Watch: The Beach

Film

“I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for. Because it's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life. And if you find that moment, it lasts forever.”

One of our favorite films of all time, this 1997 hits the very essence of travel and the quintessential search for paradise–long before social media made ‘hidden gems’ a thing. While Leonardo di Caprio doesn’t deliver an Oscar-winning performance, it is the script that inspires the wanderlust deep inside all of us. As a backpacker who’s just arrived in Bangkok, Leo discovers a map to the perfect beach, and after an arduous journey there, finds a community that’s made a home in paradise. But the fall of paradise isn’t far when the secret gets out to other travelers who aren’t a welcome part of the growing population. 

The filming location of Maia Bay in the Phi Phi Islands of Thailand is breathtaking. But we weren’t the only folks who thought as much. In fact, due to the movie’s popularity, the hidden beach became one of the most visited spots in the country. The overcrowded beach was closed in 2019 and only recently reopened, giving the beach time to recover from the social media-derived onslaught. Unfortunate for sure, because I - for one - am still on a quest for finding that perfect paradise.

Available on Hulu and Amazon Prime.

Photo Source: IMDb; CNN

Syllogi’s ‘Musings’ is a series helping you paint a picture of a destination while traveling from your living room. From relevant books and articles, inspiring movies and tv shows, to songs and even treats and dishes, our goal is to curate a sensory experience that will prepare you for an upcoming trip, reminiscence on adventures past, or simply to envision a place that exists in your bucket list fantasies.