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Ziam

Ziam

2025

TV-MA

Director

Kulp Kaljareuk

Runtime

96 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

In a fight for survival against a horrifying army of zombies, a former Muay Thai fighter must use skill, speed and grit to save his girlfriend.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

5.9/10

Fair


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Fair

The story centers on the romantic bond between Singh and Rin. It lacks explicit queer narratives or non-cisnormative identities, though the dystopian setting avoids strict heteronormative traditionalism.

Gender Representation

Good

Rin avoids the damsel archetype by providing essential medical expertise as a doctor. Her professional agency creates a symbiotic relationship with Singh's martial arts prowess during the survival crisis.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Good

By centering Thai protagonists and local settings like Bangkok, the film avoids a Western-normative lens. Muay Thai serves as a vehicle for ethnic agency within the global catastrophe.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Excellent

The film offers a strong critique of corporate hegemony and capitalist structures through the VS Corporation. It links the biological outbreak to climate change and environmental mismanagement.

Disability Representation

Limited

There is no evidence of neurodivergent or physically disabled characters possessing agency. The zombie element functions as a metaphor for contagion rather than exploring lived experiences of disability.

Strengths

  • Provides a non-Western centric perspective on global catastrophe by centering Thai protagonists.
  • Subverts traditional gender roles by giving the female lead essential medical agency.
  • Offers a sophisticated critique of corporate hegemony and environmental mismanagement.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks explicit representation or agency for LGBTQ+ characters.
  • Provides no visible representation or character arcs for disabled or neurodivergent individuals.
  • The narrative focus remains narrow, primarily centering on a single heterosexual romantic bond.

AI Analysis

Ziam succeeds in providing a non-Western perspective on the zombie genre, utilizing Thai culture and settings to drive the narrative. The film's strength lies in its systemic critique of corporate power and environmental collapse. However, the film struggles with representation in areas of disability and LGBTQ+ identities, which remain largely unaddressed. The focus remains heavily on the central heterosexual romance and physical survival. Ultimately, the film's diversity is found in its cultural localization and its subversion of Western-centric survival tropes, even if individual character identities are limited.

How are these scores produced? →

Featured in

  • Best Religious & Cultural Representation in Film

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