Earlier this year Love, Not Yet proved to be that rarest of Thai teen rom-coms: one that actually asks serious questions about issues of love and sex concerning young people. So hopes were high when it was discovered that the film’s co-director Anuchit Muanprom had gone solo with Virgin Am I. But it turns out the 90-minute flick, which follows the relationship problems of three young virgins through three separate narratives, is just more run-of-the-mill teen fodder, despite some seemingly far-out plots.
The movie opens with Pad, a makeup artist, falling for her close friend Ohm, a music teacher. She wants Ohm to be her first sexual partner, but he sees her as just good company. Even when Game, Pad’s gay friend, tries to set them up nothing happens until a kiss changes everything. Next up is the story of Deaw, a teenage boy infatuated with a girl named Prae. Just as their love blossoms, a private video clip of Deaw masturbating goes viral. Absolutely everybody sees the clip, including the boy’s parents Tida and Aun, who are separated after Aun was caught having sex with a masseuse. With Prae no longer wanting anything to do with him, Deaw goes to great lengths to bring them back together, but after an argument with his mom over the clip, he runs away to stay at the house of his good friend, New, for a few days, though a strange situation arises between the two. Then there’s Toomtam, a spicy sausage vendor in Chiang Rai, who is in love with Mod. After he lies to her that he has landed an acting role in a romantic film, Toomtam—a virgin, remember—must appear in an erotic film opposite female porn star Chompoo in Bangkok. When he returns home, Mod is mad at him. Toomtam eventually wins her back, only to then develop feelings for Chompoo.
This all sounds like a rollicking ride, but while the cast may be relatively strong, the storytelling is far too messy. And the whole thing comes across as one big pointless exercise because the viewer isn’t given the time or reason to empathize with the lovelorn protagonists. As no emotional depth is established, the film relies on cheap, unnecessary dirty jokes—some of which you can’t help but chuckle at. But the only thing approaching relationship advice that Virgin Am I offers is that after the laughter comes tears.