Direction: Banjong Pisanthanakun
Country: Thailand
All filmed in documentary mode with plenty of folkloric practices and shamanic tradition, this possession-themed horror Thai film got me really hooked until halfway. Then, it started revolving around images that kept repeating before reaching an excessively strained denouement that fails to convince.
The film, co-written by director Banjong Pisanthanakun and first-time producer Na Hong-Jin (The Chaser, 2008; The Wailing, 2016), is segmented into three parts: the first one, exotic and truly enigmatic, captivates without resorting to cynicism or post-modernistic tactics; the second, more classic and longer, stirs up confrontations and revelations; and finally, the extremist third part whose staged panache is overdone with multiple gory effects and paranormal night vision. This decrescendo is perceived from the minute everything starts to speed up.
Taking place in a small Thai village, the story, describing an ancient family blessing turned grievous curse, is captured by a film crew while working on a documentary about Nim (Sawanee Utoomma), a shamanic priestess in distress about the disturbing behavior of her niece, Mink (Narilya Gulmongkolpech).
Bringing a fair share of lingering images and scares, the director also makes it too long and stuffy, in a typical case where less would be better. Nonetheless, the acting is pretty decent and the sound design by Chatchai Pongprapaphan plays effectively throughout.
