(Directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol (1974, 102 min)

In “The Land of Smiles”, a satisfied grin is often a one-sided affair. Thrusting deep into the underbrush of Thailand’s infamous ‘flesh trade’, Thai director Chatrichalerm Yukol’s provocative and promiscuous film Hotel Angel propositions viewers with a tantalizing question; “What’s It worth?” 

The film centers on Malee, a young farm girl from Thailand’s verdant countryside who takes a weekend trip with her boyfriend into the capital city of Bangkok, where she is abandoned and entrapped in an unpaid hotel room, and subsequently forced into the sex trade. Initially obstinate, Malee discovers that her fate has been sealed tight; either work for the hotel manager as a prostitute, or face jail time. 

After her first trick, Malee uncovers a dark, albeit coerced, truth about herself; she kind of likes it. Becoming an immediate attraction at the dingy ‘Love Hotel’, she can now afford not only glamorous outfits and expensive booze, but the opportunity to send large sums of cash back home to her family in the country.

Director Yukol allegedly spent the better part of a year living in a brothel to research the film, leaving only to film and take part in the historic 1973 Thai Popular Uprising that saw the end of Thailand’s anti-Communist dictatorship.

We’re proud to present this gonzo true crime masterpiece so dangerous & potent no streaming aite would dare license it despite its accololades!