Luk Mai Klai Ton (2000)

I'm finally taking the time to write a review for this mesmerizing drama.  I cannot get it out of my head even after several viewings and quite a while since I last saw it. And if that isn't a glowing recommendation I don't know what is ;)

So what was so great about this drama? Honestly for me it was absolutely the main pairing. There was just something so absolutely magical in their connection and way of being together. It even got me to break a personal rule: never watch triangle romances - I never like them and feel the person "in the middle" should just choose. However in this drama I actually bought the tension and reasons for it not being that simple. They were also a couple with pretty much no intense drama. Sure there were some struggles, but it just felt human and realistic without the over the top element added to it.  I think in general their relationship was built up slowly and well. They really conveyed the early attraction and later angst really well.

The other characters were for the most part pretty solid as well. I really appreciated that for once the triangle drama didn't have one crazy participant. The characters were in general in this drama pretty believable and sensible.

I would definitely recommend this drama to anyone who appreciates a good thai drama. I don't even mind that the final episodes are unsubbed (though if they were ever subbed I would scream in happiness).  The age just makes it even more charming and avoids a few pitfalls modern dramas love to fall into ;)

If you  are looking for a well written drama with interesting characters and little romantic drama: this is the one!

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"Luk Mai Klai Ton" (which means: "The Fruit Falls Far from the Tree") has been said by many hardcore lakhorn lovers to be a MasterPiece of a kind.I have to 100% agree on that. Its gold hidden amongst the gold these days, and it has everything worth experiencing for a lakhorn lover. The directing, acting and writing and production is top-notch. It is so incredibly done that you live in this world and experience all the motions through life together with these characters. Everything starts with two important occurrence in this story,which involves two very powerful Diamond companies and these occurrences happens in the head families household. In one family the father rapes his servant,and in the other family the fathers`s wife leaves him for another man,leaving him alone with his two sons. The brothers Chanon and Apirak are left deeply traumatized by this incident,especially the oldest brother Chanon who becomes the mother and father for Apirak. Back to the other family, the mans rape produces a child, our heroine Rasa (starring Kob Kob Suvanant) whose mother tells her on her deathbed who her real father is and reveals that he is a rich man who raped her when she worked in his house. Rasa is furious with grief and decides to marsch into his company and force him to go to her mothers corpse and beg for apology.Her problem however is that no one believes her,especially his handsome and brooding future son-in-law Chanon ( starring Andrew Gregson) who after his mothers abandonement hates and distrusts all women. Chanon comes to hate Rasa even more when she befriends his naive brother Apirak who falls madly in love with her. In the center in this whole sad tale of betrayal, sacrifice, hope, a blooming flower of desire and love will erupt between the two very passionate characters of Chanon and Rasa, from the very brewing war of wills that started between them. This is a trainwreck on a whole another level without even being dramatic. We get to learn, we get to cry, and we get to love this master piece.

Kob Suvanant can play any role she gets,and she nailed it perfectly with Rasa`s character. Rasa is a passionate individual with great self-respect and dignity and has such a great stubborness everyone around her had to admire. She fought for her father to accept her as his daughter..and for him to repent for his crime towards her mother. She is a stunning lady and i admired her for it! We also get to see Chompoo Araya A. Hargate play the role of Sasikarn, the biological sister of Rasa who also is Chanon`s fiance-to-be. My gosh how young she was in this lakhorn and what a great talent she had in such a early stage of acting. Wichaya Jarujinda stars in his first role as the carefree and goofy Apirak,Chanon`s younger brother who at all means chases after Rasa from the start and blindly falls for her on first sight. For many viewers Apirak is thought of selfish and weak and dramatic...he was all that from the start but he undergoes such a great character developement who learns patience and understanding and tries to put himself in Chanon`s shoes for once.One of my favourite aspects in this lakhorns was the brotherhood between Chanon and Apirak.Both are so different,but their love and adoration for each other are fierce. Chanon is the man in the household, he is the boss, he has the brains and the strength to carry out their company while Apirak always stays in his shadow.

Andrew Gregson stole my heart ever since i first watched him in "Tang Parn Kammathep" where he blew my mind away from his incredible performance.In "Luk Mai Klai Ton" he plays the tortured leading hero Chanon who refuses to step down from his principles. Everyone around him keeps telling him he is heartless and cold...but deep down he is always the one hurting the most. He is a man who will keep the tears in to stay strong for his family. He always has been the solid rock and caretaker of the family ever since his mother left them for another man. The way Andrew Gregson performed was MAGNIFICENT and his way of acting really reminds me of the way the movie icon James Dean acted in his movies.Andrew Gregson has the dynamic on-screen presence that demands attention and i couldn`t keep my eyes away from him!He was clearly the head star in this lakhorn for me. I love how he hated his attraction for Rasa and i also love how he finally explodes and succumbs to it.That scene was so powerful that i simply swooned!Andrew and Kob definitely has one of the most powerful on-screen chemistry i have ever seen and its such a shame they never starred in more lakhorns together!

I recommend this lakhorn to everyone. It delivers a powerful message of you reap what you sow and that every deed has its consequences that can come back and bit you in the future.It also clearly show the picture of reality in the way it presents the older days in Thailand`s society-between the higher class and the under class.One thing i have to mention is that this lakhornhas not finished english subtitles,the first 17 episodes are subbed, so there are 3 episodes left for them to finish subbing.I have watched so many lakhorns that i understand much of thai language these days so i had no problem understanding.This lakhorn also has a strong dialuge and every character was needed for this story,no scene for me was unnecessary and everyone delivered A-class performances.I can say without hesitation that this has become one of the best lakhorns i have ever seen and trust me,i have seen many!

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