Beautiful Boxer

Beautiful Boxer
Beautiful Boxer
	Promotional release poster
Directed by	Ekachai Uekrongtham
Written by	Desmond Sim; Ekachai Uekrongtham
Produced by	Ekachai Uekrongtham
Starring	Asanee Suwan; Sorapong Chatree
Cinematography	Choochart Nantitanyatada
Music by	Amornbhong Methakunavudh
Distributed by	GMM Pictures; Regent Releasing (US); TLA Releasing
Release dates	November 28, 2003 (Thailand); February 7, 2004 (Berlin);
Running time	118 minutes
Country	Thailand
Languages	Thai; English; Japanese

Beautiful Boxer (Thai: บิวตี้ฟูล บ๊อกเซอร์) is a 2003 Thai biographical sports film produced, directed and co-written by Ekachai Uekrongtham. It tells the life story of Parinya Charoenphol (a.k.a. Nong Toom), a famous kathoey, Muay Thai fighter, actress and model. Charoenphol was portrayed by male kickboxer Asanee Suwan.^[2]^[3]

Cast

Asanee Suwan as Nong Toom / Parinya Charoenphol
Sorapong Chatree as Pi Chart
Orn-Anong Panyawong as Parinya Charoenphol's mother
Nukkid Boonthong as Parinya Charoenphol's father
Sitiporn Niyom as Nat
Kyoko Inoue as herself (female Japanese wrestler)
Sarawuth Tangchit as Parinya Charoenphol (as a child)
Keagan Kang as Jack the reporter

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 81% based on 36 critics. The website's critical consensus reads: "Beautiful Boxer blends boxing and identity politics to create a striking, if overdrawn, portrait of self discovery."^[4]

There was controversy in Thailand about the full frontal nudity in this film. For the Thai release, the nudity was cut.

The movie was highlighted in the book Movies and Mental Illness: Using Films to Understand Psychopathology as an example of films focusing on Gender Dysphoria.^[5]