Gohan (2026) Review: The Best Thai Dog Film With 3 Names

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source: tv.lk21

Synopsis:

Gohan (2026) is a film in the genre of Thai drama or animal drama directed by Chayanop Boonprakob, Nattawut Poonpiriya and Atta Hemwadee. The film was written by Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn and Sopana Chaowiwatkul. Gohan was released on April 2, 2026 in Thai cinemas via GDH 559 and has a duration of 141 minutes with a rating of 13+.

Gohan is a white stray dog with a pink nose whose life is simple, looking for a home, looking for someone who loves him. Gohan's life journey is divided into 3 phases (Puppy – Young Dog – Old Dog). Each phase has a different owner and a different meaning of home. Each phase is colored with various events. Each owner leaves an experience. This film shows that a dog's love becomes the strongest glue. Honestly, this is a divisive tearjerker. Many say that the film deliberately provokes tears like dog films in general. But Thai audiences cried massively because the film is really good at playing with emotions.

Positive criticism flooded this film. The concept of 3 directors 3 lives is unique and is its plus point. Each phase has a different color palette — childhood is warm, shelter is dark, train station is nostalgic. The dog's acting is natural, not CGI. Strong social commentary: the loneliness of expats, the exploitation of migrant workers, and student life.

However, its shortcoming is judged from the duration of 141 minutes which is somewhat too long for a dog story, phase 2 in the shelter feels slow. The tone jumps a bit because of changing directors. If you are not a dog-lover, the emotional manipulation feels forced.

This film stars: Kitachima Yasushi, Poe Mamhe Thar, Jinjett Wattanasin, Tontawan Tantivejakul and more.

In my opinion:

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The original Thai title is โกฮัง..หัวใจโกโฮม (Gohan.. A Heart That Goes Home). Damn, this film contains too much onion. This is one of the best Thai films I have ever watched. Honestly, I have a phobia of dogs, but I don't hate them. I am happy to see a happy dog, playing, loving its owner. I don't know how the idea for this film was obtained, but this is really a touching story. Not complicated, this film only tells the experience of a white dog who witnesses the sweet and bitter of the world. As if good fate accompanies this white dog, he meets people who protect and love him so much.

He was named Gohan, a stray dog adopted by Hiro near a Seven Eleven store, he is a person who had just retired from his job. Gohan grew up big and happy with Grandpa Hiro. Gohan accompanied Hiro until finally the kind-hearted grandpa died because of COVID-19.

Gohan in the young dog phase, then he was named Brownie who felt the cruelty of the world and humans. Luckily he met a girl named Namcha. Namcha freed and saved Brownie from Kung, a fraudulent influencer who exploits and tortures dogs to make money. Namcha with a big heart sacrificed and set free Brownie so that Kung could not chase him anymore.

Gohan enters his old age, then he was named Hima after meeting Jaidee and Pelé. Hima has entered his old age and was diagnosed that he can only survive for 3 months. But with love from Jaidee and Pelé, Hima can survive. Why? Because a dog will become strong, healthy, survive if he gets love. Ahhh... so sweet... This film is really heartwarming.

This film is really very simple, sort of just slice of life. But with good visuals, audio and cinematography, this film becomes a work that has 'heart' and love in it. At first I thought this would be a slapstick comedy film about a naughty dog, but it turns out this is a touching film, opening and convincing us that love for animals (not only dogs), brings a big impact on their lives. One of them is making them able to survive longer to accompany us.

For me this one is 8.5/10. Good Boy Gohan!

Knowledge Corner:

Infographic flowchart explaining act of sedating dogs for fake donation is guilty under Cruelty Prevention and Welfare of Animal Act B.E. 2557 Article 20 31 punishment 2 years prison 40000 baht and Thai Penal Code Section 341 343 public fraud punishment 5-7 years prison.

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If you have watched this film, you must be really annoyed with the character Kung. Owns a dog shelter, but instead of being cared for, the dogs are even sedated to look sick, then their sad photos are uploaded to attract online donations. The donations come in but the dogs continue to suffer. In Thailand, is this a criminal act or not? The answer is: SERIOUS CRIME! In this Knowledge Corner I will discuss the real law behind the film Gohan.

DISCLAIMER: This article is for educational purposes based on Thai law as depicted in this film. For real cases, please consult a legal professional.

In phase 2, Gohan was arrested and taken to a shelter owned by Kung after his first owner, Hiro, died from COVID-19. In that shelter, Kung did two things:

• Neglecting the dogs by not being given proper food, unclean place, even sedated.
• Deceiving donors by making a false story that the dogs are sick and suffering to attract donations.

These two acts in the eyes of Thai law are two different crimes.

The first law is the Anti-Animal Cruelty Act. Thailand only had its first animal protection law in 2014, namely the Cruelty Prevention and Welfare of Animal Act, B.E. 2557 (2014). This law came into force on December 27, 2014. Its contents are clear: protected animals are animals kept as pets, for work, as friends, as livestock, for performance, including animals that do not have an owner. Owners are obliged to keep animals in proper conditions with adequate health, sanitation, food and water. This law prohibits neglect, torture, and improper transportation. Neglect includes improper housing and transportation that can cause injury and death. The punishment is a maximum of 2 years in prison, and a fine of up to 40,000 Baht or both. What Kung did in this film is sedate, not feed, improper place. This clearly falls under Articles 20 and 31 of the Anti-Animal Cruelty Act.

The Second Law is donation fraud, this is more serious. In the Thai Criminal Code Section 341, fraud is defined with the following sentence:

"Whoever, dishonestly deceives a person with the assertion of a falsehood or the concealment of the facts which should be revealed, and, by such deception, obtains a property from the person so deceived, is said to commit the offence of cheating and fraud."

The punishment is a maximum imprisonment of 3 years or a maximum fine of 6,000 Baht (now amended to 60,000 Baht), or both. Now, if the fraud is committed to the public, for example uploading false stories to the internet to ask for donations from many people, it will increase to Article 343 with a maximum punishment of 5 years in prison, and can be up to 7 years if aggravated.

So in this film Kung not only tortures animals, he also deceives the public. The important lesson is that in Thailand, shelters must protect animals and be transparent about donations. Exploiting animals for donations is a criminal act. What do you think? Is the punishment of 2 years in prison + fine in Thailand enough for a case like Kung's? Or should it be heavier? Write in the comments column, and don't forget to watch Gohan — prepare a lot of tissues!