‘The Evil Lawyer’ Director on Thai Justice, Morality and Netflix

Prior to creating “The Evil Lawyer,” Nottapon Boonprakob had not given much thought to the justice system. His perspective shifted when he began attending courtroom sessions, observing the seemingly sacred rituals of judges, lawyers, and prosecutors. From an outsider’s view, these processes appeared absolute, yet up close, they revealed their human flaws.

“Once we started researching and speaking directly with people inside the system, it became much more human,” he tells Variety. “We began to see the individuals who are part of the system – their faces, their life experiences, their perspectives on the world.”

The tension between the ideal of justice and the fallible nature of those who deliver it is central to “The Evil Lawyer.” This series marks Nottapon’s second Netflix original after “Mad Unicorn” and is the most ambitious Thai legal drama on the platform. Produced by Songphon Jantharasom and co-directed by Jakkarin Thepvong, the cast includes Rhatha Phongam as Jittri, a defense attorney known for using legal technicalities to win cases. Nat Kitcharit portrays Mek, an earnest young lawyer whose trust in the system is shattered after being wrongfully accused of killing the son of Anan (Songsit Roongnophakunsri), a powerful police chief. Forced into a corner and betrayed by the system he believed in, Mek turns to Jittri, who agrees to defend him on the condition that he works for her.

The series navigates through various facets of Thailand’s justice system using interwoven cases, with Mek’s struggle as the emotional core. The ensemble cast also features Atchareeya Potipipittanakorn as Ang, a politician and human rights lawyer; Phollawat Manuprasert as Rit, Mek’s father and a distinguished judge caught between his values and his son; and Paopetch Charoensook as Techin, the police chief’s son.

Nottapon, who joined the project as director and co-writer after Jakkarin and Jantharasom had shaped the initial concept, emphasizes how essential it was to dive into an unfamiliar world. The extensive research with legal professionals not only added authenticity but also reshaped his understanding of justice. “Every person has flaws, blind spots, and imperfections,” he says. “Yet these same people are entrusted with roles within a system that is meant to pursue something incredibly pure and sacred, determining the truth, proving someone’s innocence, or deciding the course of another person’s life.” He acknowledges that while people aim for fairness and truth, errors and blind spots are inevitable. “No system is perfect.”

He also realized the limitations of language, noting that words can only approximate truth, creating a gap where much of the drama unfolds.

This insight led to one of the series’ most unique features: transitions that shift viewers from the courtroom to different interpretations of contested events. Nottapon explains that Jakkarin’s idea during development was that a courtroom is more like a theater, where each side presents its version of reality for the judge. “Once we started thinking about the courtroom in those terms, it felt natural to bring viewers directly into the reality that each lawyer is trying to construct and visualize,” Nottapon says. “This is how the concept of transitioning from the courtroom into reconstructed events became part of the storytelling language of the series.”

Crafting this balance required the team to develop a comprehensive internal grammar for the technique, involving camera movement, visual effects, and the interactions of characters in reconstructed scenes. “We spent a lot of time defining the rules of this world,” Nottapon says. The aim was to create a visually imaginative method that maintained the drama’s credibility.

At the heart of the drama is Jittri, initially conceived as an older male lawyer, but later reimagined as a woman by the writing team. For Nottapon, this gender change was transformative. A woman with enough experience, resilience, and authority to challenge powerful men in a male-dominated field is inherently more compelling and revealing. “She’s not simply an ‘evil lawyer’ or an anti-hero,” he says. “She’s someone whose choices and worldview have been shaped by everything she’s been through.” He hopes viewers will eventually question, beyond her tough exterior and morally ambiguous tactics, what experiences shaped her life.

Mek’s character serves a different purpose. Designed as the audience’s proxy, he enters Jittri’s world with a perspective similar to that of the viewers and undergoes changes that the series hopes audiences will experience alongside him. “He is the doorway through which audiences enter the series and explore the complexities of Thailand’s justice system,” Nottapon says. “As his perspective evolves, we hope viewers will find themselves questioning and reassessing their own assumptions as well.”

Legal dramas have historically struggled in Thailand, where audiences prefer romance, comedy, and horror. This is partly due to cultural reasons, as courtroom procedures feel distant from everyday life, and partly due to industry constraints, as stories centered on a specific profession require costly research. Nottapon acknowledges the challenges “The Evil Lawyer” faces, describing it as an experiment to test Thai audiences’ willingness to engage with a demanding, morally complex narrative. If successful, it could pave the way for more innovative Thai storytelling.

Netflix has provided the opportunity for such experiments. Nottapon cites “The Believers,” which tackled religious themes previously considered risky in Thai drama, as evidence of the platform’s role in expanding creative possibilities. The global stage has changed the competitive landscape, placing Thai content alongside international series and fostering more creative freedom.

When questioned about whether the series’ strong focus on Thai legal culture might alienate international audiences, Nottapon disagrees. “No, not at all. In fact, I believe the opposite.” He compares it to “Parasite,” noting that its success was due to its specificity rather than in spite of it. He believes that, like Korean drama, Thai storytelling can gain international recognition through authentic narratives.

“The more we have authentic local voices telling stories from their own perspectives, the richer, more unique, and more diverse global cinema becomes,” he says. “What makes storytelling exciting is not uniformity, it is the fact that people from different cultures can share stories that only they can tell.”

“The Evil Lawyer” is available for streaming on Netflix.