Last Twilight Review – Cloudy With A Chance of Fluff
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Actors Jimmy Jitaraphol Potiwihok and Sea Tawinan Anukoolprasert sure have come a long way from their stiff delivery and lukewarm chemistry in the multiverse body-swap series “Vice Versa” to the soft romantic drama “Last Twilight.”
Directed by Backaof Noppharnach Chaiwimol, the 12-episode show follows a rowdy young Mhok (Jimmy Jitaraphol Potiwihok), who is fresh out of jail, looking for mechanic jobs, when a chance encounter leads him to become the caretaker of the rich former badminton player Day (Sea Tawinan Anukoolprasert), who is losing his eyesight and is already nearly blind. Day lives with his overprotective chef mom and an older brother whom he resents, spending his days confined to his room. However, Mhok brings him out of his shell, and the two begin to share a unique bond.
Day and Mhok’s story is quite similar to a major romantic subplot from another GMMTV show, ‘Moonlight Chicken,’ where the protagonist’s younger brother becomes the caretaker of a deaf teen from a wealthy, overprotective family. In both shows, the moms are problematic in their treatment, preferring to keep their disabled sons at home all the time for their ‘safety,’ unwittingly eroding their confidence. But it does become a slow learning experience for both Day’s mother and his other friends, to understand, empathize and treat Day with the respect and love he deserves.
Jimmy Jitaraphol Potiwihok emerges as the star of “Last Twilight”, who smoothly transitions from a good-for-nothing ‘bad boy’ to a responsible caretaker for Day. While Jimmy has already romanced Sea in “Vice Versa”, their chemistry was pretty non-existent in that show, but the two have vastly improved in this series. Jimmy as Mhok, looks completely smitten by Day and even though Day cannot see it, Mhok’s eyes are always brimming with affection for him. The gradual friendship and romantic development between the primary leads is sweet and believable. Throughout the episodes, Mhok reads a book called “Last Twilight,” an inspirational fantasy story about a blind girl named Mee, which lends a lot of strength and motivation to Day. The moments of reading between the characters help establish a palpable intimacy between them. Besides, it was heartwarming to see literature play a major role in pushing the story forward.
Sea Tawinan Anukoolprasert convincingly portrays the nearly blind Day, who is capricious, moody, and unpredictable at times. However, his character’s exceptionally mean behavior towards his older brother Night (Mark Pakin Kunaanuwit), which was quite odd in the first few episodes, and leaves viewers anticipating a solid back-story to the bitterness between the brothers. Unfortunately, the reasoning provided lacked depth and failed to be entirely persuasive. Mark Pakin Kunaanuwit (who was very endearing in “My School President,” by the way) looked a little miscast as the older brother Night. Even though he is older than Sea in real life, he gave off more of a younger sibling vibe. Night also has a romantic sub-plot, he falls for Mhok’s friend Phojai (Tipnaree Weerawatnodom ), but their story was poorly fleshed out and felt like a token progressive side-story in the tale. Night and Phojai could’ve used a little more space in the series for the climax to feel heartfelt and emotionally resonant because it hinges on a significant event in their lives, which serves as a backdrop for Day and Mhok’s relationship progression.
Apart from Mhok, an older character named On, portrayed by the cheerful Kun Kunchanuj Kengkarnka, serves as a great source of encouragement for Day. On is also visually impaired but doesn’t let that get in the way of living life to the fullest. On is always engaged in something creative, participating in marathons, fun workshops, and even finding his future wife on a dating app.
The plot is pretty-straightforward, with the romance being cute, fluffy, and sweet, but the story often becomes mawkishly sentimental. However, the aesthetic cinematography and pleasant background music in “Last Twilight” cover-up for most of its plot problems. The original soundtrack titled “Last Twilight” (ภาพสุดท้าย) sung by William Jakrapatr is a beautiful love ballad, some of its beats reminiscent of the song “Just Friend” by Nanon Korapat for “Bad Buddy” the 2022 romantic-comedy. In-fact, a lot of the musical pieces in the backdrop are the same as “Bad Buddy”, which isn’t surprising, considering both shows are from the same production house and have been directed by Backaof Noppharnach Chaiwimol.
The last two episodes were disappointingly cliched, with a ridiculous ‘grand gesture’ sequence that is typical of romantic stories, you know the ‘run to the station/airport to stop your lover from leaving’ kind of scenes, with some humor added in which wasn’t funny as intended. Overall, “Last Twilight” is a fluffy, ‘feel-good’ romance, but it is marred towards the end by a weak climactic conflict, an overload of clichés, and a chaotic-cheesy last episode. Watch the show if you are looking for a romance with diverse characters and positive representation of disabilities.
You can stream the series on GMMTV’s YouTube channel.
Read Next: The Brothers Sun Review – Eat, Fight, and Scheme
Also Read: A Man Called Ove – Orderline Oring (Audio Version Below)
