2006 SF HOLEHEAD—Review of The Ghost of Mae Nak

By 'gothic modernity' do you mean something like what we see in "The Others"? Is the story firmly situated in the Thailand of today, or does it make frequent use of flashbacks? Are these wealthy families that are being threatened, or does the action take place mostly in the slums? How about the acting, the camerawork, the music? Sorry to ask so many Q's, Michael, I know that you spent a lot of time researching the legend and it must be hectic at the fest. Always appreciate your writing!

The comparison to "The Others" is somewhat apt, Jon, though "The Others" I felt was much more disconcerting and suspenseful than "Ghost of Mae Nak", which as I mentioned is really more a love story. The bulk of the story, yes, is set in modern-day Bangkok, with only one brief narrative flashback detailing the legend. Protagonists Mak and Nak are definitely an up-scale young Thai couple who are very much in love and excited about beginning their new life together in a new house. Their love is enacted believably enough. It is precisely because they are well-to-do that they are preyed upon by various lower-class characters who provide corpse potential for Mae Nak. These opportunists, thereby, become synonymous with the villagers who interfered with the legend's lovers and suffer similar retribution. The parallels are pretty clearly etched. Production values all around are fairly sound, nothing extraordinary or nothing I felt needed singling out. Music so-so. Acting is best with the subsidiary roles, especially liked the blind fortuneteller.

That's exactly what I was looking for -- whether there might not be some class warfare thing going on here. Thanks

Out of curiousity, why does that particular thread intrigue you? Have you seen this inflection of class warfare via horror movies in other T-horror?

Frankly, I haven't seen anything quite so direct as that. Not that sci-fi/horror/fantasy films haven't touched on the subject of class rivalry, rampant consumerism, and unchecked greed in society before. I'm thinking of zombies running amok in shopping malls, complacent middle-class families whose hypocrisies are exposed during vacation, etc. Both Catherine Breillat's "Fat Girl" and Dominik Moll's "With a Friend Like Harry" revealed the barely-concealed tensions boiling just below the surface of seemingly comfortable materialist surroundings during a mundane holiday trip (sorry, Canadians -- no "Fat Girl" for you!!). Amenabar's films, more psychological-based thrillers, usually involve upper-class people for whom no amount of money suffices to rid them of their nightmarish existence. So I suppose it seemed only natural, when I heard you mention 'localising' the horror genre & 'gothic modernity', that a Thai film where the vengeful spirit of a wronged woman wrecks havoc on her neighbors might address issues of class conflict as well. I don't really know all that much about Thailand though, to be quite honest.

When I re-read my post, I have to laugh out loud, it's so funny, wait just a moment, someone is knocking at the door...

fangoria says,

"• Tartan Films has picked up the U.S. rights to GHOST OF MAE NAK, a Thai-language spooker written and directed by Britisher Mark Duffield that was a hit in its home country. Based on the same local legend that inspired Nonzee Nimibutr’s well-regarded 1999 feature NANG NAK, it’s about a newlywed couple who buy an abandoned house, not knowing they’re getting a ghost with a tragic past in the bargain. Release details have yet to be determined, but expect at least a DVD debut by the end of 2006."

I have actually seen the film and get disappointed.

It is like a good student try to do something that a creative student had done.. Everything seems standard, following the plot, good(some death scene) and bad effects(the terrible ghost)..and a bad script. Always make a character jump to a point and starting to explain something so you know where the movie is going..

It is funny that the doctor suddenly showed the gal the new city map and poorly made old map of bangkok on his office wall, then telling her that location is used to be Mae nak home..then tell her more about legends... where in the world you can find a doctor that put 2 map on the wall, and familiar with the Mae Nak tale?only in that movie.. and actors in it seems pretty greenhorn..

a poor script and poor direction, always get someone into the scene and talk something in uncommon sense to explain more about the movie.

I have actually seen the film and get disappointed.

It is like a good student try to do something that a creative student had done.. Everything seems standard, following the plot, good(some death scene) and bad effects(the terrible ghost)..and a bad script. Always make a character jump to a point and starting to explain something so you know where the movie is going..

It is funny that the doctor suddenly showed the gal the new city map and poorly made old map of bangkok on his office wall, then telling her that location is used to be Mae nak home..then tell her more about legends... where in the world you can find a doctor that put 2 map on the wall, and familiar with the Mae Nak tale?only in that movie.. and actors in it seems pretty greenhorn..

a poor script and poor direction, always get someone into the scene and talk something in uncommon sense to explain more about the movie.

Sounds like you were doubly disappointed!