Synopsis

After graduating high school, American friends Alice and Darlene travel to Thailand for an impulsive vacation. A charming stranger invites them to Hong Kong, but their journey ends when customs officials discover heroin in their luggage. Convicted of drug smuggling, the young women face brutal prison conditions, a strained friendship, and a desperate legal battle for freedom.

Factoids & Trivia

• Producer Adam Fields developed the story after interviewing young American women serving life sentences in Thailand and speaking with U.S. Embassy and Drug Enforcement Administration officials in Bangkok.

• Although the story is set in Thailand, much of the film was shot in the Philippines because the production's critical portrayal of the Thai legal system made filming there difficult. Bangkok was used for some exterior views and establishing shots.

• The prison scenes were filmed at Sanctuary Fabella, a women's mental health facility in suburban Manila. The location was adapted to represent a Thai prison.

• Filming took place from December 15, 1997, through March 13, 1998. Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport doubled for Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport.

• Claire Danes postponed her enrollment at Yale for a year to make the film.

• The title comes from "Brokedown Palace," a song by the Grateful Dead written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter for the 1970 album *American Beauty*.

• The production became part of a major controversy after Danes made disparaging comments about Manila during interviews. The Manila City Council declared her persona non grata and voted to ban her films from the city; Danes later apologized.