Love hurts sometimes. And when you love someone so much, how far do you go to satisfy his needs and keep him by your side? Tanwarin Sukkhapisit's latest romantic gay thriller Kuen Nun (Red Wine In The Dark Night) runs on this concept: the dark side of love.
Wine (Pongsatorn Sripinta from My Bromance and 3AM 3D), a high school student, is in a secret relationship with his school mate Tee (Nontapat Intarasuan). But Tee decides to break things off for fear his friends would find out about the same-sex relationship. One day, Tee's gang of friends lures Wine to an abandoned building by telling him that Tee — who is also in on the prank — is waiting there for him.
At the deserted compound, Wine encounters a guy suffering from amnesia (Steven Furer). Wine takes the red-eyed stranger to a condominium given to him by an older man, Boy (Kistachapon Tananara), with whom Wine sleeps with occasionally. Wine decides to call the stranger Night, and the two embark on a relationship that happens almost too fast.
But, keeping the vampiric Night has a high cost. The man drinks human blood. Initially, Wine tries feeding him animal blood, but Night is not able to digest it. Wine then resorts to using his own blood to keep him alive.
Eventually, Wine lures his ex Tee into the same abandoned building on the pretence of wanting sex with him. However, Wine is not after sex, but blood.
Love can lead to destruction. Wine is willing to sacrifice everything to keep Night with him. His own blood? Check. His exes' blood? Two checks on that. The film circulates around deception and morally dubious acts to get the story going. All in the name of love.
Sex scenes inevitably steal the show and they almost overshadow the story. But there's not much to see or get excited about if you're already acquainted with the sex and nudity of European films.
In Kuen Nun, you can see a glimpse of buttocks, a toe-sucking moment, and not much else for anyone looking for raunchy bits. All we see is kissing — lots and lots of it — and tangled bodies of scantily clad men in matching white underwear (thanks to director Tanwarin who is also costume designer). Nothing too racy — perhaps that's why the film managed to get through the rating committee with all appendages intact.
Even though there is nudity, sex and violence, the film doesn't feel gory. And Tanwarin manages to make something as undesirable as a dumpster romantic. The cast may need more acting lessons, but they are pros at love scenes.
Kuen Nun may not be your ordinary gay film. And if you're looking for a light and fluffy love story, this is not the one. The added fantasy aspect seems to make the story fresher than other romantic stories available on the market, and Tanwarin's style works to spice things up. But whether it offers more than a blood-drinking man, lots of topless male bodies and gay sex — the audience will have to decide whether they love or hate this film.
