Davika Hoorne

Witsarut Himmarat

Apasiri Nitibhon

Wanlop Rungkumjad

Wisarut Homhuan

Gandhi​ Wasuvitchayagit

Ornanong Thaisriwong

Kritpahat Srimangkornkaew

Katanyu Swangsri

Dhyan Ho

Wachara Kanha

Krittin Thongmai

Supravee Jantanasavedol

Parnrat Kritchanchai

Chatchawat Sanveang

Jutamat Lamoon

Sarut Komalittipong

Chayanon Akaradumrongdej

Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke

Soros Sukhum

Chonlasit Upanigkit

Tanade Amornpiyalerk

Chaitawat Thrisansri

Phim U-mari

Ting Li Lim

Richard Hocks

Chaibovon Seelookwar

Supapit Chirattikanon

Pakkawat Tanghom

Tippawan Narintorn

Soifa Saenkhumkon

Rasiguet Sookkarn

Karim Aitouna

Tan Si En

Chayamporn Taeratanachai

Rachel Y. Wu

Kris Eiamsakulrat

Kip Tiaviwat

Annie Yang

Tanat Tananivit

May Odeh

Zorana Musikic

Thanarith Satrusayang

Chatree Tengha

Chutigan Seechomphu

Kantapat Puttasawan

Wong Hui Grace

Kiattisak Kingkaew

Sirapat Suthonwattanacharoen

Joel Neo Rui En

Amelia Sai

Cattleya Paosrijeroen

Pisit Tandaechanurat

Thanissorn Thaopayung

Comedy

Drama

Fantasy

ผีใช้ได้ค่ะ

185 Films

Haut les Mains

Momo Film Co

Mayana Films

Thailand

France

Singapore

Germany

Brent Marchant

Many of us have probably heard of the notion of “the ghost in the machine.” And now director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s debut feature brings entirely new meaning to that concept – literally ‒ in this impressive, offbeat comedy-drama-fantasy. The film tells the unusual story of March (Wisarut Himmarat), the widowed young son of Suman (Apasiri Nitibhon), the cold, stone-faced, inflexible owner of a vacuum cleaner factory and an embittered widow herself. One might think that their mutual circumstances give them something in common, but such is not the case. Suman never cared much for her late daughter-in-law, Nat (Davika Hoorne), and doesn’t exactly miss her now that she’s gone. But those feelings become exacerbated when Nat’s ghost reincarnates, coming back to life by inhabiting the machinery of one of her factory’s vacuum cleaners, a development that Suman finds wholly unnatural and unacceptable but that March welcomes when he’s reunited with his departed beloved. Nat’s reason for returning is to care for her husband, who appears to be suffering symptoms of the same respiratory illness that killed her, one attributable to excess exposure to dust, a growing problem affecting the public in general, including the workers at Suman’s plant. In fact, this burgeoning environmental and public health issue has already killed one employee and soon leads to the factory’s shutdown by government officials, a development for which Suman blames Nat’s reincarnated spirit by drawing attention to the condition. And, in turn, much to March’s chagrin, Suman and her family do everything they can to get rid of the pesky ghost so they can reopen the plant and restore their severely diminished income stream. But can Nat be eliminated that easily? What’s more, this incident turns out to be just the beginning of an all-out war on ghosts by a public frustrated by their return (both in mechanical and human form) and the nagging, unwanted consequences that, for various reasons, generally accompany their unforeseen reincarnation. The question thus becomes, who will triumph in such an interdimensional war of wills, especially when it becomes apparent that ghosts can actually prove to be useful and not universally menacing? If the foregoing sounds like a highly unusual premise for a movie, you’d be right, but the filmmaker skillfully pulls off this quirky project in truly fine fashion, one replete with hilarious deadpan humor, heartfelt moments of touching revelation, creative special effects, and an array of symbolic references that metaphorically cover topics ranging from public health matters to alternate lifestyle acceptance to incidents of karma and forgiveness, among others. To be sure, this release packs a lot of material into its 2:10:00 runtime, and, admittedly, the narrative occasionally verges on getting out of control with too many ideas and recurring material whose impact can run a little thin at times. In general, though, most everything the director strives to say manages to come through, providing viewers with much to ponder in the picture’s wake. Because of that, this is the sort of offering that probably requires several screenings to appreciate its full impact, but that’s fine considering how much there is to like here. If nothing else, “A Useful Ghost” is certainly a memorable cinematic experience, an impression very much in line with one of the picture’s primary themes – the role that remembrance plays in sustaining the existence of departed loved ones in our hearts, minds and reality. Indeed, as has often been contended, those who have left us truly do live on as long as we remember them – whether in the shell of a vacuum cleaner or otherwise.

English

ภาษาไทย

A Useful Ghost

ตัวอย่างภาพยนตร์ ผีใช้ได้ค่ะ [A Useful Ghost] | Official Trailer

A Useful Ghost ผีใช้ได้ค่ะ (Official Trailer)

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Official Teaser [Subtitled]