‘Softly Brutal’ is a film shot in Khlong Toei, Bangkok’s largest slum, an immense informal settlement housing over 100,000 people right in the heart of the asian exponentially growing megacity.
Deconstructing the clichés associated with slums, such as violence, gangs and illicit trafficking, the film is a deep dive into Khlong Toei’s slow daily rhythms through close observation of the living conditions, micro economies and neighbourhood relationships binding this community together.
The film unfolds as a journey through countless micro-situations and life stories captured spontaneously on the narrow streets of Khlong Toei’s district. It dives into the family and domestic equilibriums of this urban bubble, depicting in minute details this street maze where the boundary between private and public dissolves.

REVIEWS
“Bêka & Lemoine offer a rare, ground-level view of Bangkok’s Khlong Toei, portraying the slum not
through clichés of poverty or crime, but through its quiet domestic routines and complex social
fabric.”- Dezeen
“Softly Brutal captures the porous boundary between public and private space in Khlong Toei, revea-
ling how architecture, however improvised, shapes intimate and collective behaviors.” - Domus
“The film washes away the clichés of slum representation and restores the poetry of everyday life
through details and infra-ordinary beauty.” - Marie Claire
“A human-scale portrait of life beyond the typical clichés of the slum.” - The Guardian

SCREENINGS
Official Selection: Arquitecturas Film Festival, Porto, 2026 | JI.HLAVA IDFF - International Competition
- Opus Bonus, 2024 | CAFx, Copenhagen, 2025

A film by Ila Bêka & Louise Lemoine
Miracoli, France/Thailand, 2024
92 min