Oedipal Desire in Chua fa din salai and Rueang khong Chan Dara: The Politics of Deferral, the Deferral of Politics

Amid the political turmoil that has embroiled Thailand for almost a decade, M.L. Bhandevanov Devakula adapted for the big screen two classic Thai novels that tell the stories of defiant Oedipal sons who refuse to defer their desires. By adding references to the 1932 Siamese revolution, the director links this refusal with the discourse of ching suk kon ham (premature action) and transforms the Oedipal tales into allegories for that political event. He is thus able to take a firm political stand by reinforcing some of the most important narratives that have been revitalized during the country’s long-running political crisis.