The Iron Ladies were a gay and trans volleyball team that took Thailand by storm in the late 1990s. The Iron Ladies dramatized their success on home turf while its sequel, The Iron Ladies 2, now traces their failed attempt to conquer the international circuit and cope with the loss and inevitable return of one of their precious members.
Both films are directed by ongyoot Thongkongtoon, and neither exists to teach the people of Thailand that laughing at gays isn’t the same thing as accepting them, but to coax passive stereotypes into the country’s daily way of life. (Someone tell the old ladies at the market square that it’s not a compliment to tell an attractive a man that he’s a “waste” for not being attracted to women.) Every bit as offensive and unnecessary as its predecessor, this sequel banks on its cast of squealing queens to make complete and utter jackasses of themselves.
“Is your eyesight that bad? I’m using my mouth to speak! As for my ass, I’m saving that,” zings the singularly obnoxious Jung (Chaicharn Nimpulsawasdi). The spectacle of preening dialogue and behavior is pitched along the same lines as the original film, only now, instead of breaking their nails or giggling hysterically in the presence of sausage, the “girls” must figure out how to keep their shit together when they get stuck in an elevator. Also, it’s tempered by the straight man’s attempts to prove to his wife that playing volleyball with queers doesn’t mean that he’s also attracted to them, a lesson that’s long past its expiration date.
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