“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, but are felt with the heart” is a quote that will resonate with viewers upon watching Last Twilight, a limited series. Audiences come to recognize the reality that disabilities can arise at any point in life and it can happen to anyone—even for a national badminton player like Day (Sea Tawinan Anukoolprasert), who finds out he has infectious keratitis and will go blind.
Ultimately, Last Twilight teaches us to see hope, no matter how blurred it may be. Moreover, it introduces a blindness that extends beyond the physical through the life of Mhok (Jimmy Jitaraphol Potiwihok), who has lost his family and is burdened with debt.
Directed by Noppharnach Chaiwimol, the same director behind Moonlight Chicken, Last Twilight, the story goes beyond cliché plots and focuses on social issues through top-notch cinematography and OSTs written as an original screenplay. With viewers on the edge of their seats in every episode, the series’ three-month run concluded on Jan. 26, 2024, earning positive reviews from various sites.
Seeing the world through a plastic bag
While working as a technician at the Center for the Blind, Mhok overhears about a job interview, which leads him to meet Day, whose family was looking for a caretaker. Right off the bat, Mhok and Day's personalities contradict each other, but it is for this reason that Mhok stands out from the other applicants; he doesn’t feel pity for Day. The end of the first episode marked Day’s worsening vision and the only hope of seeing was through an eye donation. Additionally, audiences were left pondering the cause of Day’s blindness, with the only hint being the tension in his relationship with his brother, Night (Mark Pakin Kunaanuwit).
The unique cinematography of this series is not to be missed. Blurred scenes, captured from Day's point of view and resembling the perspective of looking through a plastic bag, are effectively utilized in moments where Day initiates the “one-palm distance” with Mhok out of curiosity about his appearance or during the 10 seconds he spends observing the goldfish in the aquarium. This technique later transitions into more intense scenes, such as glimpsing Mhok until his final vision fades.
Navigating life with visual impairment
Several episodes of the series proved that the most beautiful things are often invisible to the eye. As the setting transitions from home to the lively atmosphere of Chatuchak, the two search for the Last Twilight book. Upon finding it first, Mhok places it on the stack of books near Day, rather than directly giving it to him. From what we saw, Mhok wasn’t the kind of caretaker to take over tasks Day could manage on his own. He handed Day a pair of sunglasses rather than placing them directly on his face, and he wore a neon pink shirt so Day could easily find him when he got lost, despite his tough image. Moreover, he encouraged Day’s mealtime independence by describing the food on his plate using the Clock Method, where each food corresponds to a specific time on the plate. He did so to help Day dine more confidently with his former badminton partner and love interest, August (Ohm Thipakorn Thitathan).
“Getting into the ocean without seeing the ocean is weird somehow. Everything remains the same. The sea remains the same, and the sand remains the same,” Day said, realizing that nothing in the world has become less beautiful, even though he can no longer see.
Blind people’s senses are heightened, and this is true, as Day managed to paint an exact picture of the landscape. “In front of me must be a blue ocean, reaching all the way to the skyline. From what I hear, it’s a peaceful ocean. The waves aren’t so strong. And the sun is about to set on my left,” Day said. The combination of these dialogues provided us with a defining moment of realization and acceptance.
One of the scriptwriters, Kittisak Kongka, mentioned how it was inspired by a real-life conversation with a blind friend. As the Songkhla trip came to an end, Day completely lost his vision on the breathtaking mountain top of Khao Khuha.
Although the finale has stirred debate due to poor execution of the ending plot, Last Twilight remains a strong series that talks about social realities and teaches us to overcome challenges with hope.
If you’re curious to know the ending, you can catch Last Twilight on YouTube.
