Baan Muay Thai (2021) [Film Review]

Baan Muay Thai; or, The Measure of a Man
     When I was 19, I could do anything. Hurt but no real problem. One or two days and I was fine. Now it is not the same.
It’s time for another indie feature! In this review, I would like to take a look at Baan Muay Thai, a debut production directed and written by Charles Garrett. I heard about the film for the first time a little over a year ago when the Asian Film Fans team was working on a video review. I was lucky enough to interview the director and hear the surprising and extremely detailed backstory of the film.

Release Info

Directed by: Charles Garrett Starring:Charles Garrett, Khao Janhom, Pracha Tetsungnoen, Suttiya Jamlongpan

Language: English, Thai Original Title: Baan Muay Thai

Synopsis
Max (Charles Garrett) is a Londoner who spends his days in a trading business. One day, he is called by a good friend from Thailand. The ailing coach wants Max to help in reinvigorating their training camp and participate in an exhibition match. Max quits his job and goes back to the land where he once trained in order to rediscover the art of Baan Muay Thai.

Honour of the Gym
The first thing which definitely transpires while watching Baan Muay Thai is the naturalistic, guerilla-like filmmaking style. As a viewer, you are really under the impression that what you are seeing is a documentary about a British guy who wants to help out his friends in need and reconnect with his inner self in the process.

In consequence, Baan Muay Thai goes for the feeling rather than the experience. Do not expect this movie to be yet another action-packed rehash of Enter the Dragon (1973) or Ip Man (2008). You will not find Donnie Yen or Angela Mao here. This movie is about real struggles and real characters and it boldly ventures into the kitchen-sink drama territory of the first Rocky (1976) picture.

Be prepared for steady camera work, beautiful overview shots of Thailand, and nuanced but sparse dialogue. The director has recently recut the film, and the updated version certainly has a better pacing and is easier to follow in terms of narration. In addition, the English subtitles are hardcoded which eliminates the problem of translation not displaying properly during the screening.

Recommendations
If you are on the lookout for a calm, poignant drama with great visuals, then I recommend Baan Muay Thai. I sincerely hope that Charles Garrett will keep on making more indie films with the same type of true-to-life ambience. My thanks go to the director for sharing the screener and I am looking forward to part II.

Overall score: 7/10

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