Sartaj Singh
Created by Ekachai Uekrongtham, ‘Doctor Climax’ is a Thai-language series that transports us to 1970s Thailand, where a dermatologist answers sex-related questions in a newspaper column. Under the name of Dr. Climax, he broaches societal taboos while trying to be a stand-up father and maintain his own marriage while having an affair. Through anonymous questions sent to the newspaper, we gain an insight into bizarre, funny, and steamy stories of the people of the era as they discuss topics like premature ejaculation, STDs, and foreplay. Besides the themes of sexual taboo, the Netflix comedy-drama immerses us in its past era through its politics, vibrant fashion, and gritty backdrops.
Doctor Climax Filming Locations
‘Doctor Climax’ is primarily filmed in Bangkok, Thailand, and its surrounding provinces, which comprise the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. The show is one of the first productions in Thailand to use an intimacy coordinator, Romchat Tanalappipat, to serve as a line between the directors and actors. For the first season, the team found it difficult to locate well-preserved urban historical environments and often had to edit out modern outcroppings and even use CGI.
Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Thailand.
Comprised of the capital city of Thailand and its neighboring provinces, the Bangkok Metropolitan Region provides all the filming sites for ‘Doctor Climax.’ While the city of Bangkok is rich in historical and cultural heritage, for exterior shots, the production team was hard-pressed to find entire neighborhoods fit for creating the show’s 1970s setting in the first season. A key filming site identifiable in central Bangkok is the Fazal Building on 1 Bamrung Mueang Road, San Chao Pho Sua. Located in the heart of Bangkok’s old town, the historical structure was made by Parsees merchants from the colonial Bombay State of British India in 1931.
Despite the structure being located in a historical neighborhood, with more modern structures and roads in the background, sequences filmed around it are edited and enhanced with VFX to ensure visual consistency. This is where the team from The Monk Studios stepped in. Situated at 50 1 Phatthanakan 17 Alley, in Suan Luang, the studio is pivotal in helping maintain the antiquated atmosphere felt in the show, especially in exterior and establishing shots. Danop Dharmaraksa and Jirawut Kemglad supervised visual effects and computer-generated graphics, respectively.
“Because this is a period piece and we’re filming in a city that doesn’t really conserve historical spaces, there are a lot of things that don’t look like they belong in that era,” said co-director Kongdej Jaturanrasamee in an interview. Adding on, co-director Pairach Khumwan explained, “We mostly filmed in Bangkok and a little bit in the provinces because we couldn’t find a period-accurate landscape in Bangkok. For example, we could use about 10 shophouses, but if you go further down, it looks very out of place.”
Bangkok’s status as a filming hub is on the rise, with Netflix investing in a growing number of local productions. Some of these include ‘The Believers,’ ‘Hunger,’ ‘Once Upon a Star,’ and ‘Master of the House.’ HBO’s ‘The Sympathizer’ employed sites around the Bangkok Metropolitan Region to recreate scenes of the 1960s and ‘70s in wartime Vietnam.
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