Search - Right By Me on DVD

Sweet coming-of-age story is based on US novel!

Bob Lind | Phoenix, AZ United States | 07/08/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In "Right By Me", a 2005 release from Thailand, we meet three college students whose relationship is the focus of the story. There's Tat, the rather nerdish and studious one, on the college swim team, and closeted from his unsuspecting parents. On the other hand, his best friend Nat is flamboyant and out to the world (and the constant target of bullies because of it), with an unrequited crush on Tat. Tat's attention is drawn by Ek, the hunky college basketball star who has a girlfriend, but who shows up at an off-campus gay student meeting and - when he sees the others from his class - quickly claims that he went to the meeting "by mistake". Uh, huh.

After promising not to tell anyone about Ek's "mistake", Tat tutors him to pass his Statistics exam, while relishing the proximity this affords him to his crush. Ek is still deeply in denial, but realizes his attraction to guys is real, and is likely the cause of ongoing problems with his girlfriend. Meanwhile, Nat continues to drop not-so-subtle hints to Tat that he likes him as more than just a friend, but is frustrated when his friend doesn't seem to get the message.

These are, of course, familiar scenarios to many gay or bisexual men, but if the characters themselves seem somewhat familiar, that could be because the film is based on the novel "Rainbow Boys" by Alex Sanchez, which was exceedingly popular when published in Thailand. The movie was called "Rainbow Boys: The Movie" in that country, and received kudos by Fridae.Com as "... the first Thai film to treat gay men as full-fledged warm, complex, loving individuals - as opposed to the cartoon stereotypes typically depicted in Thai cinema."

Nice dramatization of the book, slightly overacted, the photography choppy in spots, but recommended for way in which the story deals with these universal "coming out" concerns. In Thai with English subtitles. No extras on the DVD other than trailer and chapter stops. Give it four proud stars out of five."

Young Love

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 07/01/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Right By Me"

Young Love

Amos Lassen

New from WaterBearer Films is a wonderful story of young love from Thailand. Three college friends are all at different stages of coming out, both to themselves and to others. Tat is both handsome and studious and he is having a fairly easy time of the dealing with it. He regularly goes to coming out meetings with hid friend Nat who is out and proud. Tat develops a crush on Ek, an athlete and Ek surprises the boys by showing up at one of the meetings. He questions his sexuality and when he turns to Tat for advice, a very sweet and nice relationship begins to develop between the two. This of course throws Tar's relationship with Nat a bit out of whack. The three guys know that in order for things to be ok for them, they must not only deal with Thai homophobia but rise above it.
The movie is based on the novel "Rainbow Boys" by Alex Sanchez which was quite popular in Thailand and the movie shows what it is like to be gay there. The movie is amateurish but that seems to add to the film rather than detract from it. The boys are very cute and they perform well and young love is always a pleasure to watch. The three gays are as different as can be. Nat is effeminate and way out in contrast to Tat who is in the closet to his family and friends. Ek is just the regular nice guy who suffers from an abusive father and he is confused about his sexuality.
Everything in the film is predictable but the story is interesting and worth watching, especially to see the way the non-Western world deals with homosexuality.
"

Watched It Over and Over and OVer

A. Mead | Arkansas | 05/11/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When I first got Alex Sanchez's novel Rainbow Boys (which "Right By Me" is based on), I read that book so many times that I thought the cover would fall off. When I found a comercial for the "Rainbow Boys" movie in Thailand, I spent weeks - WEEKS - trying to find a copy, even though all of the sites said that it didn't have subtitles.

After about two months, I *finally* found out that the English title of the movie is "Right By Me". I ordered it, and delivery was amazingly quick (A+ for Amazon).

I. LOVED. IT.

The movie stars three different boys - Ek, Tat, and Nat - who go to the same college. Ek is the stereotypical jock: he's good looking; he's on the basketball team; he has a *girlfriend*. But he's starting to wonder if he might be bisexual because of certain 'feelings' he's been having towards guys. Tat is more of the bookish type: he's on the swim, but his best class is statistics and his only friend is Nat. Tat has had a crush on Ek since... forever! Nat is the screaming queen of the group: he talks with hand-motions, whines and wheedles to get his way, and is despirate for sex. He wants to take his relationship with Tat to the next level, but Tat has no interest.

Ek decides to go to a gay youth meeting, but he never expects that the meeting is Tat and Nat's weekly hang-out. He's not surprised to see Nat. He *is* surprised to see Tat, since Tat doesn't seem gay to Ek. Even though he flees the meeting half-way through, he and Tat start to become friends when Tat assures him that neither him nor Nat will tell anyone he was at the meeting. When Ek mentions having trouble with statistics, Tat offers to tutor him and the two become a lot closer.

Nat would be happy for Tat - really he would - but it would be so much better if Tat were in love with *him*. He gets jealous and throws hissy fits whenever Ek and Tat are getting along, and he constantly tries to talk Tat into kissing, making out, and even doing it. He never comes right out and tells Tat how he feels - and Tat is a bit spacey, so he doesn't notice - but it leads to a huge strain on their friendship because Nat doesn't always want to stop when Tat tells him to.

Do I think the movie might have been a bit better if Hollywood-ized? Hmm... probably. The accting fell a bit short at times - was Ek's abusive father even *trying* to hit him? - the musical score was... two? songs and there were patches of grainy filmogrophy. But "Right By Me" was still a fantastic movie, and I've watched it so many times I'm afraid I'm going to wear out the disk.

NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS!

~~ Those familiar with "Rainbow Boys" who want to see Nelson's story - his one night stand with Brick and his HIV scare - will be severely disappointed. Not a bit of it is mentioned. He becomes less of a third major character and more of a supporting character who molests Tat a lot. Even Jeremy is only seen once - during the credits - and is unidentified. For Jason/Kyle (Ek/Tat) fans like myself this is a plus, but Nelson (Nat) fans will be missing something."

Sweet and honest; an issue which universally translates into

Randy E. Halford | Boise, ID | 06/14/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Right By Me" is a little film in which you could almost turn off the subtitles & still know what the film is about. It follows three Thai boys who are quite different from one another--the smart but closeted-from-his-parents Tat; the effeminate but out & proud Nat; and the sexually confused athlete Ek--as their friendships entwine through issues of being different, society's prejudice towards gays, gay bashings, and romantic feelings. The latter issue troubles the friendships as an entanglement ensues: Ek & Tat are attracted to each other, but Nat is secretly infatuated with best friend Tat, and is jealous of Ek's presence.
Probably due to the strict laws in Thailand, the filmmakers never veer into graphic sex & nudity...and quite honestly, it doesn't need these elements. The film simply sticks to the issues in an understanding & affectionate way through the experiences & feelings of its three key characters. At the same time, because it doesn't include more graphic elements, RBM comes dangerously close to being an "afternoon special" in its occasional "paint-by-numbers" storyline.
Still, it's a worthwhile film to watch as these characters must weather their own personal storms & gradually get the happiness they deserve."