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The Guardian
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
A Useful Ghost: Recognised in Cannes, Thai director hopes film stirs political debate at home
When Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke became the first Thai director to win the Critics Week's Grand Prize in May, he paid an unusual tribute. 'I would like to dedicate this award to all the ghosts in Thailand,' he told the audience. Ratchapoom's film, A Useful Ghost, tells the story of a man whose wife dies after falling ill from dust pollution, and whose spirit returns by possessing a vacuum cleaner. It is a quirky story full of symbolism and dark humour that explores power and political oppression in Thailand. 'One of the main intentions for the film would be [to talk about] how we deal with injustice in the past,' says Ratchapoom. 'There's so many people who suffered, who got punished, who disappeared,' he adds, referring to Thailand's turbulent political history, marked by military coups, protests and deadly crackdowns. A Useful Ghost's success comes at a time of increased optimism about Thailand's film industry. Domestic productions are increasingly driving box office sales, claiming a greater share of ticket sales than Hollywood movies, and achieving success abroad. This includes the 2024 release of How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, which broke records for Thai film in neighbouring countries, and became the first Thai film shortlisted for the international feature film at the Oscars. The Thai government, keen to foster the country's film sector, has launched a $6.4 million film fund to support productions. Censorship rules are also being relaxed - though content that may affect the monarchy remains prohibited. The powerful royal family is shielded from criticism by a strict lese majesty law, which carries a jail sentence of up to 15 years. Ratchapoom says he is unsure what kind of reaction his film will generate when it premiers in Thailand. 'I think it will cause some discussion,' he said. The film touches on history some would prefer to forget but which, over recent years, younger people have grown increasingly keen to uncover. 'Trying to unearth what is censored or suppressed is one way to fight the authoritarian,' said Ratchapoom. 'History is one of the battlefields.' Ratchapoom, 38, grew up in a Thai Chinese family in Bangkok, in a household full of film. His father, who had a small business, was obsessed with watching movies, mostly from the US and Hong Kong. Ratchapoom would pour over his dad's film magazines in his spare time, and seek out international releases at pirate DVD shops in Bangkok's Chatuchak market. He went on to study film at Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok, and worked as a TV script writer before gaining international recognition with his short film Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall, about a transgender sex worker who goes undercover as a spy, which won the Junior Jury award at Locarno film festival in 2020. Ratchapoom began writing A Useful Ghost in 2017, three years after the military seized power in a coup, arresting its critics, and pressuring news outlets into self-censorship. The film's obsession with memory and mind control is inspired by a creeping trend that emerged under the junta: the destruction of monuments commemorating the 1932 revolution, when the absolute monarchy was overthrown and democracy introduced to Thailand. One plaque, which had laid on the ground in Bangkok for decades, was replaced in 2017 with a new monument that read: 'To love and respect the Buddhist trinity, one's own state, one's own family, and to have a heart faithful to your monarch, will bring prosperity to the country'. In A Useful Ghost the destruction of monuments creates dust, a reference to Thailand's continued air pollution crisis. But dust is also a symbol for 'powerless people who are voiceless', said Ratchapoom. Thai filmmakers have a long history of using metaphors and symbolism to allude to sensitive political topics. It wasn't until the pandemic that Ratchapoom was able to put together the first draft of the screenplay. By then, youth-led pro-democracy protests had filled the streets, demanding the removal of the former junta leader, and then prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, and breaking a major taboo to make an unprecedented call for reforms of the country's powerful monarchy. Protest leaders proclaimed that the 'ceiling had been lifted'; the unspeakable was now being said. At the time, Ratchapoom wondered if his own film would appear old-fashioned, given how outspoken younger generations had become. Ironically, in the past few years, such expansions of freedom of expression have been reversed, he said, adding: 'Suddenly, it's not so obsolete. The ceiling has been lowered again.' Many protest leaders are in prison, facing charges or in exile. Thailand is no longer ruled by former military generals, following elections in 2023, but Ratchapoom does not feel hopeful about Thailand's politics. Under the junta, there was at least a sense that 'there's every reason to fight, to resist', he said. Such momentum has dissipated. He does, however, feel more hopeful about the state of Thailand's film industry. 'I believe that in the next few years there will be more exciting projects, films or series coming off Thailand,' he said. The film's premier in Thailand and elsewhere is yet to be confirmed. Ratchapoom hopes it will open fresh debate. 'I hope these things that I talk about - the silenced and suppressed past, the injustice in the past – could be brought up or unearthed and people will start like talking about it again.'
CNA
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
How a vacuum cleaner designed by a Singaporean found its way to an award-winning Thai film and on the Cannes red carpet
Despite the recent Cannes Film Festival being an assemblage of some of the biggest stars in the world, it was a vacuum cleaner that sucked up the attention at the red carpet – and a major prize to boot. But this is no ordinary household appliance. Designed by award-winning product designer Sim Hao Jie, the red-and-white vacuum cleaner is one of the main stars of the Thai film A Useful Ghost, which won the Grand Prize at the Critics' Week section of this year's Cannes Film Festival. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 185 Films (@185films_official) The debut feature of director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, A Useful Ghost stars Davika Hoorne and Witsarut Himmarat, and tells the story of a widower who discovers that the spirit of his deceased wife has possessed a vacuum cleaner. Sim is one of the Singaporean creatives who worked on the film, which is also co-produced by the Singapore-based media company Momo Film Co. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hao Jie 豪杰 (@simhaojie) A recipient of numerous industry accolades, Sim Hao Jie is a staunch advocate of social design. In 2019, his team won the National Council of Social Services' Design Challenge with their idea of a platform that allowed senior citizens to actively contribute to society. In 2023, he was one of the recipients of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award at his alma mater: The National University of Singapore (NUS). 🏆🎉Congratulations to the winners of the NCSS Sector Design Challenge! Groups comprising individuals, member agencies and... Posted by NCSS Singapore on Thursday, December 5, 2019 So how did someone who, in his own words, uses design 'to address real-world social issues' end up working in a film about a vacuum cleaner that exorcises vengeful spirits? Well, we have Momo Film Co founder Tan Si En to thank for that. 'I knew Si En, and she introduced me to the team. Because of my background in designing consumer appliances, they brought me on board to develop the vacuum cleaner,' said Sim. But don't let the synopsis of A Useful Ghost fool you. According to Sim, it's not 'a typical film'. 'The story itself drew me in,' said Sim of his reason for joining the project. 'The plot was whimsical and layered with meaning. Unlike commercial projects that often focus on function and usability, this one gave me space to explore form as a way to tell a story.' Sim added that after he spoke with the director and producers, he felt that there was 'real room to play and express the character's narrative through design'. 'I had a gut feeling it would be a fun and meaningful project.' Designing the vacuum cleaner took about five months and Sim was given 'full creative freedom' in the initial exploration. 'Director Ratchapoom had a clear vision and shared visual references that helped guide the direction,' shared Sim. 'We refined the design together as a team.' Sim wanted the vacuum cleaner to strike a balance between realism and whimsical. 'I drew inspiration from the evolution of vacuum cleaner design and design movements like the [Italian design collective] Memphis Group and Soft Electronics,' shared Sim. 'One subtle detail is its slightly forward-leaning posture, which reflects the main character's subservient role in the story.' For Sim, the main challenge of his task was landing on a vacuum cleaner design that 'felt believable as an off-the-shelf product' while possessing the 'surreal, character-driven qualities of the story'. Nonetheless, the experience taught him how to design for cinema and making something that has 'visual presence and memorability on screen', to which he also gave props to the movie's prototype-making team. 'Their craftsmanship made the vacuum cleaner feel like a true character on screen.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by 185 Films (@185films_official) Of course, A Useful Ghost's Grand Prize win at Cannes made Sim's experience even more meaningful and fulfilling. He shared that the Cannes Film Festival marked the first time that he met the cast and crew in person. He also got to meet other collaborators like fellow Singaporean Lim Ting Li – the sound designer of A Useful Ghost – and French VFX studio Block D, which gave him a deeper appreciation of the entire filmmaking process. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Momo Film Co (@momofilmco) His vacuum cleaner proved to be a star on the red carpet as well. Dressed in a tuxedo, it drew the attention of many of the festival's attendees, who stopped by to take photos with it. 'It was surreal to see it receive so much attention. People described it as iconic, cute and memorable,' recalled Sim. 'It truly felt like the Useful Ghost vacuum character was with us the whole time.' With the film's win, Sim hopes that it opens the doors for Singapore designers in the film industry. 'There is so much potential for design from Singapore to contribute to storytelling in new ways.'
CNA
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Thai film A Useful Ghost wins top prize at Cannes Film Festival's Critics' Week
– one of three "made-with-Singapore" films at this year's Cannes Film Festival – took home the Grand Prix Ami Paris trophy, the top prize at the annual event's Critics' Week. Critics' Week, or Semaine de la Critique, is a section dedicated to discovering and promoting new talent. It is a parallel section of the main 78th Cannes Film Festival, which runs until May 24 in France. Inspired by the popular ghost story in Thai folklore, Mae Nak, A Useful Ghost is directed by Thailand's Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke and co-produced by Singapore-based Momo Film Co, along with French and German counterparts. Starring Thai actors Davika Hoorne and Witsarut Himmarat, the film is about a wife who dies due to dust pollution and unexpectedly returns in the form of a vacuum cleaner unravelling an unconventional human-ghost love story. Singaporeans involved in the film include sound designer Lim Ting Li and product designer Sim Hao Jie. According to a press release by Infocomm Media Development Authority's (IMDA), Tan Si En, co-producer for this film and founder of Momo Film Co, said before the film's win: "It's incredible to have A Useful Ghost selected for Cannes Critics' Week which has always supported strong directorial voice, originality, and bold storytelling. 'I'm proud to see Southeast Asian storytelling resonate on such a global stage.' The film received support from IMDA's Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant under its Media Talent Progression Programme. The Singapore release date for this film will be announced later. The other "made-with-Singapore" films are Renoir and Before The Sea Forgets, which were partially produced with Singapore grants or with homegrown talents. The former, directed by Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa and co-produced by Singapore-based Akanga Film Asia, is in the festival's main competition and competing for the top Palme d'Or award. It received IMDA support via its Go-Global Grant, also under its Media Talent Progression Programme. The latter is a short film by Vietnamese director Le Ngoc Duy, which was produced by Singapore production houses 13 Little Pictures and WBSB Films. It's part of Directors' Fortnight, another section in the festival.
Geek Vibes Nation
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'A Useful Ghost' Review - A Sentimental, Absurd Take On Grief
The Cannes Film Festival is often littered with under-the-radar gems. It's a place where unique ideas can be showcased on one of the biggest stages the film industry has to offer. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke's feature directorial debut, A Useful Ghost , is a perfect example of these overshadowed films. The film follows Nat (Davika Hoorne), the recently deceased wife of March (Wisarut Himmarat), as her ghost possesses a vacuum cleaner to keep him safe from the dust epidemic that took her own life. Yes, you read that right. Nat's ghost possesses a vacuum cleaner. This is only the premise of Boonbuchachoke's zany film, but the approach is more sincere than it may sound. The first half of the film shows Nat comforting March and acts more as a family drama than anything else. March's family despised Nat when she was among the living, and hates her even more now as she embodies the vacuum cleaner. Their love is so strong that it supersedes the classic 'till death do us part' vow made in weddings. Before we meet Nat and her vacuum cleaner, the film establishes the existence of ghosts through various appliances being possessed by dead workers at March's mother Suman's (Apasiri Nitibhon) factory. The deadpan reactions from most of the factory workers show that this isn't necessarily a novel encounter in this world. These ghosts exist all around us, and their schemes are more disruptive than frightening. Courtesy of Cannes Boonbunchachoke's ability to balance the absurdism of his premise with sincerity is unbelievable. I came into this film expecting a more thought-out version of Rubber (2010) but was left with much, much more. Don't get me wrong, there is a heightened Rubber -esque quality once the film shifts from its family drama towards the end, but there are compelling emotional beats that help it soar above other similar films. At various points in the film, we see through March's eyes and Nat's vacuum cleaner transforms back into her body, and these are the most poignant moments. Hoorne's performance is incredibly moving, wanting only to be with March and protect him from the dust ailments that killed her. Her portrayal of love towards March and hurt when others try to keep them apart is crushingly raw and is the emotional core of the film. I will admit, the sincerity of the film's first half works better than the absurdism found in the second, but they still work together in an odd kind of way. It's a testament to the team's control over the material that it never completely falls apart. The premise is unique enough to carry the film through its less cohesive moments. 'Old Guy' (2025) Review - A Tried And True Formula Lacks Excitement Courtesy of Cannes A Useful Ghost explores some important themes, particularly looking into grief and how those who leave us are still with us somehow. Of course, the script takes it to extremes, but these themes still resonate. For March, the only thing that can make him well is anything that reminds him of Nat. He barely had time to grieve her before she reappeared in cleaning appliance form. Holding on for too long removes his ability to process his pain and move past this, only prolonging the healing process. In turn, Nat can't let her soul rest until she sees that March is safe from the dust and any other ghosts that may wish him harm. Their love for each other is admirable, but it is keeping them from moving on from the pain they feel. It's also nice to think about our loved ones staying with us somehow when they've passed on. This is a bit more interference than I would want from someone in the spirit realm, but Nat is certainly looking out for March better than any of his living relatives do. Overall, A Useful Ghost succeeds in its goals of approaching grief in a goofy yet sentimental way. Boonbunchachoke is certainly an up-and-coming director to watch out for in the coming years, and it will be fun to see him create an even tighter narrative. A Useful Ghost held its World Premiere in the Critics' Week section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Director: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke Screenwriter: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke Rated: NR Runtime: 130m
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Sentimental Value' Review: Joachim Trier's Resonant Family Drama Treats a Beautiful Old House as the Foundation for Healing
I tend to think of 'therapy through filmmaking' as a bad thing, by which I mean that artists with unresolved personal issues would do better to sort those matters out in private. Joachim Trier's 'Sentimental Value' offers an inspiring exception, where the psychological health of its two main characters — filmmaker Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård) and his estranged daughter Nora (Renate Reinsve) — winds up inextricably tied up with a film project Gustav meant for them to make together. If it works here, that's because we're not obliged to watch Gustav's movie, but the emotional behind-the-scenes story of reconciliation through art. While not as stylistically radical as Trier's last film, 'The Worst Person in the World,' this layered family-centric drama (which was also written by Eskil Vogt) shares its ability to find fresh angles on sentiments you'd think that cinema would have exhausted by now. Obviously, chief among the previous movie's revelations was its star, Reinsve, who recalls the laid-back, lived-in and yet entirely modern allure of Diane Keaton during Woody Allen's peak years, mixed with an unpredictability that can feel positively radiant one second and practically inconsolable the next. More from Variety 'A Useful Ghost' Review: A Haunted Vacuum Cleaner Hoovers Up Attention in Pleasingly Particular Ghost Story Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor Make Cannes Sob With Powerful Gay Romance 'The History of Sound,' Which Earns 6-Minute Standing Ovation Cannes Critics' Week Awards Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke's 'A Useful Ghost' In 'Sentimental Value,' one doesn't have to look far to see the source of Nora's torment: the dad who walked out on her family when she and younger sister Agnes were children. Gustav always put his work ahead of his personal life, but it's been ages since he made a great movie. Now, at precisely the moment the girls' mother (and his ex-wife) has passed away, he shows up with a screenplay he wants to shoot in the house where they grew up — a gorgeous two-story Dragestil mansion so significant to the story that it gets a poetic introduction all its own at the outset. He wrote the lead role with Nora in mind, and we sense that accepting could save their relationship, if not both of their lives. If that sounds a little dramatic, that's only because you have yet to meet Nora, a jumble of nerves whose stage fright is so intense, it nearly craters her latest show on opening night. Not since 'Birdman' has a director so deftly (or hilariously) captured the suffocating panic of a backstage breakdown, as she tears at her costume and begs a fellow actor to slip her some drugs, or else slap her. Whatever attracts her to pretending to be other people is clearly related to her own discomfort at being herself. In any case, what we're dealing with here is a highly agitated and restless personality. Nora isn't ready to forgive her father, and so she passes on his project, thinking this will be the last she hears of it. Instead, she learns indirectly that the film is moving forward with American star Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) in the lead. To Nora, this feels no less a betrayal than cheating on her mom would have been. Indeed, there's an element of seduction involved, as Trier reveals, pushing Nora to the background for a spell, while focusing on the way Gustav convinces Rachel to take the part, and then proceeds to manipulate her into playing it as Nora would. (Fanning interprets the role with total sincerity, when a shallow caricature might have better illustrated what an artistic compromise she represents.) Gustav can charm when he wants to, but is also armed with witheringly unfiltered judgments toward everyone. Scenes of Gustav and Rachel feeling their way through his script, interrogating the characters' motivations in rehearsal, encourage audiences to pose the same questions on the surrounding film. 'Sentimental Value' could hardly be called unclear, but it leaves ample room for ambiguity and personal interpretation. It also strikes a surprising tone, opening with Terry Callier's near-mystical folk track 'Dancin' Girl,' and sticking to the nostalgic sounds of an earlier generation (while also incorporating up-to-the-minute industry details, like Netflix). Skarsgård is such a great actor, it's tempting to see 'Sentimental Value' strictly as a father-daughter story — and Rachel's arrival as a symbolic attempt to replace Nora — though Trier and Vogt are actually focused elsewhere. Turns out, the more illuminating dynamic is the one between Nora and her sister Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas). Gustav's departure all those years ago, coupled with their mother's illness, forced a certain responsibility upon Nora before she was ready to handle it, and now it's Agnes who's the one looking out for Nora. As it turns out, Gustav has pulled this kind of stunt before. Among his artistic principles, first and foremost is that he films with friends, preferring people he knows to professionals. When Agnes was a girl, he cast her in his most acclaimed film, an intense bonding experience that left her feeling abandoned when the projected ended and his attention went elsewhere. When Gustav asks to cast his grandson, Agnes' only child, she's quick to shoot down the idea. But she's the first to recognize how accepting the lead role might be therapeutic for Nora, who's started to spiral amid the pressures of their mother's death and father's return. To the extent that the Borg family home is a metaphor — with a none-too-subtle crack in its foundation — this one seems to be falling down around them. Maybe that's a good thing, the movie argues, suggesting a model by which making art is a means of making amends. Best of Variety The Best Albums of the Decade
