Man Suang (2023) Plot Summary
Man Suang is set in 19th century Thailand as it follows two exploited dancers, Khem and Wan who are sent to find evidence of rebels at ManSuang, a high-class but suspicious Chinese club. As political conspiracies threaten to shake the very foundation of Siam, different parties race to put their candidate on the throne as King Rama III’s reign comes to a close.
Khem and Wan run into Chatra, a musician who has his own reasons for helping them reveal the truth. Unfortunately, it leads to the 3 boys getting tangled in a web of lies and danger way beyond what they had signed up for. With that tense climax and symbolic resolution, we try to explain the ending as we wait for the sequel, Shine.
Who has the contract?
The movie begins with Khem and Wan being arrested for supposedly killing Muen Kijraksa, an officer. His uncle, Phraya Bodisorn, gives the boys a way out – they will be pardoned if they find an English-language contract that proves that another official, Phraya Wichiendej of the Harbor Department has entered an arms deal with some Europeans to take over the throne.
The contract was last in the possession of the broker Khun Suthin before he was found dead near ManSung which also happens to be a hangout spot for Phraya Wichien.
Khem learns that Chatra knows English and brings him into his mission. A twist of fate has Hong, the son of ManSuang’s owner also getting involved. As they hunt high and dry, the courtesan, Tubtim reveals that she saw Suthin last before he died. He knew he was corned and so gave her the contract for safekeeping.
It is later revealed that there were two contracts – one between the Europeans and Phraya Bodisorn and the other between the Europeans and Phraya Wichien with Suthin negotiating both deals and two-timing them.
Who are the rebels?
By the end of the movie, it is revealed that both parties believed that the other was the rebel. Phraya Bodisorn thought that Phraya Wichien was teaming up with ManSuang’s owner, Master Cheng and Tua Hia, a Chinese gang to put their candidate prince on the throne. Meanwhile, Phraya Wichien believed that Phraya Bodisorn’s candidate prince had allied with the Europeans and would allow them to invade Siam the way they had taken over Burma.
Meanwhile, Cheng’s nephew, Tiang had other plans. Since there was bad blood between the Chinese and the Thai, he wanted to betray the Tua Hia by framing them as rebels. Having “stopped” the rebels, he would get in the good grace of the court.
Then with the help of Phraya Wichien, he wanted to rise up and become a powerful member of the court. Tiang also wanted to control Phraya Wichien by taking the contract which is why he confronts Suthin. When Cheng refuses to follow this plan, Tiang kills him. He also believes that Hong would be against this plan and tries to kill him as well but fails in the end.
Why does Wan betray his friends?
From the beginning of the movie, it is established that Wan has trauma from a past experience with the Chinese. He is jittery and doesn’t trust them including Chatra as he is half-Chinese. When Khem refuses with his plan to get the Tua Hia killed by Phraya Bodisorn, Wan betrays him.
He goes alone to Phraya Bodisorn and requests him to kill the Chinese in ManSuang. When Phraya Bodisorn refuses as he has yet to get his hands on the contract and the weapons, Wan is disheartened. When he leaves, he is spotted by Phraya Wichien’s man and taken to him. Phraya Wichien claims that his mission is to get rid of the Tua Hia. Wan is excited and switches sides. But like with Tiang, Phraya Wichien doesn’t order Wan, he just asks him to do what is best.
Wan acts all on his own, believing that Phraya Wichien wants him to kill the head of the Chinese who he believes is Hong. Wan tries to protect Khem as he is his only friend and is hurt when Khem sides with Hong.
He finally reveals that the Tua Hia have raped and killed women in his village including his sister. He refuses to listen to reason that the ManSuang Chinese have nothing to do with the incident and tries to kill them all by burning gunpowder. However, Khem shoots him.
Is Khem able to clear his name?
Chatra gives him the contracts in the end but Khem is not interested. Instead, Chatra takes it and threatens Phraya Bodisorn to pardon Khem. Phraya Bodisorn does one better and not only makes Khem a free man but also offers titles and land to both Khem and Chatra. He also gets into a temporary truce with Phraya Wichien.
However, Khem refuses to become a noble as he believes he can change the status of lowborns from within. Similarly, Chatra too refuses the government position and plans to work from within to change the country.
Was Suthin corrupt?
Khun Suthinborirak is the registrar of the Harbor Department and also Chatra’s father. He two-times the rivals, Phraya Bodisorn and Phraya Wichien by secretly brokering an arms deal with the both of them. He tells Chatra to toe the line and warns him that it is dangerous to work with the court. By the end, even Chatra believes that his father is a greedy and corrupt official.
However, there may be more to the story as Suthin goes to extreme lengths to hide the contracts from Phraya Bodisorn and Tiang. He wanted to first entrust it to Master Cheng and Hong as they have no interest in politics. He hides the contracts with Tubtim and even kills himself to protect its location from Tiang. But we won’t ever know for sure what his true motives were as the sequel, Shine will not be addressing the events of the movie.
Read More: Man Suang Movie Review