In Doi Boy, Sorn, a sex worker living in Thailand, becomes part of an operation that might uproot him once again. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Sorn is a sex worker in Thailand. He lives with his girlfriend, Bee, who works at a karaoke bar. They earn just enough money to get by. Life gets difficult when the Thai government decides to close all entertainment businesses for two weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of Sorn’s customers is Ji, a man who is haunted by his past actions. Ji was paid to make a political activist, Bhoom, disappear. Ji killed Bhoom without leaving any evidence, but murdering an innocent man takes a toll on him.
On top of that, Joe, the man who paid Ji to make Bhoom disappear, has another job for him. Ji is unable to refuse when Joe threatens him. Ji’s wife is pregnant, and he cannot risk his family getting hurt.
Sorn tells Ji about his past a day before the club gets closed for two weeks. Sorn is from the Shan State, Myanmar. Back home, he was a monk named Wan. Along with other monks, he was forced to join an insurgent group.
Sorn wanted to choose his own future, so he said goodbye to his friend, Yoon, and deserted. To not get caught, he crossed the border and illegally entered Thailand with a friend, Korn.
The two of them then started working as sex workers, as it was one of the jobs that paid well. Sorn and Korn are now trying to get Thai passports that would allow them to get better jobs.
That night, Ji makes Sorn an offer. He asks Sorn to take him and a friend of his to Sorn’s hometown in Myanmar in exchange for money. As they will not be crossing the border legally and Sorn does not know if he will be able to come back, he refuses.
Sorn does not know that he is being followed after refusing Ji’s offer. Bee gives Sorn money to pay the rent, but Sorn uses it to get his passport made. This makes Bee angry because neither she nor Sorn will be earning any money for the next few weeks.
Sorn and Korn try to make money by doing odd jobs, but this makes matters worse. The police arrest Sorn for working without a permit. On top of that, he is an undocumented immigrant.
At a time like this, Ji, who is a policeman, comes to his rescue. Ji has the passport that Sorn has been desperately waiting for. Ji promises to give Sorn the passport as well as money if Sorn agrees to take him to his hometown. Sorn reluctantly accepts his offer.
Ji has to make a man named Wuth disappear. Wuth is Bhoom’s boyfriend and is continuing Bhoom’s work after his disappearance. Bhoom had evidence that proved that the government and some of the executives are involved in human trafficking.
Bhoom died trying to expose the truth. The evidence is with Wuth now, and he does not intend to stay silent. Ji does not want to kill Wuth, as Bhoom’s murder still torments him, so he decides to take Wuth to the temple where Sorn was ordained and leave him there.
Ji kidnaps Wuth, and Sorn takes the two of them to his hometown. Sorn is even more reluctant to help Ji after finding out about Wuth and Bhoom’s work. He even tries to help Wuth escape, but Ji catches the two of them.
The three of them cross the border at night, but just as Sorn had feared, they are caught by the insurgent group that Sorn was forced to join. The insurgents recognize Sorn as the man who deserted the group.
Doi Boy ending explained in detail:
Do Sorn, Wuth, and Ji escape?
Sorn is beaten up and separated from Wuth and Ji. It is Sorn’s old friend, Yoon, who is ordered to lock Sorn up in a cell. Sorn reminds Yoon that he is still his friend, and Yoon decides to help him escape.
Yoon also frees Wuth and Ji. Wuth knows that Ji is not killing him because he does not want to carry the burden of another murder. However, Wuth will be left here to suffer for the rest of his life, so he asks Ji to kill him, but Ji refuses.
When a soldier spots Ji and Wuth, Ji has to fight that soldier. Wuth gets the opportunity to kill Ji, but he cannot bring himself to shoot him. After Ji knocks the soldier out, Yoon takes Ji, Sorn, and Wuth away from the group.
No one can know that Yoon helped the prisoners. Once they are safe, Yoon asks Ji to shoot him in the shoulder to make it look like the prisoners escaped after injuring him, and Ji does as he is told.
Does Wuth become a monk?
Ji decides to return home because his absence will create problems. He asks Sorn to take Wuth to the temple. He makes it clear that Wuth needs to stay in Myanmar. If Wuth returns to Thailand, Ji will have to kill him.
Before leaving, he gives Wuth a bag that contains Wuth’s belongings. On their way to the temple, Sorn and Wuth have a heart-to-heart conversation. They understand and comfort each other.
When they reach the temple, Wuth is ordained. He accepts his new life, as he has little choice in the matter. Before Wuth and Sorn part ways, Wuth gives Sorn his passport; Ji left Sorn’s new passport in Wuth’s bag.
Wuth asks Sorn to find a way to get back to Thailand, and a grateful Sorn thanks him profusely. When the film ends, Wuth is seen living an unhappy life that he did not choose for himself. In Thailand, people protest Wuth and Bhoom’s enforced disappearance.
What happens to Ji and Sorn?
Ji is aware that he is ruining a man’s life. After leaving Wuth and Sorn in Myanmar, he breaks down. His wife sees him come home in his car, but by the time she goes out to meet him, he is nowhere to be found. The police look for him, but to no avail. It is hinted that Ji could never get rid of the burden of guilt.
Sorn disappeared without a word, but Bee cannot report him missing because he is an undocumented immigrant. Her coworker advises her to become the mistress of an older man who keeps making advances towards her.
As it is hard to make money because of the pandemic, Bee takes her coworker’s advice and becomes the man’s mistress. He gives her, among other things, a house and a car. Bee then moves out of the house she shared with Sorn. Meanwhile, Sorn is still trying to return to Thailand.
Also Read: A Nearly Normal Family summary and ending explained
