THE BELIEVERS on Netflix is a new Thai Crime Series with a plot right up my alley. It deals with money in organized religion over 9 episodes of varying runtime. Read our season 1 review of The Believers and check it out on Netflix now!
THE BELIEVERS is a new Netflix series that delves into the business opportunities in organized religion. It’s a Thai series, so we’re talking Buddhism, which does make for a somewhat different approach. Yet the result of using donations and building a following seems very universal.
The series is officially crime, thriller, and drama. All of which are genres that are apparent at different times. This season has nine episodes, but the pace is good, so we’re moving on with the main plot quickly.
Continue reading The Believers (2024) season 1 review here. Find it on Netflix from March 27, 2024.
Three entrepreneurs and a temple
The new Netflix series, The Believers, combines drama, thriller, and social commentary in an excellent way. We meet three young, ambitious entrepreneurs – two men and a woman – and as the story begins, they’re experiencing the exhilarating highs and then the desperate lows of having a start-up.
In fact, the story begins with them buried in debt when their startup fails. Not only does their business fail, but they also need to pay back a loan that has a 200% interest rate. Obviously, they didn’t borrow money from any official bank.
Fortunately for the three entrepreneurs, they figure out a way to make a lot of money: They capitalize on people’s faith. Basically, what many churches have done for years. Decades. Centuries even. For them, it’s just an unconventional business model from the start.
The three lead characters are portrayed by James Teeradon Supapunpinyo (Win), Peach Pachara Chirathivat (Game), and Ally Achiraya Nitibhon (Dear). They deliver strong and nuanced portrayals of three young people, who want to do good. However, getting rich is something they crave even more!
Religion as a business strategy?
It’s no secret that I am not a fan of organized religion. I have no problem with faith, however, so it’s always been the money and power aspect of organized religion that rubbed me the wrong way. This series shows exactly why that is.
I love that it asks: “What if religion became a business strategy?” because, in my opinion, this is exactly what religion tends to become. It may start out differently, but someone always seems to make the most of tax exceptions and having gold all over, while others do all the hard work and make donations left and right.
A series like Raël: The Alien Prophet on Netflix is just the latest documentary example of this. So do check it out if you find the story in this 2024 Netflix series The Believers as fascinating as me. There are many similar stories of problems when money and religion mix.
This series just has a cooler and more calculated business approach from the very beginning. That almost seems more honest as they never pretend that it’s anything more than a business. However, even this beginning can end up developing in unexpected ways.
Watch The Believers (2024) on Netflix now!
Wattanapong Wongwan is the director behind this Netflix series, and he clearly has a lot of comments on religion as well. Not to criticize religion, but to question the status quo. And maybe look at who does what and why. Wattanapong Wongwan has created a fascinating look at life through the eyes of three people.
For me, having characters going through their quarter-life crisis (which is a thing for many) while navigating the filthy world of religious politics, is a great setting. Also, I like that the progression and development of the story will likely lead viewers to question their own beliefs. In all areas of life.
If you like watching thrilling drama and crime stories laced with social commentary, The Believers is for you.
The Believers (org. title: Sathu) premieres on Netflix on March 27, 2024.
Details
Director: Wattanapong Wongwan
Script: Watcharapol Paksri, Aummaraporn Phandintong, Perapat Rukngam, Jiraporn Sae-lee, Asamaporn Samakphan
Cast: Pachara Chirathivat, Achiraya Nitibhon, Teeradon Supapunpinyo
Plot
Three young entrepreneurs stumble upon a business opportunity to repay debt from their failed startup by exploiting people’s religious beliefs.
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