Women's gender roles in contemporary Thai romantic comedy films

• Main Author: Witedwittayanusat, Kanokkorn
• Other Authors: Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Visual arts and music::Film; DRNTU::Social sciences::Mass media::Media studies
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/61664
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In the past decade, Thai romantic comedies have been gaining heightened popularity among both local and regional audiences. Influenced apparently by the formats of its Hollywood counterpart, these films also reflect upon the tensions involved in the shifting roles of the woman’s position in Thai society within the contexts of globalization and modernity. This research aims to provide the insights by exploring the narratival structures and socio-cultural screen representations of this genre of Thai films that have not received significant scholarly attention. By using textual analysis, this research found that the screenplays of Thai romantic comedies seem to apply classical blueprint from Hollywood romantic comedy as a frame into Thai context. However, I would argue that it still maintains its difference such as cultural values and beliefs, the ignored element in Hollywood romantic comedy. In addition, Thai female protagonist images reveal the implication of hybridization between Thai traditional femininity and modernity, influenced by globalization and transnationalization.