With its celebration of Thai dances, excellent costumes, and two male theater actor leads, ManSuang seemed like it would be something akin to a Thai Farewell My Concubine, especially as it starts off with what could have been sex scene interrupted by a murder. The addition of the espionage storyline, as well as the dynamics between the Chinese and the mainland Thai, seemed like the film would be subtle social commentary through historical drama. However, the story feels haphazardly assembled, with characters acting contrary to their goals, and sadly, the film doesn’t showcase as much of Thai culture as we would like. Instead, the film spends more time establishing an overly complicated mystery that gets too hard to follow with its multiple plotlines. ManSuang has beautiful set design, costumes, and a handsome cast, but the writing wastes the potential the story had.

ManSuang’s premise is interesting, but the way the story flowed feels boring and overly complicated because it never establishes what’s emotionally at stake for the characters. The film also shies away from depicting the emotional side of the relationships between Khem, Wan, and Chatra, even in a platonic way. Because of this, every move they make feels random, even when the choices they make could mean the end of their lives.