BLISS RATING: ★★★★+
Because we can’t communicate there is a lot of misunderstanding.” – Chen Shui Bian
This short two-part series is based upon true events and thus its meaning and story makes it more powerful and sadder. The story is from two perspectives – Phupha (Kun Tansuhas) who harbors, rather intensely, an unrequited love for his closest friend and roommate, Nanfah (Kiak Permsubhirun). These two have been friends since childhood and have been interwoven ever since. When we meet them, they are getting ready to graduate from college. The two are inseparable and are seen as attached. They are as close to each other without sexual intimacy as literally two people can be.
Phupha’s feelings for Nanfah are fixated and focused and run very deep. So much so that any perceived connection towards someone else that Nanfah makes is misinterpreted and misunderstood with Phupha, sometimes reacting angerly and at other times, feeling deeply wounded. However, Nanfah seems clueless as to the extent of Phupha’s feelings and is simply perplexed by his behavior. It is almost like he presumes and assumes that Phupha knows he will always be there with him. To make things worse, Nanfah is and always has relied on Phupha for comfort, security, and rescue when he needed it. But seemingly tone-deaf when it comes to understanding relationships.
As an example, while Phupha thinks Nanfah is interested in Deena (Marima Kliangprom), he gets jealous and irritate to the point that he almost says that he loves him. But Nanfah assures him that she is interested in someone else, not him. And that someone else happens to be Phupha. Thinking he is doing Phupha a favor, Nanfah arranges a ‘blind date’ with her and Phupha. After this encounter, Phupha is angry and hurt that Nanfah would even think to make romantic arrangements for him without his consent. Again, yet another example, of Nanfah’s lack of perception of what is happening around him and more importantly, showing Phupha, in essence, that Nanfah only sees him as nothing more than a friend.
When he finally works up the courage to want to tell Nanfah how he feels, Phupha yet again misinterprets and misunderstands the behavior between Nanfah and another girl. This time, however, Phupha reaches a breaking point and decides to disappear without a trace supposedly to be with his mother in Melbourne, Australia. Unfortunately, he leaves no way for Nanfah to contact him.
In the second episode, we see the story from Nanfah’s perspective. It really is an honest reflection of how blinded he was in not seeing the depth of Phupha’s love for him. Even when he should have seen it, he chose not to, and ignored all the signs. It almost looked like he did not want to know and seemingly took for granted that Phupha would always be there. When Phuphas left, he began to put the pieces together and realized that the signs were all there. The deep love that Phupha had for him. His complete and total reliance on Phupha for everything made him realize that he too was in love with him but could not see the trees for the forest right in front of him.
Finally, on the day they were to talk, Phupha leaves with no forwarding address, Nanfah sees the flowers that Phupha was going to give to him, and recognized their meaning and was shattered as it is now too late.
But every year for nearly 9 years he flies to Melbourne to look and search for Phupha. In one of those years, he meets by accident a young man named Khunkao (Seagames Angkanit) who becomes enamored with Nanfah and over the years begins to fall in love with him as well. But true to Nanfah’s nature and disposition, does not see the signs until he gives him a watch like what Phupha gave him on their 10th anniversary of vowing to always remain by each other’s side.
Then he finally begins to put all the pieces together and in a final plea, leaves a video message for Phupha begging for forgiveness, and pleads to see him again perhaps for one last time. With that, Phupha is moved and decides to go now and find Nanfah. As Nanfah sits in his hotel room, he accidentally drops the watch that Phupha gave him over 9 years ago and to his amazement, it begins to work again whereas before it had not.
As he steps outside, by the other elevator is – Phupha! This is where The Promise story begins.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Both Kun Tansuhas as Phupha and Kiak Permsubhirun as Nanfah do a commendable job in capturing the personalities of these two characters, although I do think Kun as Phupha went deeper into the role. One can not just see the love that Phupha had for Nanfah, you could feel it, sense it, and know it was simply baked into Phupha’s DNA. You can also see Phuphas vulnerabilities and weaknesses and his lack of courage to say what he wanted to say. And he assumed too much, causing him to make a rash and harsh decision to leave without knowing all the facts. A terrible price to pay for not opening up and communicating. Nanfah, on the other hand, shows clearly his inability to see anything other than himself, until it is too late. In his episodes, you can see that regret is written all over his face and behavior. He has paid a terrible price for not seeing what literally he should have. Nonetheless, these guys have done a remarkable job of getting into their characters with full force in a short duration, thus making us feel like we know them. Kudos.
This is a polished and slick production that flows smoothly and effectively again in a short period of time. While not completely maudlin, it gives us a sense of the trauma these guys felt and the pain of losing each other is so evident in both. Perhaps we shall see how deep that pain and hurt was, is and might be in the series.
I shall hope for the best.
“Distance doesn’t separate people. Misunderstanding does.” – Unknown
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