Whipped (Bucin) เปลี่ยนลายนายหงอ (2020) [ บรรยายไทย ]

I couldn’t get into Whipped. The Indonesian film tries to be goofy and funny but its wafer-thin layers between each character are too obtuse to hit a reasonable understanding. By being clownish and outlandish with the story, there’s this expectation that the audiences receive it easily, but it’s easier to disengage as the world-building becomes more ludicrous.

The story follows four men, each with their own complicated issues who decide to “enroll” in an anti-whipping class to break free from their enslaved. For those who do not understand what whipped means — it’s the concept of a man being shackled by his partner, doing anything for them with disregard for their own wellbeing and social environment. Whipped is probably still a popular phrase now but it almost sounds nonsensical when you head into the depths of adulthood. The film mocks these men for the passionate loyalty to their partners, which leads to this rather creative class.

As the film progresses you learn about each character and their respective relationships and the issues that arise. The Netflix film bamboozles amongst various plot points but nothing uniquely lands — the most exciting part of Whipped is when the men are trapped in the escape room by the love guru and they are panicking, having absolutely no idea how to figure out the next task.

The film has its “surprises” but they are hardly crowd-pleasers. The Indonesian feature seems to pride itself on a bubbling big reveal, with the Netflix plot summary even bracing the audience for a shocking scene. It never comes, unless we are all easily pleased by obvious twists.

But perhaps what is more irritating is that the film is problematic — it’s not even worth being a problem. Whipped treats women as secondary in society throughout the plot; reducing them to their men’s ideology. But frankly, the film is sh*t and it’s not worth the discourse. There’s nothing redeeming in this film that’s worth shouting about.