Jan Dara
Encyclopedia
Jan Dara is a 2001
Thai
erotic-period
-drama film
directed and co-written by Nonzee Nimibutr
and co-starring Hong Kong cinema
actress Christy Chung
. It is based on a novel by Utsana Phleungtham. The film premiered at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival
. In Thailand, the film was controversial because its sex scenes tested the censorship bounds of the 1930 Film Act
.
in a wealthy, dysfunctional family
where sex
has a huge impact on everyone's lives. Jan Dara is viewed by his father, Khun Luang, as cursed, since his mother died giving birth to him. The abusive Luang is a womanizer who has sex with many women in front of the portrait of his late wife.
The younger sister of Jan's mother, Aunt Waad, is brought in to care for Jan. Luang has sexual relations with her, which causes young Jan to be jealous, since he has developed feelings for Waad. Waad and Luang have a daughter, Kaew, who is the apple of Luang's eye. From the beginning, he teaches her to hate the "bastard Jan". Waad, in return, treats Jan like her own son and despises Kaew.
Later, another of Khun Luang's women, the sophisticated nymphomaniac Boonlueang, moves into a guesthouse on the estate, and she teaches Jan his first lessons in the ways of love.
Jan is then framed for the rape of Kaew, who was having relations with the son of one of the family's maids
. But it is Jan who ends up punished for Kaew's transgressions. Later, it emerges that Kaew is pregnant
, with the seed of her own father. To smooth over the damage to the family's reputation, Jan is asked to return to the family estate and is forced into an arranged marriage
with his half-sister Kaew. He does so, as long as he is promised the deed to the estate, which he views as a form of vindication
against his father for the abuse he endured from him during his childhood.
Kaew gives birth to Luang's child and curses it after it has emerged from her womb. The child displays classic dysmorphic features found in genetic mutations such as trisomy 21, commonly known as Down's syndrome.
Kaew, meanwhile, enters into a lesbian
relationship with Boonlueang. When Jan discovers this, he demands that Kaew give him his own child and forces himself upon her repeatedly. Kaew becomes pregnant with Jan's child but she refuses to have the baby she is carrying, and with Boonlueang's assistance, performs a bloody, self-administered abortion
.
Jan subsequently finds himself repeating the libidinous patterns of his father, going as far as to have sex with a maid in his father's sitting room, in front of the portrait of his mother. Jan wonders why he can't escape the cycle of sexual abuse started by his father. Then it is revealed that Jan is the product of a gang rape
of his mother.
, Jan Dara has also screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival
, London Film Festival
, Pusan International Film Festival
, International Film Festival Rotterdam
and the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
.
) and in Thailand by APS (Region 3
).
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
Thai
Cinema of Thailand
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by Francois-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited...
erotic-period
Period piece
-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...
-drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed and co-written by Nonzee Nimibutr
Nonzee Nimibutr
Nonzee Nimibutr is a Thai film director, film producer and screenwriter. Best known for his ghost thriller, Nang Nak, he is generally credited as the leader among a "New Wave" of Thai filmmakers that also includes Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, Wisit Sasanatieng and Apichatpong...
and co-starring Hong Kong cinema
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
actress Christy Chung
Christy Chung
Christy Chung is Chinese-Canadian actress. She was born in Montreal to a Chinese father and a Vietnamese mother.Chung grew up in Brossard, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, with French and Vietnamese as mother-tongues...
. It is based on a novel by Utsana Phleungtham. The film premiered at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
. In Thailand, the film was controversial because its sex scenes tested the censorship bounds of the 1930 Film Act
Censorship in Thailand
Freedom of speech in Thailand was guaranteed in the articles 39, 40, 41 in the 1997 Constitution.According to those articles, censorship may be imposed to preserve national security, maintain public order, preserve the rights of others, protect public morals, and prevent criticism of the royal...
.
Plot
Jan is a boy growing up in 1930s SiamThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
in a wealthy, dysfunctional family
Dysfunctional family
A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
where sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
has a huge impact on everyone's lives. Jan Dara is viewed by his father, Khun Luang, as cursed, since his mother died giving birth to him. The abusive Luang is a womanizer who has sex with many women in front of the portrait of his late wife.
The younger sister of Jan's mother, Aunt Waad, is brought in to care for Jan. Luang has sexual relations with her, which causes young Jan to be jealous, since he has developed feelings for Waad. Waad and Luang have a daughter, Kaew, who is the apple of Luang's eye. From the beginning, he teaches her to hate the "bastard Jan". Waad, in return, treats Jan like her own son and despises Kaew.
Later, another of Khun Luang's women, the sophisticated nymphomaniac Boonlueang, moves into a guesthouse on the estate, and she teaches Jan his first lessons in the ways of love.
Jan is then framed for the rape of Kaew, who was having relations with the son of one of the family's maids
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
. But it is Jan who ends up punished for Kaew's transgressions. Later, it emerges that Kaew is pregnant
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
, with the seed of her own father. To smooth over the damage to the family's reputation, Jan is asked to return to the family estate and is forced into an arranged marriage
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
with his half-sister Kaew. He does so, as long as he is promised the deed to the estate, which he views as a form of vindication
Vindication
Vindication is an album by the Norwegian black metal band Susperia. It is their second album, and it was produced by Peter Tägtgren completely free of charge before closing down his studio.-Track listing:#"Cage of Remembrance" – 4:53...
against his father for the abuse he endured from him during his childhood.
Kaew gives birth to Luang's child and curses it after it has emerged from her womb. The child displays classic dysmorphic features found in genetic mutations such as trisomy 21, commonly known as Down's syndrome.
Kaew, meanwhile, enters into a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
relationship with Boonlueang. When Jan discovers this, he demands that Kaew give him his own child and forces himself upon her repeatedly. Kaew becomes pregnant with Jan's child but she refuses to have the baby she is carrying, and with Boonlueang's assistance, performs a bloody, self-administered abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
.
Jan subsequently finds himself repeating the libidinous patterns of his father, going as far as to have sex with a maid in his father's sitting room, in front of the portrait of his mother. Jan wonders why he can't escape the cycle of sexual abuse started by his father. Then it is revealed that Jan is the product of a gang rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
of his mother.
Cast
- Suwinit PanjamawatSuwinit PanjamawatSuwinit Panjamawat is a Thai actor. His roles include the teenaged title character in Jan Dara by director Nonzee Nimibutr and as the youthful Dum in Tears of the Black Tiger by Wisit Sasanatieng. He also appears in Nonzee's segment in the Asian cinema horror film collaboration, "The Wheel"....
as teenage Jan Dara - Santisuk Promsiri as Khun Luang, Jan Dara's father
- Christy ChungChristy ChungChristy Chung is Chinese-Canadian actress. She was born in Montreal to a Chinese father and a Vietnamese mother.Chung grew up in Brossard, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, with French and Vietnamese as mother-tongues...
as Boonlueang - Eakarat Sarsukh as adult Jan Dara
- Wipawee Charoenpura as Aunt Waad
- Patharawarin TimkulPatharawarin TimkulPatharawarin Timkul is a Thai actress and model. Her films include Bangkok Dangerous and Jan Dara. She is the daughter of leading Thai dance and theater figure Patravadi Mejudhon. Her nickname is May.-Biography:...
as Kaew
Awards
- 2001 Thailand National Film Association AwardsThailand National Film Association AwardsThe Thailand National Film Association Awards is a Thai film industry ceremony held annually by the Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand...
: Best art direction (for Ek Iemchuen); best cinematography (for Nattawut Kittikhun). Also nominated for best screenplay and best sound.
Film festivals
In addition to its premiere at the 2001 Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
, Jan Dara has also screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
The Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
, London Film Festival
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
, Pusan International Film Festival
Pusan International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
, International Film Festival Rotterdam
International Film Festival Rotterdam
The International Film Festival Rotterdam is an annual film festival held in various cinemas in Rotterdam, Netherlands held at the end of January. It is approximately comparable in size to other major European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno...
and the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival presented every March is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting approximately 130 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, USA...
.
DVD release
The DVD, with English subtitles, has been issued by Kino International (Region 1DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
) and in Thailand by APS (Region 3
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
).