PASSES THROUGH US

*****************************

This series needs to live on as a stage play!

[toastofthetrashfire]

The show has so much detail and nuance to it so far. The tension in episode one was intense, and like you point out the sense of intimacy and staging are fantastic. I’m really loving it!

It really does feel like there’s theater in its DNA. Episode two even got a bit meta with it for a short bit. Apparently the director/writer comes from a long background in modern theater and it shows beautifully

Episode 1 of 180 Degrees Longitude Passes through Us has me blown away.

The subtle conversational flirting/sparing between Waeng and In while Sasiwimol was in the room was brilliant. Can we talk about that chemistry and tension already?

And was this originally a play? Because the staging on camera and script makes it feel like that. Very intimate.

The 3 mains actors too? Oh my god.

This series is something different and y'all better be watching it.

[dingyuxi]

POND PONLAWIT KETPRAPAKORN as WANG 180 DEGREE LONGITUDE PASSES THROUGH US (2022) — dir. Punnasak Sukee 

[purple-worm]

I finished the four episodes of 180-degree Longitude Passes Through Us that are out and I don't think I can contain within me everything this drama has made me feel today.

It's something about how the show is so aware of the space it’s taking. Whether it's in the setting of the house in a quiet village or as a drama that exists in today's reality. Most of the show has been set inside In's house, but there's always an acknowledgment of the village that's beyond. An awareness of the people that live there, a responsibility towards them. It partly comes from its characters (mainly In, who is always 'paying attention' to his surroundings), constantly reminding us of the reality beyond In's house - the produce grown by the farmers around, the creek that the villagers need to cross etc. This also keeps up with In trying to make his point about the world not really belonging to anybody.

Extending this to Wang's perspective: unlike In, Wang's awareness is more about discovery. I'm a sucker for all the shots of the trees, the leaves, the sun that gleamed through them, the shots of his footsteps as he ventured into the woods and potentially changed the course of their lives, all of which adds to his bold and youthful nature. Inthuwat 'meticulously' following his coffee-making ritual spoke experience, while Wang quietly observing him spoke newfound curiosity and awe. He once mentioned that he felt lousy when he saw how careful In was in everything that he did. Couldn't be further from the truth. He may be all over the place with his actions, but damn if he isnt always paying attention to everything/everyone around him. That boy is perceptive to an almost fatal degree. (re: “You don’t like challenges. You only like challenging people” ahh this line said it all)

In contrast, Wang's mother who seems to be absolutely out of touch with reality, or maybe someone who is desperately trying to escape it. Her sense of superiority over creating het lakorns as opposed to (the supposedly mainstream) BL dramas is almost funny because she is a BL drama character herself,,, she is just so unaware of her place. She sounds loud and carefree but it’s evident that she has chosen to live in a bubble that protects her son and herself, but mostly just herself. I pity her. Making her a lakorn director obsessed with romantic fantasies was a genius choice and brings me to how the drama itself is so aware of the space it's taking in the Thai entertainment industry. All of the debate on the escapism that the industry (with its reliance on tropes) provides versus the reality of the modern day. Escapist media isn't a bad thing at all, but of course, a balance in the type of content created is always great. Everything about the show screams an intent to stay grounded in reality.

And while I talk about the awareness of the show's writing, the same can be said about the camera. The shots are able to present us with the histories of the characters. It understands who the characters are at their roots and their relationships with each other, beautifully highlighted by how they've been staged. The cinematography is simply fantastic. It’s rare to have a BL drama that is this assured of how it wants to present itself. The beauty of the shots does not only come from the visual appeal but also in the purpose they fulfill, which is difficult to do for a seemingly simple concept.

Many of its qualities are unlike a thai drama, and this too seems purposeful. But I can't say for sure. I looked up the director/screenwriter - Punnasak Sukee, and turns out he is an acclaimed theatre director, with credits for various plays including Midsummer Night's Dream and the Rocky Horror show, in addition to several original plays (the titles of which sound hella interesting) and this is his only screen credit at all. It explains a lot.

Honestly, I don't know how they plan to lay out the next four episodes. Given the age gap and character dynamics, I'd be surprised if it has a happy ending. I think they're aiming for something bittersweet. It would be fitting. I don't know if it will be satisfying, hurtful, disappointing etc. But I know that I'd still cherish it for the state it exists in currently. Really, the only thing I wish for is for the characters to heal.

I'm nowhere near finished, there's a lot to unpack, but this is already all over the place, and if you've read this far thank you and sorry. I'm just so happy that it exists at all.

[bengiyo]

180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us Rambling with Thoughts on Queer Art

I’ve been thinking about the finale of 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us all week, and have been absorbing the complex reactions folks have been having. When I first finished the show, I felt I was experiencing similar feelings to the end of Weekend (2011), and English film; and Giovanni’s Room, a novel by James Baldwin. Both stories left me feeling melancholy, but asked me to look inside myself and think about who I wanted to be beyond the story itself.

I think occasionally we come across a piece of work that cuts deeply to the big ideas tearing the author apart. Like Baldwin, I think Punnasak Sukee is haunted by the constructs of the world we live in and his limited ability to impact it as an intellectual and and artist. I think this comes through so clearly via Inthawut, who is clearly well-educated, thoughtful, and deeply-philosophical. However, at his core, Inthawut is a coward who has been punishing himself in his mountain home for all of the wrongs he’s inflicted upon others in his life. I’m in my 30s now, and I have many regrets about things I did or didn’t do when I was a teen and in my early 20s. I find myself identifying with In so much more than Wang when I watched this show, and so I was deeply sad for In because I understood why he made the choices he did.

I think when you read Baldwin, or if you watch a film like Weekend, you can feel the creatives behind them struggling with the world. Baldwin’s lead in Giovanni’s room is a spoiled American expat living off the graces of others, particularly his poor lover in France. It’s interesting that the title doesn’t have the lead’s name, and I can’t recall it from memory (it’s David). Though this novel ends tragically, the interior struggle with sexuality and our place in it lingers for me. Similarly, Weekend explores the brief fling between two gay men with different approaches to being out and the potential of what their lives might be if one of them wasn’t leaving. There is a familiar ache here that I felt at the end of 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us.

At the end of the show, the creators ask that parents not try to enforce ownership over their children. It reminds young people that pain is a part of growth. It reminds the “wise” not to fall by the wayside in our cowardice; it demands we pick a side. I don’t think the show is capable of giving a happy ending when there’s so much work to be done in the world for the oppressed. In a show about the way homophobia broke three people and forever dominated Wang’s upbringing, this show is asking us to be involved in making the future. I said this in the 180 Degree Discord, but I think the show is reminding us that the real fight is in the streets and where the decisions are being made. If melancholy queer productions can break us, we will not survive the fights that are to come. It’s not a joy to give this reminder, but so many of us have not survived the fight. I think that if you walked away from his show sad about In and frustrated for Wang, you’ve arrived at the intent of the show. We don’t want to create more folks like In, and we want to heal those trapped in their own grief, shame, and regret. We want to make the world better for the young people like Wang.

I saw some frustrations about the ending being sad, and as someone who experienced most of my formative queer experience in the art of the survivors of the worst of the AIDS epidemic, I think queer art in particular can and should tackle grief, regret, and frustration. I don’t think Punnasak Sukee has the answers; I think he’s sharing some of the things that continue to grip him at his core. He’s asking us to see these things in ourselves also and choose to do something with those feelings beyond despair and emotional paralysis. It’s not always fun being challenged by the media we enjoy, but I like being reminded of the shared experience we have as queer people that we sometimes struggle to articulate.

So I hope you gained something from watching 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us. I will do my best not to let my wisdom turn me into a coward. I will choose a side.

[yeetlegay]

i know you’ve only seen ep 1 but this isn’t a spoiler: there’s also a lot of social commentary in 180 degree longitude passes through us. the creator talked in an interview about how the show is very political and how the 3 main characters are meant to represent 3 different generations in thailand (in terms of attitudes towards lgbtq rights) https://lifeincartoonmotion.com/2022/09/10/180-degrees-with-punnasak-sukee/

Ohhh tysm for sharing this article, this is so cool! I’d wondered if the director had a theater background, but it makes even more sense that he’s the writer as well, because I swear all the dialogue just feels so well-suited to a play format. I hope he does more TV/film work, his style is absolutely stunning and totally different from anything else I’ve seen.

I definitely got the vibe that there’s going to be a lot of introspection about queerness both as a personal and a political identity, so I’m stoked to know that’s going to play a big role in the show. All the characters are just so well thought out and complex already. Even the mom is compelling despite the fact that she bugs the shit out of me lol.

This makes me even more excited to catch up on the rest of the episodes this week!

[xnoel]

Interview with Punnasak Sukee, the creator of 180 Degree Longtitude Passes Through Us.

Excerpt:

(...) Punnasak Sukee, the man who not only wrote the series but also serves as its director. A professor of Performing Arts and Artistic Director of Bangkok University Theatre Company, he has brought a sense of theatre to this series that I, at least in my limited scope, have yet to see any other series do in such an honest and poignant fashion. “I am interested in Politics,” Sukee says of the nature of the story in 180 Degrees. “As a teacher, I teach my theatre students to be stage activists. My work of art always concerns politics, so I think about how to manifest the idea and my voice as a responsible citizen in my work all the time. I’ve never seen Thailand in a perilous  juncture as today.”

“My 3 lead characters are representatives of 3 generations involving in the conflicts,” he continues, speaking of the fight for LGBTQ+ Equality. “Of course, Sasiwimol and Wang are obviously on different sides, but people like Inthawut are most of the people I’ve found in my daily life. Moreover, sometimes I see myself as Inthawut for lacking the ability to change something. And that leads to the question of whether authenticity can be changed. I am looking for a landslide in the next election (which seems to be far away and uncertain) to abolish the tyranny, but can we hope for the people like Inthawut to take action?”

[pipkrakes]

in ice age when the bad guy saber tooth tiger is like GIMME THAT BAAABY, DIEGO except it's me at punnasak sukee going DON'T KILL THAT BAAABY about wang

[blfanfest]

180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us

Details

Title: เส้นลองจิจูดที่ 180 องศาลากผ่านเรา

Also known as: 180 Degrees Longitude Between Us , Sen Longitude Thee 180 Ongsa Lak Phan Rao

# of episodes: 8

Airdates: Aug 14 – Oct 2, 2022

Day: Sunday

Genre: Drama

Adapted from: –

Director: Punnasak Sukee

Country: Thailand

Stream via: GagaOOLala

Summary

Sasiwimol is an extremely successful director and an open-minded mother who maintains a close and easy-going rapport with her teenage son, Wang. However, even someone as understanding as Sasiwimol is left shocked and bewildered upon learning that Wang is about to experience his first feelings of love and has fallen for the one and only Inthawut, a long-time trusted friend and contemporary of hers.

In an instant, life, love, friendship and trust are all put to the test as the three souls find themselves converged by an intricate “line” that is set to forever alter the close-knit bond between a son, a mother and her beloved friend.

Cast

Pond Ponlawit as Wang

Nike Nitidon as In

Mam Kathaleeya McIntosh as Sasiwimol

Check out my blog post for episode links and updates.

[lgbtally4ever]

Writer/Director

180 DegreesLongitude Passes Through Us is a more adult, more cerebral series than the average BL series to which we are accustomed. It is really well-conceived, well-written, and well-directed by Punnasak Sukee. It has the feel of a stage play, much of the time a two-person show, although the mother is an integral part.

The characters are pretty well fleshed-out and there is an enticing story that, certainly got, and kept, MY interest.

I’m up to ep. 5 of 8, but episodes 7 & 8 have yet to be released.

I’m addicted to it.

It’s extremely big on dialog, which may not be to everyone’s taste, but it IS very worth watching and, if they decide to do so, would make an excellent film version.

On GagaOOLala.

WHY IS NOBODY TALKING ABOUT 180 DEGREES LONGITUDE PASSES THROUGH US?