At the beginning of December last year, a new Thai mini-series called “Tomorrow and I” premiered on the Netflix streaming platform. The synopsis and trailer suggested it would be a sci-fi anthology in the style of Black Mirror, but it should be said right away that this is not an attempt at imitation. “Tomorrow and I,” from director Paween Purijitpanya (whose sci-fi horror “Ghost Lab” was released on Netflix in 2021), brings a quartet of quite original stories.

Unlike Black Mirror, “Tomorrow and I” doesn’t extend into the horror genre, although there are situations that evoke anxiety. From a visual perspective, the four stories—unlike typical dark dystopias—are colourful and vibrant.

Each episode has a completely different spirit; nothing connects them, and it’s almost impossible to predict what the plot will be and what will follow. It’s refreshing, especially if one is accustomed to consuming content predominantly from American productions, which struggle to find a way out of established clichés.

Each episode is roughly an hour long, but some shortening wouldn’t be a bad decision, as they sometimes seem lengthy.

Complex Dilemma

The first episode, entitled “Black Sheep,” tells the story of an astronaut on a three-year mission at a space station, where she is developing revolutionary technology for organic 3D printing of human organs. Meanwhile, her loving husband awaits her at home. When an accident occurs at the station, she must make a difficult decision: will she use the technology, which is legally used only on animals, to clone herself?

However, the plot takes a completely different direction than the viewer might expect. There’s no clone who is initially a gift from heaven and later becomes a dangerous monster. There have been many such stories, and surely many more will be created.

“Black Sheep” is a sensitive drama about identity and inner conflict: Are we willing to sacrifice our idea of happiness for the one we love?

Solving the Safety Problem of Sex Workers

The next part, entitled “Paradistopia,” is completely different at first glance—not only thematically but also visually. It’s the story of a determined woman whose dream is to build a perfect place where all sexual fantasies will be fulfilled. However, instead of people, only androids trained by real sex workers will work there.

Taking into account the fact that they haven’t developed any form of consciousness (which is an exceptional scenario in sci-fi), it’s an effective solution to the long-standing problem of sex work—people working in this industry won’t lose their income, but at the same time, they won’t face any danger. And the clients are satisfied too.

The aesthetics of this episode resemble an alternative version of the golden age of pornography, which sometimes seems almost like a parody, yet it has charm and a unique atmosphere.

Thailand is a country where sex tourism is widespread, but there are also many people who fight against what they consider harmful to public morality. The creators don’t forget to point out their hypocrisy.

Buddhist Monk vs. AI

The episode “Buddha Data” was personally the most interesting for me in terms of the topic and its treatment. A technology company has developed a special AI application that contains all available knowledge about Buddhism. Users can ask it anything that interests them regarding this religion and its principles. But this app has another function—it rewards good deeds. The streets are thus flooded with young people desperately looking for opportunities to gain more points, fulfil their daily quota or achieve a new milestone.

All of this is observed by a Buddhist monk who sees a clear problem: the app is undoubtedly good for something—people do good because of it. But can it be compared to doing it out of their own conviction and without motivation in the form of a reward? Practically it works, but if we look at it from a spiritual perspective, the meaning is lost. “Buddha Data” deals with this issue comprehensively, not hesitating to criticise the monks themselves.

Whilst watching this episode, I realised with a certain bitterness that the app works on a similar principle to Duolingo. There are certainly people who approach it conscientiously and really learn something thanks to the green owl, but for many—including me—it’s about maintaining the feeling that my streak is increasing. I often remember it just before midnight, so I quickly and irritably click through another lesson. I still haven’t memorised the days of the week, but I know for certain that el gato es muy bonito.

Vaccine Against the Climate Crisis

The last episode, titled “Octopus Girl,” is the wildest of the entire series. The climate crisis is an increasingly urgent topic, and the series creators decided to approach it in their own way. Their futuristic world has been hit by a catastrophe in the form of incessant rain lasting for several years. This situation, as is often the case, has mainly affected the poorer classes, forced to live in flooded zones. The rich and powerful meanwhile live in their elevated residences and don’t care about the others.

The main protagonists of the story are two little girls, best friends, who live in a slum. The tone of the entire episode is very strange: it sees events primarily through the eyes of children, discovering charm even where adults can no longer see it. The plot is occasionally interrupted by a funny situation, but since it’s a type of humour that is distant to viewers from our region, it seems more disruptive.

The absurdity intensifies when humanity discovers a solution to the spreading pandemic—a vaccine with shocking side effects.

“Octopus Girl” mocks society’s inability to find solutions to problems we’ve caused ourselves. It criticises our stupidity, but also our arrogance and the dysfunctional system in which the majority don’t live, but survive.

The World Evolves, Humanity Stagnates

“Tomorrow and I” is a welcome refreshment for people who are used to constantly repeating themes and ways of processing them. Although it’s primarily sci-fi, the creators play with genres and experiment, which brings remarkable results. Some will excite the viewer with their inventiveness, others will rather discourage them. In terms of script, effects, and the stories themselves, it’s a high-quality series.

Its creators ask how new technologies could help us and what ethical dilemmas are inevitably associated with them. The world around us is evolving, but is humanity? Or are we stagnating, repeating the same mistakes?

Weak Promotion?

If you’re asking yourself why you haven’t heard about “Tomorrow and I” yet, the explanation is quite simple. It’s one of those series that, although they have something to interest viewers, unfortunately haven’t received as much attention as they deserve. The question is therefore how many resources Netflix dedicated to its promotion.

I myself wouldn’t have learned about “Tomorrow and I” if I weren’t part of several online communities where people share tips on interesting series and films from the sci-fi and horror genres.

Thailand has recently attracted a wider international audience, for example with the 2021 film “Medium,” which the country also selected as its representative in the competition for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

“Tomorrow and I” doesn’t even have its own Wikipedia page; on the Rotten Tomatoes portal, it has only two reviews from critics and one from a viewer who quite rightly wonders why there aren’t more. It’s somewhat saved by letterboxd, where there were 120 reviews at the time of writing this article.

The series is part of Netflix’s strategy to expand its content with Thai works—in addition to “Tomorrow and I,” the streaming company has also introduced the horror anthology “Terror Tuesday: Extreme,” the crime drama “The Believers,” the dramedy “Doctor Climax,” and the series “Master of the House,” which has achieved success not only in Thailand—it became the most-watched non-English language series in eight countries.

It’s a shame that “Tomorrow and I” isn’t talked about more. A second season hasn’t been confirmed yet, but personally, given the circumstances, I don’t see it as very promising.

---

Sofia Prétorová

Click here to subscribe to ESSF newsletters in English and or French.