Farang ba

Wow. A truly fascinating documentary about an unassuming American 40-something lawyer, who's been involved in more than his fair share of personal struggles. Craig, (whom by his own admission) had been more of a bookish academic than an athlete in the first half of his life, arrives in Thailand and is quickly seduced by Bangkok's boxing culture. His slavish dedication to the sport, whilst battling a series of life threatening illnesses, subsequently cements his reputation as 'Farang Ba' (Crazy White Foreigner).

As a 40-something, Muay Thai enthusiast from the UK, I found Craig a very likeable and inspirational guy. Farang Ba is a truly uplifting rumination on overcoming adversity. I Loved it.

The film doesn't have a lot of fancy production values but the story it tells is amazing.

Craig Wilson, an American lawyer in his mid-40s living in Bangkok, takes up boxing because he needs some exercise. He is more and more drawn into the sport until he finds he is competing regularly, and often defeating opponents half his age. Craig gets sick, first with ulcerative colitis and then colon cancer, and after a colostomy, returns to the ring, where he rebuilds the strength to continue his recovery (wearing a foul protector over his ostomy bag).

Some parts of the film are not for the squeamish -- the physical aftermath of colon cancer isn't pretty -- but Craig's indomitable spirit blazes from every frame. The film includes interviews with Craig's doctor, coach, friends, sparring partners, and even his housekeeper, each of whom has his or her own path to being at peace with Craig's circumstances, but who accept him and cherish him as he is.

(FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a college friend of Craig Wilson, so I'm not unbiased. But you really should see this film.)

A testament to the resilience of the human spirit, Crazy White Foreigner is a true-life-bizarro-world version of Billy Elliot that may not have you boxing in the aisles, but will make even the most hardened of hearts bubble and pop with the spring of youth. In Craig Wilson, documentarian John Sullivan has found quite an amazing story. In a tender reference to Wilson's Thai nickname, "crazy white foreigner," Farang Ba is a candid story of tenacity, obsession, cross cultural respect and, at its heart, courage. I am not sure why it is not listed but it won the 2003 Banff Rockie Award for Best Sports Documentary -- completely deserved!