ผีใช้ได้ค่ะ
Fantasy, Drama, Comedy
Thailand, France, Singapore
Language: Thai, English
Subtitles: English and Czech
Directing: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Starring: Davika Hoorne, Witsarut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon
Distributor: Best Friend Forever
Nat (Davika Hoorne) dies after suffering ill health due to dust pollution. But this is not the last farewell for her and her grieving husband (Wisarut Himmarat). The woman’s ghost is reincarnated as the family vacuum cleaner and forms an unexpectedly intimate relationship with the widower. Except, the emotional bond between the man and the vacuum cleaner is not taken well by those around him. Ghosts, unlike vacuum cleaners, do not have the best reputation. And so, Nat decides to convince others just how useful she might be and “vacuum up” all unnecessary ghosts.
Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke makes his directorial debut with this distinctly original film that combines touching melodrama with deadpan comedy in keeping with the slow cinema tradition. A Useful Ghost is loosely based on Thai folklore, reinterpreting the story of Mae Nak, a woman who continued to live with her husband after she had died. Boonbunchachoke sets the legendary tale in the present day and captivates the audience with a slow-paced narrative, at times disrupted by absurd comic moments and surreal dream-like scenes that leave you uncertain about who is actually hallucinating – the characters or you.
This brilliant debut impressively combines a melancholic story of love that defies death with environmental and social criticism. It makes a scathing commentary on Thai society’s approach to environmental protection and working conditions in factories. Boonbunchachoke is unmatched in tonal and semantic shifts, and the feverish dream about vacuum cleaners definitely ranks him among the most interesting Thai authors of today.
