This review is the ultimate shattering of pretty illusions caused by all the decietful 10 star rated reviews of this drama, provided by yours truly.
See I have no problem if you loved the show, if this kind of thing is your thing and you enjoyed watching it. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion and boos should do their yous.
But, if you're tryna sell me the fact that 'this drama is a beautiful redemption story filled with well-developed characters and a thoughtout plot-line', I'm going to have to tell you to sit the fuck down.
Because, that's not it at all. Objectively speaking, Sawang Biang is quite a simplistic story targeted to appeal to mankind's perverse pleasure. It's really not that deep. I personally like complex, wounded characters who're almost unforgivable but at the very least, I want them to be well written in order to understand their reasons.
Kawee, to put it simply, is a pathetic little bitch.
A child of abuse and neglect (both of which aren't properly explored) who's fundamentally broken but has very little reason to be. A spoiled brat with daddy issues- basically every rich kid's life story nowadays. Even if I don't bring out the 'kids in Africa with worse lives' argument, it's still safe to say that Kawee had no right or reason to act out the way he did. He pretended to be tough but was weak to his core. Someone deprived of love, affection and angry at the world. All these things should've amounted to him being quite an interesting and complex character but instead, the show made him fall flat. Which is why, though I liked the potential he had, I hated what he ended up being.
A lot of people described the show with flowery words like 'a beautiful story of a man's broken road to redemption' except that road broke and came to a dead end far before it could ever reach its goal.
Kawee's actions are surely unforgivable and the only way he could've been saved was if he had the brutal wake up call of self actualization. If he truly realized how horrible he had been. If his sins woke him up at night and tormented him. If he developed a deep rooted guilt and then travelled a slow journey towards being a somewhat better person; someone not fully redeemed but not the devil he was before either. Here, however Kawee changes like the whether. He wakes up one day, realizes he's gonna be a father and is all like 'Oh shit, time to be a saint now' and the next day we see him be the best person alive.
Like for fuck sake, we're talking about an extremely damaged person with deep rooted insecurities here. How the hell can a few sentimental speeches expressing regret and a few months of asskissing possibly erase all the destruction he wreaked in an innocent woman's life?
Let's not forget the fact that he constantly boasts about all the 'good' things he does being all like ' Isn't this enough, Narin? I'm trying so hard for you, can't you see?' Really bitch? Fite me.
Now for all those who say that the chemistry between the leads was great...
Are you out of your Goddamn mind?
Maybe I'm blind but where you saw chemistry I saw massive cruelty. This wasn't a case of dubious consent where the girl is half-willing and half not. No. This was an act of pure and unadulterated malice. He rapes her, beats her, manipulates and blackmails her to do his bidding and treats her like a dog on a collar. There is nothing remotely romantic about it. It's infuriating is what it is.
Almost as worse as the Main lead, were the side characters. I have never encountered a more ridiculous drama mom in my entire life. She's so nice, so kind, so lovely that her piety takes over all her brain cells. Even though she is clearly aware of what a douche bag Kawee is, she forces her abused daughter to constantly apologize to him and be nice to him.
I mean, how clueless can you be? However, when she finally gets a clue and makes this 'I'll never let him hurt my daughter again' declaration; she acts on this statement by acting all chummy with her daughter's rapist the next day by teaching him how to cook.
Bravo Mama, Bravo.
The rest of the meddling no-lifers known as the supporting cast were no good either. They constantly guilt tripped the heroine, making her believe as if she's the one in the wrong for not easily forgiving the man who destroyed her life. They consistently forced her to be with him and it's an all out classic case of victim blaming.
Even her pregnancy docter tells her to obey the man. Like bro? Y'all are acting like he stole her pup and she's mad. No, that asshat stole her life, her happiness and her virginity. Unfuckingbelievable.
To be real with you, I'm not a faint hearted or easily offended person. I've watched and read far brutal stories than this. A lot of people take up controversial topics and then proceed to effectively ruining it. Been there, seen that. The real reason why I'm so passionately angry about the show is how much it trivializes rape. It makes it appear as something that is normal. Nobody in the show properly adresses the issue or deals with the repercussions. Rape used to be a word bomb; an absolute taboo but here it's shown like an everyday thing. If you're not going to properly adress the subject and the aftermaths of it, why the hell are you putting it in your show in the first place? What's worse is that while I was watching this show even I, for a minute overlooked the whole rape thing with how normalized it was but later, when I thought about it and the scenes revolved around my head, I was deeply shook.
There is no way a victim and an assaulter can be together the way they are in Sawang Biang. Kawee has no reason to love Narin and it's obvious that what he feels, is this sick infatuation and ownership towards her because of how much he physically and mentally controls her. Narin, on the other hand has no other option but to accept him. She's forced into a situation where she has a kid to protect, humiliation to face and family and friends that think she's the villain. This is an unfortunate compromise of a union disguising itself as a love story and I call bullshit.
The only reason I even gave it a three stars was because of Ken and Anna. I liked both their acting. The way Ken twisted his pretty features into pure ugliness made Kawee an all the more deplorable character. Narin played by Anna was strong though out. She resisted the situation as best as she could and was someone whose will wasn't truly broken till the very end.
I don't recommend this drama to anybody so if you are someone who likes to venture in the realm of the dark, go read Six by K.I Lynn. It's far graphic than this show but has characters that stay true to themselves till the very end and find love in horrible circumstances.
Enjoy!
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I am new to watching anything from Thailand mostly I've hung out with Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese dramas so it's kinda a mind flip on what your accustom to watching when it comes to dramas.
I am a fan to both Ken and Ann's acting and if you watch this what makes the story worth watching is the phenomenal acting and where these two are able to take this tragic script and make you care about the characters and want them to find happiness at the end. The only reason I would review this drama and stuck with it to the end is because of how well acted and talented the two leads are in this story to keep you going. Ken is able to make you feel sympathy where none should be thought to be given.
If you decide to hunt this lakorn down know you will find Kawee actions are beyond forgiveness but he's a child of abuse, extreme wealth and neglect and has no personal growth in his emotions and sympathy of others until he sees what his own actions have cost him and only then does he learn from what he has done and only it shows how only love can change him. You will hate him ten fold in what he does to Narin. You will find yourself disgusted by both his father and his new wife / Narin's sister's marriage and you will see how Leela and Kawee's fighting nearly destroys Narin.
This lakorn was on Viki but it no longer is available. The original translator of this drama had uploaded the episodes on Youtube but then canceled their account. Only 7 of the 12 episodes are available online with translation and its a blurry copy and the rest of the episodes are listed by another person there. If you want to hunt this down there is one seller on Ebay who has it available for around 12.50 with the english translation. It is a story worth watching but its not for the faint of heart and it has graphic subject material.
I give the acting on this a 10. By far the best acted lakorn period.
There is some slight comedy worked into it in from the coworkers at the floral shop but I would by no means call this a romantic comedy.
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1!!! DRAMA WARNINGS !!!
1) I'm sure you've probably noticed from the comment sections but let me re-iterate it here. This drama has scenes of abuse - physical, emotional and psychological. This show is a literal minefield of triggers. If you're sensitive to scenes of violence, rage, rape, emotional blackmail and abuse, this is either not the show for you, or if you're still intent on watching it regardless, please go into it heavily armed and prepared. You have been warned.
2) For a lakorn, I personally think that this is one of, if not the, most realistically set lakorns I've seen. Why is this a warning? Well, because the realism and the depictions of scenes, especially those in your typical everyday places, make it harder for you to disassociate from the show. You're not taken out of your world into another, no, this world comes knocking on your front door and makes itself at home in your house. And that adds another subtle layer to the emotional triggers on this show. It's harder for the viewer to disassociate from what's happening on-screen.
3) I personally would not label this show as a 'romance' for a primary genre because large chunks of it could hardly be considered romantic - so for those of you going into this expecting a sweeping romance, you're going to be in for a very rude shock. If you asked me, I'd prefer to call it a study on human psychology and cognitive behaviour, and its impact on others. I can't believe I'm actually saying this about a lakorn.
4) The main characters depicted in this show are not caricatures or stock characters. They are not overdone or over-cooked or over-dramatised. There are people in the real world out there who actually can, and do, act and behave the way our main characters do. This is disturbingly, and horrifically true. And the show does a damn amazing job at showing it, and their twisted logic for their behaviours, too well for comfort. So, if you're a person who has had bad experiences with people who exhibit such behaviours, again, emotional trigger warning. It may not be the scenes or actions which may trigger an emotional response but the characters themselves as well.
Potential character triggers are:-
a) characters with rage/ anger management issues,
b) characters who use physical violence,
c) characters who use verbal attacks, manipulations and provocations on another,
d) characters who come from and are part of broken and highly dysfunctional families,
e) characters who have been on the receiving end of rape, violence and abuse, and
f) characters who do not act or seem passive when faced with someone who has been abused.
So, please, if any of the above character personalities are triggers for you, proceed with caution.
There, long list of warnings but necessary, I believe, to spare potential viewers shock or horror or disgust or even emotional breakdown.
STORY (No spoilers)
I'll be honest with you, I had to prepare myself a lot because I was worried about the subject matter which this show depicts. It's not a subject matter I liked, it sounded disturbing and I was not sure if I could stomach it all the way through. And I have to say, for all my preparation, I still found myself surprised at how deep and disturbing this show can run. Goes to show that there is only so much you can do to prepare yourself, but once you start down it proper, it will still grab you by the balls and knee you in the groin. And I think that it says a lot about how solidly fantastic this show was in bringing out the dysfunctionality of the characters, and their psyche and motivations behind their decisions and actions.
All our main characters are flawed. Kawee, Leela and Kawee's father (Kid), are most definitely flawed and rather messed up people, but Narin is no angel of goodness either. She has her character flaws too - different sort of flaws but flaws all the same.
People are born with some character flaws, but circumstances, environment and upbringing can twist it, mould it, and shape it into the living being that the person is today. It's true. It's real. It's life. And this show will resonate with those of us who've been through some of that. The more we've encountered some of the circumstance and the people in this show, the more it will resonate with you. And I believe that in each and every one of us there will be something in this show that will ring just too close to home.
So, this show will inevitably touch you in some way. It will dredge up and provoke all sorts of thoughts and emotions because it is pretty realistically grounded. The twisted logic and motivation behind some of the character decisions is surprisingly believable, and the careless or thoughtless actions which may seem harmless at first glance can evolve into a monster of your own making in an incredibly real way.
I don't know what else I can say on this subject without going into spoilers. Goodness knows, there is so much to talk about in terms of the details on how excellent this show is on the character portrayal aspect, but you'd need proper examples and situations to walk you through it, and I can't do that without revealing spoilers.
Another thing of note is the dialogue in this show. A lot of the character insights and motivations are revealed in what they say - you get an insight into the brokenness of their hearts and their biased thoughts through their outbursts of speech. And when you see two of them going at it in massive verbal shoutouts, as a viewer you are just utterly mesmerised. It's just crazily real how each person acts and speaks from their own standpoint, but it is utterly at cross-purposes and received so differently by the other.
I'm also going to say something about the abuse in this show - I think this is probably the single most polarising aspect of this show for the viewers. It's not a nice subject matter, but unfortunately it is the hinge on which the show swings on. Without it, the show fails to really impact and gain emotional traction. However, this show makes no excuses for the abuse depicted, nor does it romanticise it and tries to sell it to us as an acceptable thing - something you will realise if you took the time to step outside of the outrage the show incites and view it in a more objective manner.
The character personalities the show portrays are also not necessarily a fantasy either. Some people do neglect and fail to understand their own children. Some people respond to childhood neglect through attention-seeking, reckless and violent behaviour. Some people respond to personal rejection in twisted vengeful ways. Some people can actually fall for the people they abuse, and victims of abuse can also sometimes feel empathy for their abusers. And some people do stay silent or passive despite knowing about another's abuse.
On the other hand, there are also some people who do change and try to redeem themselves as abusers too, even if others think that they should be destroyed for their sins. And some people are willing to give others a second chance, even if others believe that they shouldn't.
Whether we feel that it is right or wrong is irrelevant, in my opinion, because this is a show about people being people. And whether we like it or not, there are characters and people like this in real life that behave and respond this way. And I personally think that this show is rather brave by depicting all that - controversies be damned.
Last but definitely not least, I'm glad that while this show had us seeing all that dross that makes flawed characters tick, the show also took pains to show us the transformative power of love. It sounds terribly cliche, and it's been done a million times, but it doesn't make it any less true or less powerful a message. There is a reason why love is such an amazing thing - it really does have the power to instil change and motivate a person to see outside of themselves and to consider the feelings of others. It really does transform people from selfish individuals into selfless ones.
And this is why I gave it a 9 out of 10 rating on the story aspect, not so much for the story per se but mainly for the tightly-scripted character portrayals, the character developments, and for the way the main characters eventually deal with and arrive at a conclusion.
I may not like the overall subject matter of this show, but I respect the way the show is determined to show us the ugly and weak side of being human and take us on a redemptive journey through the eyes of some of them.
ACTING/ CAST
Majority of the casting and acting is solid. There are a few characters which I can do without (i.e. I personally don't think they really add value to the production or to the show and are one-dimensional or caricatures and when placed side-by-side with the complex characters, they cheapen the production).
But the credit and the show really and ultimately rested on 4 main characters and their amazing and effective acting performance. Had any of these four been lesser actors or actresses, this show would not have half the impact it does nor half the weight and heft.
So here goes...
DILOK THONGWATTANA - as Kid Worawath, Kawee's father. Gosh, everyone talks about Ken's performance but I think a lot of people also don't realise how good Dilok was as Kawee's father. His role and his acting might not be as eye-catching as Kawee, but he is absolutely critical and the primary catalyst for us being able to see Kawee as he is. So, it takes an actor of calibre to be able to pull off the character of Kid well so that he gives Kawee life. And Dilok does the character of Kid to perfection. Some of the best and most memorable scenes in this show are when Kawee is facing Kid - the emotion and the energy is just... tangible and weighty. And this cannot be done without Dilok holding his own against Ken in those scenes. An amazing veteran actor who fulfilled and did his role to perfection.
NATARIKA THAMAPREEDANAN - as Leela, Narin's older sister; Kid Worawath's wife and Kawee's step-mother. I found her more difficult to rate as an actress here because there were many occasions where I saw her character showing all sorts of emotions on-screen but found myself wildly guessing what she was feeling and wondering what was in her mind at that point. She is the most difficult one to fathom in the whole show but maybe that's because Leela probably had multiple and conflicting emotions bubbling and brewing in her chest during these scenes and I don't think there is that one single emotion that can be portrayed. She has the most internal conflict, I think. She has to balance her love and her responsibility towards her sister, her own unburied and un-dealt-with feelings for Kawee and her own feelings for Kid and the whole marriage setup. But for what it's worth, I thought Natarika still brought life and complexity to the character of Leela, and that in the hands of a lesser actress, Leela would not be as enigmatic and as faceted a character as what we have.
ANNE THONGPRASOM - as Narin. I truly and honestly believe that nobody could have done a better Narin than Anne. The range of emotions and the way she immersed herself into the role so that all of Narin's conflicts and feelings are vividly seen, is just... downright amazing. She just pulls you into her character so damn well that instead of feeling like a third-party observer (which you can sometimes feel with an actress who is less masterful in her role), it is almost as though you were right with her in her circumstances and in her emotions. You feel her fear, her desperation, her heart-break, her despair, her hate, her conflict, and her love - and she does it all without going overboard with it, without over-doing it, so instead of an element of the theatrical (which, again, in the hands of lesser actresses, could easily swing that way), there is an air of pathos, of heavy emotional weight, and of realism in Anne's performance as Narin. The evolution of her character as Narin from the optimistic and confident girl who sometimes carries an air of almost careless arrogance, to a withdrawn and cautious girl who has experienced severe trauma in life but is determined to get on with the consequences and with life itself regardless, is painfully realistic. She is simply outstanding here as Narin.
KEN THEERADETH - as Kawee Worawath. Wow. Kawee is not an easy character to portray without having him descend into needlessly cruel, heartless beast on one end of the spectrum, or into self-entitled theatrical drama queen on the other end. Neither ends of the spectrum yield much, if any, sympathy nor do they evoke any emotional connection with the character.
Without Ken's nuanced and layered acting as the emotionally stunted and neglected Kawee, none of us would be able to identify as much with the brokenness that is at work in this man which manifests itself in his violent, outward actions. This man is like a wounded animal - growling, snarling and slashing out at anyone who provokes or rouses him. Those wounds, big and gaping and bleeding, are what makes us realise that this man is not lashing out just for kicks and giggles. This inability to relate to other people in any other way makes him a pitiful creature, who is, at the same time, dangerous and someone to be highly wary of.
I'm not going to make excuses for Kawee's behaviour but there is a difference between a person who has received deep wounds through the neglect and and insensitivity of others and who is unable to find any alleviation and relief from such wounds except through the expression of rage and violence; compared to a person who very coldly and very deliberately sets out to destroy others for the pure enjoyment and satisfaction of it.
There is sympathy and understanding for one, and none for the other.
And, more importantly, there is hope for one, but none for the other.
And it takes a powerhouse actor to be able to let us distinguish between the two.
Thankfully, this show doesn't just have poor Kawee stay this way but takes us on a rather rough journey to how Kawee eventually changes from a dysfunctional man starved of love to one who eventually learns how to love by falling in love. It is not an easy journey for him but seeing him go through it, and seeing how Ken was able to portray the conflicts and changes Kawee goes through is a beautiful watch. Ken's plethora of best actor awards is truly well-deserved.
MUSIC
While I like the soundtrack and thought the character theme songs rather fitting, I did feel that this aspect of the show could have been better done. I personally think that some of the more emotional moments could have been more impactful and carry more gravitas or weight with a more deft hand in handling the background music.
RE-WATCH VALUE
Wow. I think whether a show is re-watchable is entirely subjective and depends on the person's individual experience with the show. For me, it was an emotionally provoking show, which is what makes this drama so powerful. It is not something I can take in large doses, but at the same time, it is not something I can entirely leave alone or forget about either.
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the writer did a fantastic job.
Kawee is a character that we actually sympathize with if you minus all of the abuse he dishes out. He is misunderstood beautiful, and does not even understand his feeling for Rin,
He repeated tells her a girl like you will never win me over who is he reminding her or himself?
When he tries to win her back during her pregnancy was heartbreaking honestly.
But this show was amazing Ken and Ann nailed it.
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and she is THE special woman who will change him...through the power of love.
If you guys haven`t watched "Sawan Biang", then i have no idea whatever you have been doing all your life. I just finished re-watching it today, and i am just crying of joy all over again! It`s a train-wreck and it never gets boring. Having raw slap-kiss in it the story presents revenge, family,jealousy, forgiveness,redemption..and least of all the power of love.
This is a classic and have been adapted many times, but the version from 2008 starring the legendary nr:1 koo-jin at that time (in this generation NY is the nr:1 koo-jin) Ken Theeradeth and Anne Thongprasom is the most famous and highest rated and had won many awards at that time. Until now no one ever forgets the dynamic performance of Ken, as the selfish and arrogant billionare heir Kawee. Kawee is a hate-ful character who rages a war against the world and his father, who always re-marries women, which Kawee hates.Kawee is so full of himself that he thinks that every woman in the world should consider herself lucky even breathing the same air as him (trust me,he is THAT pompous). In to his world comes the first woman who has ever defied him, the gentle but very stubborn florist Narin (played by Anne). Kawee despises her directly for being "arrogant" enough with her stabbing insults and that she is the younger sister of Leela, the girl who practically stalked him in school years ago. And Narin is disgusted by the brutally and humilating way he rejected Leela in public which caused her also to almost die in a car-accident.It doesn`t get better when Kawee gets furious with a murder-like sense when he gets to know that Leela is going to marry his now widowed father, and on that point the bitter and raging war starts between Kawee and Leela, with Narin being the thread between them.
But we watchers see the spark between Kawee and Narin from the start, its quick but its there, and from then on we will watch the self-important Kawee fall in love (against his will) with the beautiful Narin, seeing the goodness in her heart while he hurls all his terrible hatred of revenge for Leela on Narin is painful, as Anne plays the victim very well in Narin through the heart-breaking tears. There is no male-hero more mean than Kawee in the history of lakhorns.He is can`t be called an Anti-hero, but he is a true Villian himself. He is not only cold-hearted, but he is heart-less and venoumus, nor is he only ruthless, but he is also barbaric. Ken is magnificent in his role as Kawee, the wicked expressions and stance of his and the dynamic way he presents himself...and in the thunderous way he destroys everything around him. He is a character i have called bastard (and ass-hole) so many times i have forgotten it, but he is irresistible with his animalistic male sexuality...and sympathetic with his tortured soul who lacked the love from a father he so desperately needed after his mother died.Trust me, you can`t take your eyes off him, he is THAT charismatic! Anne who always plays the cheerful spoiled heroine in many of her other lakhorns, is a woman whose soul gets battered by Kawee in this lakhorn as Narin. From the start she had a witty and confident character that refused to surrender to Kawee`s cruelty..or passion and love, and neither does she either (which i so admire her for) until the end.!
"Sawan Biang" is a soap-opera that gets you addicted to it.It is never an easy journey with the hate-love romance between Kawee and Narin, but its unforgettable and epic and brings very powerful performances from the whole main-cast.For me it has everything i love in a romance,passionate alpha-hero,mindblowing chemistry,love that starts with revenge,and an incredible love that is so painful,that i as a viewer cried my tears off. It´s heart-breaking and beautiful, and i recommend it to every Lakhorn Lover. The original title means actually "Heaven Diversion", and the cause of it is explained in this text:
"Love happening during revenge
is like heaven diverts his and her paths
to merge with each other."
-Krisna Asokesin (the author of the novel)
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This review may contain spoilers
rape is not romance,
Rape as a tool to rage against your enemy, to make them "die alive" as the saying goes. Instilling fear and control, the male lead kidnaps his enemy's sister; the female lead. Repeatedly raping her, and then going so far as to try to kill her numerous times. On returning home, the fear and abuse doesn't stop for the female lead. Because, boundaries have now been completely broken, a victim has been created, and the male lead, the in-house rapist still lives down the hallway. And, with that shift from heroic female lead, to demoralized victim - societal judgement rules. Though, the supporting characters are clueless; the shaming dialogue toward her begins now, and will last until the end of the drama.Sawan Biang is revenge, pure, and simple, but, the redemption arc, is writer-self-serving. This is when, family and friends find fault with the victim (FL), forgiving her abuser, and wheedling a happy ending for themselves. Shaming, works. Though, it usually sucks the life out of any story. While, the second female lead's motives and support are just as self-serving. Please. She, sends a rapist (ML) after the second male lead's love interest (FL) by convincing him (SML) it is all for the best. Please, again. And, don't get me started on the second male lead that forgives the rapist (ML), before the victim (FL), shames her for not accepting her rapist's love, and finds a girlfriend in the process. Even, the female lead knew 'second male lead syndrome' was less than sincere. Rape is not romance, and doesn't belong in the romance genre. Avoid.
redemption:
FL: "Stubborn?
I'll tell you something.
The feelings I have for you now, are many hundreds of times more than stubbornness.
I feel scared. I feel hatred.
All the times, I've looked back at all the terrible things you've done to me, and there is only painfulness.
So, you think that looking for me for a few days, can pay for all the evil things you've ever done to me?"
[EP 10: 1:02:00]
romance:
FL: "Since, I have known Kawee, my life has only met terrible things. Many incidents, make me cry every time I think about them.
Every time I close my eyes. It's like a nightmare that keeps haunting me over and over.
Kawees's every deeds and every words. I can't erase it from my heart. I try to forget it, but I can't forget.
Until I have a baby, Kawee comes back to be good to me. He has done the good thing, Very good. But, it's like a dream that cannot happen. The more Kawee tries to be good to me. The more I feel bad.
What do you want me to do?
When I close my eyes, I see only nightmare.
When, I wake up, I see only the dream that can't come true.
I can't live my life like this.
I really can't live like this."
[EP 12: 1:25:00]
I leave those final words, from the victim.
(source; read; My Custom List "Rated One")
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It's a messed up story, not the worse, but it can touch some sensitive fibers. But it's short, so that's a point in its favor and we all should enjoy a totally unrealistic melodrama once in a while (like every ten years or something). It was like watching a Mexican soap-opera without having to go through one billion episodes.
A piece of advice, just see it as entertainment, if you try to read too much into it, your brain will implode. It's a hit-or-miss Larkon, so get into it with low expectations. And see the bright side, this remake is better than the original. At least in this one the male lead has some redeemable qualities, can't say the same for the original version...
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This review may contain spoilers
A story about the redemptive power of love
This drama elicits strong opinions from viewers, whether positive or negative. I fall into the positive opinion camp.I love how well the story is written, it is tightly scripted and out of the few lakorns I've watched, it is the best written so far, it even beats some kdramas and cdramas that I've watched in that the intention of the show is fully realised by the end of the story, the story doesn't meander here and there, it's just straightforward and clean, this is so rare in drama writing.
The story itself, the disconcerting and uncomfortable aspects of it, were written in a way to illustrate the end goal of the story which is that love is an action, it needs to be demonstrated, it's selfless and it has the power to transform a person's life and literally heal their heart. Love is redemptive.
The show did a pretty good job of showing this from start to finish. I don't like to enter into debates about social issues, abuse, evil deeds etc, I take what a drama is trying to communicate to me and if the story is told effectively then good, if not I drop it, simple. Sawan Biang is a story very well told.
Another reason why this drama succeeded in communicating its story so well is the acting. The acting is phenomenal!
Ken Theeradeth as Kawee is so amazingly nuanced, his facial expressions, his body language, the tone of his voice are all communication tools that he uses to great effect, sometimes he didn't even need to say anything and you could see that he was hurting, conflicted, crying out for some affection and attention. Ken's portrayal of Kawee is so good that even though he does such hateful and hurtful things to the people around him and especially to Narin, as a viewer I harboured inordinate amounts of sympathy for him, I got where he was coming from and why he was lashing out, I may not agree with his methods of lashing out but I got him, and that's what the writers are communicating: cause and effect.
Anne Thongprasom's rendition of Narin is so poignant and heartfelt, I felt all her emotions, from innocent carefree confidence to fear, bewilderment, pain, disbelief, hate and love. Her acting had a self assured realism that just grabbed you and wouldn't let go. The combination of Anne and Ken is what made this drama even halfway watchable, in the hands of lesser actors this storyline and premise would have been a complete disaster.
Other notable cast mentions are the actor who played Kid, (Kawee's father) and the actress who played Leela (Narin's sister and Kid's wife)
Kid appeared to be so clueless in the beginning to the extent that I despised him for the way he raised his son, but in the end his character self actualised and came full circle, his steady character was a perfect foil to the more volatile Leela and Kawee.
The role of Leela was expertly portrayed, I found that Leela was suitably complex in that she had an old wound that never healed, a hurt and pain that she never resolved, as a result she seemed all over the place and was vindictive and spiteful. In the end though she also came full circle and realised the unhealthy part she played in the awful events that took place between Kawee and Narin.
The other supporting cast was good and helped the story along, they weren't just annoying nuisances as you will find in many Lakorns.
Overall this drama set out to tell a story about a damaged, childish, spoilt and destructive man who during the course of his destructive behaviour fell in love, dug deep and resolved to humble himself and make penance for his wrongdoing, and this story was well told.
Overall score 9
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm a new fan of Lakorns and as I got more acquainted with this genre, I would often come across Sawan Biang on recommendation lists, even though it is relatively old. But I'd been putting off watching because of the subject matter; I didn't know if I could handle it. I finally mustered up the courage to watch it and I must say all the good and bad things folks have said about this drama is all true. It sounded horrible on paper and for the most part, the ugliness described is accurate. But you have to see it to understand why in spite of the train wreck that is before you, you can't look away. I ended up thinking that Sawan Biang is not just a great Lakorn but a great drama in general. It is one of those shows that gave me pause to say to myself THIS is why we watch dramas. I was blown away by the twisted love story and the incredible acting. The way Ken Theeradeth Wongpuapan portrays Kawee, he felt like a living, breathing person, not just a character. He is Narin's worse nightmare. He terrorizes her. He bullies and humiliates her. He is belligerent, reckless; he lashs out at anyone and everyone who gets in his way. And yet, he elicited sympathy from me. I don't know what that says about me. But that's honestly how I feel. You could see in him feelings of regret, remorse for what he has done as he is doing it, as poor Narin cries with heartbreaking despair. Even if those conflicting feelings are fleeting, it is there. But instead of clinging onto that thread of humanity, he ignores it and bulldozes his way down a destructive path, as if he doesn't know any other way of being. In the mist of all this, he somehow falls in love with Narin. It is an all encompassing love, one where without Narin, he wouldn't survive. This eventually leads him to the humble road to redemption. And despite all that has happened, I rooted for them all the same. I felt that the only way they could heal was through love. And when Kawee gets down on his knees to ask for a second chance and Narin gets down on her knees to accept him, my heart swelled with happiness for them. Many may wonder how Narin can forgive. I think it's simple: she has a big heart. It's the reason Kawee targeted her in the first place; it's also the reason for their salvation.Sawan Biang is an unforgettable melodrama, filled with extremely flawed characters. It's also about love, forgiveness, redemption. I ask that you watch it first before passing judgement. It's one of the best dramas I've ever seen.
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What a long way we have come, baby!
All i can say at the end of this lakorn is "Baby we have come a long, long, way... Thank God" and breathe a sigh of relief. These kind of regressive socio-political- moral values were par for the course for many Asian including South Asian, SE Asian and East Asian societies a couple of decades back. That we can feel repulsed and abhor this product says we are truly on our way out of this moral morrass. Today nobody will feel complacent about the mistreatment of the women this drama shows. We are still on our way to achieve dignified freedom and rights, but at least we are no longer normalizing such treatment.Apart from the politics of the lakorn, it was well executed and triggered a lot of thoughts , which is what a good story should do.
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This is my first review... I am writing it coz i couldn't express my thoughts on the show by simply rating it.... i hated many characters of the story-
the lead Kawee for the unforgivable sin he committed ,
Narin's mom for how ignorant a mom can be and accepting her daughter's assaulter,
Kawee's friends for convincing Narin to accept such a person..... for me it was a bitter pill to swallow and practically which i can never accept..
But each actors played their characters so beautifully that i was glued to it.. especially Ken... I was completely taken aback by how he could evoke even a drop of sympathy in me for a character like Kawee......which is unacceptable even in fictions and in toto unimaginable .. I just fell in love with Ken and i feel no one can replicate the vulnerability of Kawee as he did.... his eyes spoke a lot..
and also Numpeung (Narin's sister) did an awesome job to portray both love and jealously towards her sister..
it's difficult to watch it again but here again i am completely dazzled by Ken and other casts...
Watch it to appreciate the acting skills of the team of Sawan biang...
P.s- This was my first drama of Ken and i am completely enchanted by him... so please watch it out.. u might also fall into his trap.....
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