Not Me

"freedom is everybody’s business" -- NOT ME: a love letter to Thai people

Not Me is undoubtedly one of the best Thai series ever made and it's a product of an incredible amount of care. as i said in the title of this review, Not Me is a love letter to the people of Thailand by the producers, the writers, the actors, and everyone else that was involved in the production of this show. it is a poignant love letter to Thailand's queer community, their revolutionaries, the Thai proletariat, and everyone else who is marginalized by the system, written by people who clearly care a lot and want better for their country and their people.

besides having an incredibly well-written, complex, and layered scenario; intentional and complementary sound design; creative, boundary-breaking, and emotional cinematography; this show addresses a lot of important societal issues, such as labor rights for disabled people, class differences, educational opportunities based on class, privileges and social/cultural capital, the idea of law as justice, corruption, nepotism, police brutality, workers' rights, the “right” ways of the revolution, the luxury to protest, and many more. this show is very unapologetically anti-capitalist AND very unapologetically queer; what better way to communicate its messages than through one of Thailand’s most influential soft powers? a BL.

one thing that particularly impressed me was how the show did not hold back at all; as much as they were unapologetically anti-capitalist and pro-revolution, they were not afraid to explore the gray zones and they were not worried about getting everything "right." the variation in different characters' different approaches to the "revolution," or radicalism in general, the ambiguities in their ideologies, the different ways they all approached the cause based on their lived experiences; it all added so much nuance to the show and showed how the writers/producers took their audience seriously and wanted us to grapple with these ideas.

the quote i added in the title is from Dolemite (1975) and the context is Black people's liberation; it says, "revolution was never meant to be easy [...] it's not a matter of color. freedom is everybody's business." i added this in because while Not Me takes place in Thailand, the issues addressed are universal and freedom is everybody's business, which includes yours and mine. since solidarity was also one of the points the show emphasized as being very important for any sort of societal change, i believe it is worthwhile to make a point out of this.

furthermore, i loved how the gang were portrayed as frequent readers who constantly engaged with radical material. i loved how the characters participated in discourse, as in there was actual dialogue written for different characters going back and forth, about the issues addressed by the show. i particularly loved Nuch's input & their discussions with Gram. i loved how all of these characters approached the fight in creative and unique ways. there were expressionist dancers, expressionist artists, readers, those who fought by protesting, those who made signs for protests, those who organized on social media; there was space for all.

POLICE BRUTALITY -- at first, i thought it was weird that they wrote Yok's love interest as a cop, who are agents of the state, tasked with stopping revolutionary efforts all around the world by any means necessary. however, this was one of the gray zones they explored, which did, in fact, serve a narrative purpose. Dan represented the people who understood what was wrong with society but fell victim to the idea that they can change things through becoming a part of the system. he became a cop and the very same system he thought he would be able to change by doing this made him complicit. he was given authority and power over the people simply by becoming a cop and he was given a deadly weapon, as well as the authority to shoot whenever he felt "threatened." eventually, he ended up becoming a well-working part of the system and reinforcing the same conditions he hoped to change through becoming a cop.

despite appreciating Not Me addressing how systems of oppression cannot be changed from the inside, i thought the show really dropped the ball when it comes to Dan and his police brutality storyline, especially considering the global political climate at the time this show came out, as well as them mentioning the Black Lives Matter protests. despite the heavy, heavy guilt Dan felt, which Gawin beautifully portrayed, i found it very hard to feel sympathy towards him after he revealed how he "accidentally" killed a presumed-to-be-guilty yet unarmed person (not that it matters) who was running away and faced no consequences other than his conscience. he detailed how he did this, how his coworkers covered it up, how he felt so guilty that he changed stations, yet he never quit his job (until later). yet, he never found the family of the man he unlawfully killed and apologized. he left Sean without a father, took someone's partner from them, while exercising (abusing) his state-appointed power. he saw Sean seeking justice years ago yet he only went to him when he couldn't carry the guilt anymore. even worse, when confronting Sean, Dan says it was an accident, which shows that he still doesn't get it. this is how the system operates. he would not be in that position at all, with a gun in his hand and the power to direct it at someone, if he hadn't chosen to become a cop and a part of this system. he said it was an accident but he never really took responsibility. he killed a man but he never was judged by the law.

furthermore, i was really disappointed with Yok's reaction to finding out what Dan did, especially because he knew Dan for so little yet was friends with Sean for years and saw how traumatized and radicalized he was by his father's death. i felt like he really didn't feel the weight of what he did beyond how it made Dan feel. it was sort of this romantic, opening-up moment, which felt odd to me. i felt like all the things Yok said were wrong and lacked empathy for Sean; he said Dan was now making amends by fighting against Tawi when he never even took responsibility for what he did or even apologized so how could he be making amends? on whose terms? to who exactly? in what ways? i really didn't think he deserved to be comforted, especially by Sean's very own friend.

the actual confrontation between Sean and Dan was so much worse because they made Sean look unreasonable for wanting revenge and it felt like he was forced into resolving this issue within himself for the comfort of everyone else. Yok was yelling at Sean, saying "he's trying his best to make it up to you" for, literally, killing his father through state-legitimized violence. on top of the fact that they kept referring to him making amends, which somehow did not involve the actual victims at all.

NON-VIOLENCE -- one other area where i thought the show dropped the ball was their focus on non-violence in the context of the revolution, or simply, as it relates to societal change. it reminded me of all the people who were more worried about the looting of luxury stores, damage to property, or respectability politics during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, than the people who have been victimized by the police state for far too long, when we know all revolutions in the past have been won through using violence back. in Blood In My Eye, George Jackson says, "revolution builds in stages; it isn't cool or romantic; it's bold and vicious [...] the power of the people lies in its greater potential violence."

Not Me, in many ways, addressed how the law itself is not justice nor is it always just or correct. they acknowledged it is there for a reason but also showed the characters struggle with its limitations. they even openly said how the law exonerates the elite who use it for corruption because it’s made by them and for them. we often saw White question this; he said, “fair competitions only result from fair rules. what if the rules aren’t fair? is it right to break them?”

while they did address both sides of this spectrum, there was a focus on non-violence, especially portrayed by the main character White, who seemed to be in the middle of everything yet saw and acknowledged both sides. this focus on non-violence, which goes against the radical nature of the show, was disappointing but kind of expected. i was surprised at how honest and fearless the show was in addressing certain political and social themes that i thought they would not fall victim to the liberal notion of non-violence in the context of the revolution. also, them mentioning Martin Luther King Jr in the context of nonviolence was very on point because anytime someone wants to criticize revolutionary efforts, which, of course, can involve violence, they will quote MLK and how he advocated for non-violent protests. Not Me does the same and it's not surprising why they don't bring up other Black revolutionaries, like Kwame Ture, who said, "in order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience." furthermore, MLK is always remembered by his most famous sayings about non-violence, yet his other words, such as, "one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws," go unmentioned.

it felt like maybe they intended to focus on unity and the positives to give people hope and make the idea of the revolution more palatable (then again it is a tv show), but diluting revolutionary efforts through notions of non-violence or more palatable and comfortable ways of revolting excuses the violence suffered by the people. both in Sean's case and in general, i think the expectation to stay calm through abuse is where the violence lies. it is almost offensive to ask people to contain their anger, to act respectable, to not use force, when state-sanctioned violence is normalized and millions live in poverty.

WHITE'S PRIVILEGE -- finally, i want to address White as the main character. i mentioned the show focusing on nonviolence before, and this focus is mainly established through White's character. before White took Black's place in the gang, they were already using different forms of violence to fight back.

when White first comes in, we see him as this rich, privileged, sheltered guy, and when he joins the first mission, he’s obviously dumbfounded. in a way, White represents the elite in juxtaposition to the rest of the gang, he doesn't have the same life experiences, he hasn't been burned by the system the way they have been because he's been on the other side, and he has little to no lived experiences with any forms of oppression. yet, he leads the conversations. he represents neutrality, intelligence, and logic while those like Sean or Black, who are rightfully angry, are portrayed as rabid dogs who lack civility and only know violence. White represents the elite's understanding of conflict and revolution and i don't like how him being the main character made it so that his point of view, one of neutrality, was emphasized.

however, this was also White's journey of understanding his privileges and his own position on this chess board, he said, “ [...] if the privileges i’ve had in my entire life come from exploiting others..” which very directly addresses capitalism and wealth inequality. the fact that White had an easy life where he did not have to think or act about the structural problems of society and systems of oppression is because he had the privilege not to. in the end, the show made it seem like it was White, who did not live in Thailand until recently, had no direct experiences with poverty, oppression, or state violence, and lived an overall privileged life, who would bring reason to the group and their actions against those like Tawi. in a way, it was White's neutrality and "logic" that diluted the revolutionary efforts of the gang, which were much more strong and radical when Black was leading them. the show made it seem like these guys, like Sean, who were radicalized through their direct experiences with injustice, were akin to savages acting on pure rage.

i'm emphasizing this point because it was so painfully obvious; even when they found out about the cop's betrayal, White was the one who could see both sides of it. while others were mad or disappointed, White, once again, represented reason and could immediately sympathize with Dan and did not seem to be as emotional about their efforts being ruined. however, what the show doesn't directly tell us is that White can afford to be neutral about this BECAUSE he is privileged. even his capacity for sympathy towards Dan demonstrates how privileged he actually is. he isn't as angry as others because he can afford to be. he hasn't been hurt and damaged by the system the way others have been. he doesn't have the same grievances despite believing in the same cause. yet, he was made to be the voice of reason, which everyone followed. he got to criticize, direct, and change the ways the gang went about the revolution and we were just supposed to believe he somehow knew better and was better, which seemed condescending. for example, when in EP6, White did not follow Sean's plan and assumed he knew better, it showed us that he did not value the experiences of the people who were actual victims of oppression, unlike him who only learned or read about these things. it seemed like the show created scenarios that made the gang look impulsive and thoughtless while White was always written to be the voice of reason and intelligence. as Attica Locke wrote, “you didn’t make good choices, you had good choices,” and that's how privilege operates.

IN CONCLUSION -- no matter my stance on some of the focus points of the show, i loved how they addressed the gray zones in a lot of the issues in the plot and tried to acknowledge and explore as many viewpoints as possible.

most importantly, my favorite part of the show was how they made so much space for love throughout it all. we need so much of it. we need love for each other because that's how we build community. societal change can't come about if people don't care about each other. we need people like White to care about people like Sean. we need people to care when there is nothing in it for them. we need them to care even when it doesn't serve them. this is why i love how they didn't end the show with some unrealistic portrayal of a successful revolt or something. they ended it by emphasizing the most important point: solidarity, solidarity, solidarity. they ended with, "not me, not you, but everyone," emphasizing the importance of the collective over the individual.

and the fight continues.

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this drama truly deserves more love and attention!

let's be honest, every time i recommend this drama to someone they always come back saying they loved it, and as they should. it is so good!! i have not met a single person who didn't like this drama, and its obvious why.

the acting is amazing, offgun really knocked it out the park this time round, and the supporting cast like first and mond as yok and gram also did fantastic. the story line here sends such an important message and it is conveyed in such a beautiful way that leaves you wanting more.. i watched this all in one sitting the first time i watched it.

the ost is beautiful too, i could not stop listening to the theme song.

overall this is such an impact-full yet beautiful drama that sends a strong message, and i hope anyone who decides to watch this can love at as much as the rest of us, as i believe it is truly underrated and does not get as much love and attention as it deserves (although i could just be a bit biased) 10/10

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One of the best BLs I’ve seen

the directing, acting, plot, and soundtrack of this series are incredibly well done, especially compared to other GMMTV shows I’ve watched. I am anticipating Burnout Syndrome (same director and lead actors) with high hopes!
this show has indie vibes, which makes sense based on the director’s prior works. it was interesting and refreshing to see something less mainstream coming from GMMTV.
The social justice themes were very fitting for the year 2021, when it seemed that the whole world was protesting what we’d previously put up with. However at times the social justice message felt a little too forced in the main and side storylines—this is my only negative critique of the show.
OffGun really thrived in these roles. White and Sean are complex characters, and they were very well fleshed out by Off and Gun. First’s acting particularly struck me as well!
Overall I highly recommend this series 🤍🖤🤍🖤

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One of the best action series in BL history.

I think this is the best BL ever.
The story is amazing, actors are perfect and actions are understandable.
The only thing that bothered me a bit was the storyline between Black and Gram. I saw that people say that Gram was "Straight-washed", but i dont think that's necessarily the case. Although I think it's a bit odd for Gram to be in a relationship with the ex of his especially close friend. I mean they spent every single day together and are kind of close, so why?

However, the thing I enjoyed the most was the Story between White and Sean. Their Chemistry was amazing, the way they cared for each other was just adorable. I loved every single second of them.

I also really enjoyed watching the bond between Black and White and how it deepens throughout the series.

And OMG, THE MUSIC???? 10000/10

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One of the best drama I have watch!!

So this is the first time ever I’m writing review so I might Not be able to include everything I wanna do. I’m new in bl world and I have watched multiples of drama and only few of them good stories and plots . And to be honest ‘Not me’ is the best one. In ‘ Not Me ‘ every casting is too good. All the casting’s acting are so on the point like everyone has portrayed every emotion on the point like from faith to disappointment, trust to betrayal hate to love happiness to sadness rage to revenge, like every emotions are so good as you can even feel them. And yes this is the only drama that I have watched where there’s nothing cringe especially the female cast. The story is on the spot and the plots are so good.
The very first drama of OffGun I watched was ‘theory of love’ and they has been my favorite since then. They portray every character so naturally especially ‘Gun’ . He has done acting so naturally like it never felt on and off. As you watch his every drama you’ll get that. And in ‘Not me ‘ he has done his best work. He had shown two different characters and both are on the top. I have never seen the cold and rude side of Gun and he totally nailed the character. I really want him to act such more character like gangster damn!! (Actually I’m writing this review to praise ’Gun’s’ work like he is the show’s stealer and he deserves every compliment)
As a whole the whole drama is so good. You’ll never feel bore or anything but excitement. I’m little bit confused with the ending but yes overall the drama is on the top.

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good story

watch : 3-4 kali

kalau kangen sama acting attaphan yang beraneka ragam biasanya nonton ini. walaupun hasil produksi agak kurang tapi ini punya sisi lebih di beberapa bagian lain.

alur cerita yang relate banget sama masyarakat strata atas-menengah-bawah. pencerminan peristiwa fiktif yang mungkin saja terjadi di kenyataan. si kaya bisa saja kejam karena kuasa. si miskin juga bisa jahat karena ga punya harta. juga kita bisa jadi pengamat keji yang ga berbuat apa-apa buat masyarakat.

diantara itu harapan masih ada saat semua mau berusaha memilih jalan yang baik bukan untuk individu atau kelompok tertentu, tapi untuk kepentingan bersama.

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Not only a BL romance but foremost an action drama providing some actual societal criticism

Most of the BL dramas I saw focus primarily on the romance between the characters and have for background a set up providing some narrative arcs around school projects, youth clubs or business prospects. Some might incorporate fights as well as a way to show off some cool gang scenes. "Not Me" takes here another direction with a story not just centred on romance but approaching societal topics such as social inequality, injustice, LGBTQ+ rights and how Art can be a way to criticize societal issues. Action scenes are intrinsic to the plot as a way to discuss how to make society change either through demonstrations or even violence to make a point.

The chemistry between the 2 main leads is great and totally believable, their relationship is building up gradually, it is a very good slow-burn. The twins plot is overall well acted and is a good twist to the romance, as it brings up a lot of angst and thrills to the development of the relationship. Overall acting of the secondary characters was pretty good with the exception of maybe some less enticing adults and enemies roles.

The production and directing are not the best: some jumping action sequences are too over-the-top to make sense, as well as some of the fighting scenes which are bit too cheap with some of the blood / make-up appearing rather fake. The editing is also sometimes all over the place with a few abrupt cuts making some of the narration kind of choppy.
Despite this, the drama remains all along highly entertaining and even riveting at some point as the plot unveil itself. The OST is really pleasant to listen to, not to overpowering and pretty balanced with the show.

I would recommend this to people looking for a more serious action packed story with some angsty BL relationships and a well-executed slow burn romance.

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Who hated this show? Not Me!!!

Okay... For the life of me, I don't understand why I put off watching this show. I am not too much into political dramas, so I kept postponing this one for the same reason I delayed watching Vincenzo and Revenge of Others... I was not sure I will like it. Then I watched Senior Secret Love (both parts) and Theory of Love. Something about OffGun clicked, and Pride Month started, so I said okay.. How bad can it be?

That I was pleasantly surprised is an an understatement. I was completely mesmerised by the sheer storyline, the cinematography, the acting... Everything just blew me.

Story: usually GMM TV has the habit of ruining great premises with weak execution, but Not Me does not have that flaw. A brilliant story, designed to keep you on the edge of your seat, and keep you waiting for more. The director went all out to perfectly balance the glaring dystopia in our world with the utopian world that our leaders want to present. I think that was really well done. The story felt real because it was steeped in reality. All of us have faced discrimination at some point and there are many idealists as well as rebels amongst us, who wish to change the face of the society we live in.

Acting: Kudos, I mean seriously kudos to the person who decided the cast. Mond as Gram and First as Yok simply blew my mind. Both the girls were cast well, and for a change, were not cruel, manipulative bitches out for revenge! But in my honest opinion, it was Off as Sean and Gun as Black/White that made me just go crazy in love. What was completely unexpected was the actual change in Sean's eyes and behaviour as he started falling for White(who for him was Black at that point). I must talk here about the scenes with the trust falls, their kisses and that first time they had... How Gun talks about the beating heart made me feel like it was mine that was beating. I also have to talk about the scene where Sean confesses to who he thinks is his 'Black' but is actually the real one. The helplessness is Sean's eyes when the actual Black beats him up made me want to pick him up and tuck him in bed! And OffGun... Please come back with more, I beg of you!

Music: Everlast by Will van de Crommert is my Pride Anthem... It is now on loop in my Spotify and I keep listening to it. Other songs are also great... The closing thème by OffGun is definitely worth a listen. Songs are placed well and don't take away from the beauty of the show at all!

Re-watch value: 10000/10... Even more... I have already re-watched it like 3 or 4 times, and every time I find something new that catches my interest. So definitely go for it!!

Recommendation: strongly recommend you guys to watch this one... I think I can safely say that this one is one of the masterpieces of 2022!!

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The plot itself is great. The actual script, not so great.

It's actually nice to watch a Thai BL Serie that feels more mature, and not the typical "freshmen year BL" that ends up portraying characters like high-schoolers. In fact, the strongest point of this serie is the acting (also the soundtrack), by far.
The plot itself is great. However, the actual writting (script) was far from perfect. Way too many political speeches that felt forzed (not by its content but because of its lenght and reiteration). Sometimes, all you need is 2 or 3 strong sentences to get the audience's attention, instead of a whole speech/debate in every single episode. Real changes comes with "actions", not with "words". I wish we could have seen more actions.
By the end of the serie you will be feeling conflicted. You will be feeling happyness, because the two main BL couples end up together, but you will also feel like something is missing... and there will be a lot of questions, simply because the writer forgot how real life works.

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AMAZING BUT ANTI-CLIMACTIC

A quick review

The entire show was great. The last episode just didn’t do it for me as most of the action was skipped. The issue didn’t really get resolved properly and I wanted more action in the last episode.

The acting was perfect. The music too, most of the story was entertaining. The four guys did great and had friendship chemistry as well. It felt like it also could have been a non romance as well. Guns two character performance was also great,

Eugine was a very annoying character. Her romance with Gram felt very forced and I just didn’t support it. Still a minor thing though.

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OffGun

So I might sound bais, and I do believe that I might be bais, but offgun was really whole reason show was really good to me. The story was absolutely amazing, as well as acting.

The story really had me in a choke hold cause I was really invested in who attacked Black. The romance part of the show also pulled me in cause offgun, as well as the side couple.

Well anyway my review needs to be longer. Um, I really like how they had the twins look, the angles they did was amazing with that. Although I wish they did the thing they did in Liv and Maddie, but I'm not complaining that much. I'm just saying stuff so I can post this review

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