Supernatural drama The Stranded becomes streaming giant's first Thai original series
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Read the following story by Melalin Mahavongtrakul from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
An island wrecked by a tsunami. Over 30 teenagers left to take care of themselves. Spooky happenings. These elements make up The Stranded, Thailand's first original series to be premiered on the Netflix global streaming platform at the end of this year.
SECRET PLOT
With the success of Asian-bound originals like Sacred Games from India and Kingdom from South Korea, Netflix is ready for more Asian content. One of the exciting projects that will soon be unveiled from Thailand is The Stranded, directed by Thai filmmaker Sophon Sakdaphisit who made successful horror films like Laddaland and Coming Soon.
Details surrounding The Stranded are being kept secret by Netflix. The show's story centres on a group of teenagers left stranded on an island after a tsunami. Losing contact with the outside world, they have to work together to survive as strange incidents continue to surface on the island. Sophon has developed that idea to fit the Thai context and culture for the seven-episode series. This is also Sophon's first time directing a series.
"A series is different from films in that there are so many characters. So, one of the challenges is about making each character memorable with their individual stories, so they can be more than supporting roles in the background. We also have to find people who are unique enough to present each character distinctively that the audience can remember," he said.
"Aside from making characters that stand out, we also want them to look Thai enough, since it's a Thai original series,” Sophon said. “Our leading guy [Kram] is a fisherman's son, a rural Thai islander. And looking at many Thai actors nowadays, this kind of look is hard to find now that most people look Chinese and Korean."
LOCAL GOES GLOBAL
To present what's local to global eyes, Sophon puts the adolescents at the heart of the story. When situations call for it, they slowly show their true personality.
"I think teenagers around the world are pretty similar, in some ways. They're all about using emotions to decide different things in life. If it's a movie about grown-ups, they'd make a decision based on reasons. It's all the more fun because the series is not just about teenage problems, but also supernatural elements. So when we put teenagers in that situation, their logic won't work the same way as adults. Adults would say it's dangerous and don't go in. But teens are eager to discover things and take risks, even to do something crazy.”
The show will also look very Thai.
"We're showcasing a beautiful side of Thailand. The visuals. The geography. I think the geography also mirrors the emotions of the characters. They're stranded on an island, whereas emotionally they're also stranded. They need to figure out who's connecting them together, and that's where you see the character Kram come to the fore," added Erika North, director of International Originals at Netflix.
Since the story is set in Thailand's South, the production incorporates Thainess in small details, such as choosing a local boat to be featured on the island, and picking local southern fabric prints for certain characters to wear. But nothing too obvious. You won't see anyone dressed up in Thai silk, the director joked.
"We're almost like cultural ambassadors sometimes," he said. "We do start with what people are familiar with, like an international school, kids from high society, and then we slowly bring everyone into our house and show them what's interesting about Thailand."
Section 1: Read through the story and answer the following questions.
1. The Stranded is Netflix’s first Asian series. True or false? …………….
2. How many episodes does the show have? …………….
3. Kram is a fisherman. True or false? …………….
4. Sophon thinks teens around the world are not that different. True or false? …………….
5. Sophon thinks teens and adults make decisions on different ways. True or false? …………..
6. Sophon thinks that geography is linked to the characters. True or false? …………….
7. In which part of the country is the show set? …………….
8. The characters will wear Thai silk. True or false? …………….
Section 2: Write the noun form of the following words.
9. global .…..…10. true ……..…11. similar …….…12. decide.…… 13. dangerous .…………
Section 3: Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
In addition to focusing on the …14… kids after a disaster, The Stranded is also …15… in mythology and folktale. With Western series like Black Mirror …16… into the world of tech and science, why is Thai content largely rooted in folklore?
“Imagine …17… we make a story about astronauts in Thailand, it contradicts our nature. We have our own …18… things and we shouldn't …19… on our own legends and roots," Sophon said.
14. a. survived b. surviving c. survival
15. a. root b. rooted c. roots
16. a. dive b. dove c. diving
17. a. when b. but c. if
18. a. unique b. uniqueness c. more unique
19. a. look for b. look up c. look down
Section 4: Find words that match the following definitions.
20. strange and frightening ……………
21. left in a place with no way of leaving ……………
22. kept hidden from people ……………
23. an extremely large wave in the sea …………
24. very special or unusual ……………
Answers: 1. False. 2. Seven. 3. False. 4. True. 5. True. 6. False. 7. The South. 8. False.
9. globe. 10. truth. 11. similarity. 12. decision. 13. danger.
14. b. 15. b. 16. b 17. b. 18. a. 19. c.
20. spooky. 21. stranded. 22. secret. 23. tsunami. 24. unique.
SCORE 21-24: Excellent! 17-20: Good. 13-16: Fair. 12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
