TICKET TO HEAVEN – SOME EARLY THOUGHTS
OK so the trailer for Ticket to Heaven has just dropped and I am absolutely vibrating with anticipation for this series.
It's been so long (too long) since we've had something from Director Aof to mull over and marinate in, plus given the somewhat controversial content (Thai BL tackles organized religion) – honestly, I never thought Ticket to Heaven would ever get made. But Director Aof has purposefully stepped back into the ring for this one, and the decision resounds with import (especially noting that he himself has Catholic roots, if I remember correctly).
Of course, it's too early to go into any kind of depth based on just the trailer alone, but there has definitely been some signaling of themes and directions even at this early stage. So just based on the trailer (and vibes 🤣), here's some of what I've gleaned (they're more guesses than anything, is the caveat here, so don't come at me if you disagree on any points please 🥰):
Ticket to Heaven's queer-centered stance is gently but firmly planted in opposition to organized religion (with mainstream Christian faith directly in its sights) – there are just too many symmetrical shots of the boys separated or dominated by some Christian religious symbol (e.g., a crucifix, the stairway to heaven painting, a statue, the church spire – it's right there in the poster for the show as well) that it really doesn't make sense for us to assume the messaging can land in any other way.
The themes of renewal, rebirth and the journey to discovering a new life for oneself (themes also explored in Director Aof's Moonlight Chicken) are right there front and center:
■ The appearance of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam speaks of the moment new life is created. This is paralleled by Tanrak and Barth's finger touch, which suggests that Barth may be the outside touch that sparks new life (or a new meaning of life) for Tanrak.
■ There are a couple of scenes of Tanrak and Barth being splashed with water. Aside from its marital significance in Thai culture (the pouring of water on a couple's hands during a Thai marriage ceremony is the moment that their union is officialized) the imagery also calls to mind the ritual of baptism in the Catholic faith – a sacrament that initiates one into new life, and perhaps stands as a metaphor for new life possibilities looming for Tanrak and Barth together.
■ Barth is named after St. Bartholomew, whose martyrdom was notable for involving the flaying of his skin (so much so that in art of centuries past he was depicted holding his own flayed pelt). But guess what other creature, also mentioned in the Bible, also reviled as the opposite of all things holy, also undergoes a process of losing its skin? That would be the serpent, and it sheds its skin in a process of renewal, rejuvenation and growth. There is a parallel here I do think – rebellious Barth in this series is perhaps the antithesis of all that Tanrak believes (or so firmly wants to believe in), but through Barth and his example there may yet be renewal and the hope of a life transformed for Tanrak.
■ That large single eye in the Stairway to Heaven painting looks at first glance to be a representation of the Eye of Providence, which in Christian iconography represents God's all-seeing eye. But the Eye of Providence is usually depicted within a triangle (symbolizing the Holy Trinity) and I think it has been excluded here on purpose... Noting the cultural context, I think most Thai Buddhists will also see it as a reference to the third eye of Hindu and Buddhist belief (especially with the round clock on the left and the M.C. logo on the right looking like a pair of eyes). I'm paraphrasing quite a bit, but (unless I'm mistaken) the third eye (or rather, the opening of the third eye) represents an individual achieving self-awareness and enlightenment – and if this is the case, that painting also depicts an upward, stairbound journey (stepping outside the Christian tradition) toward self-actualization and understanding that Tanrak (and maybe also Barth?) will be embarking upon in this series.
■ The communion wafer that we briefly see being handed to Tanrak speaks of the phenomenon of transubstantiation, in which the symbolic bread is believed (in the Catholic tradition) to transform into the body of Christ, offered up for our sins. A potent symbol of transformation and faith, and especially significant that Tanrak was the one receiving it.
Tanrak's name (แทนรัก) means something like A Representation or Embodiment of Love. But it can also mean A Substitute for Love – and nods at the struggle he is facing, in which the concept of love that he is being told to believe in excludes the love that he feels in his heart.
The one scene that really stuck in my mind was Tanrak contemplating the spray of Baby's Breath (Gypsophila) in the darkness of his room. Now in the language of flowers, the little white blooms of Baby's Breath symbolize purity and innocence – and in the context of the show the flowers are perhaps a metaphor for the same Christian ideals of righteousness being taught to Tanrak, day in and day out. But of course these ideals make no room for the queer stirrings he is feeling within for Barth – indeed, mainstream teachings of the Church toss these feelings into the same barrel of sins that Tanrak knows to be wrong. And this scene of Tanrak struggling with dread at this supposed defiling wrongness that looms within him naturally is given visual resonance by the cinematographer, lighting designer and Director Aof, who have made sure that the symbol of purity and innocence that Tanrak is focusing his gaze so fixedly on is also casting dark, disfiguring shadows on his own face.
Ticket to Heaven, coming soon! 😍 I can hardly wait. 💖🙏