Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [28]
Thai films shown in Thai multiplexes usually come with English subtitles, though in most comedy movies the gist of the gags is lost in translation. Most jokes are steeped in witty (and racy) word play, linguistic acrobatics and cultural specificities that are largely untranslatable. In the past five years, the most bankable strategy has been to cast popular TV comedians to play in feature films – these comedians have also become directors themselves – and the mere sight of their faces on a movie poster is a guarantee of box-office profits. Among the masters of the game include Mum Jokmok, Teng Terdterng, Nong Cha Cha Cha and Koh Tee Peenarak. It’s easy for people to ridicule the trend, but in watching their fluid wit and straight-faced pranks, it becomes clear that these clowns are extremely talented.
Thai ghost films are famous across Southeast Asia – if not across the world. Films like Shutter, in which a photographer captures the presence of a spirit in his pictures, and 4Bia, an ensemble of four short horror episodes, not only raked in a hundred million baht at home, but were successful exports to various parts of the world, extending as far as Latin America. It’s generally believed that Thai ghost movies are more frightening than Hollywood’s simply because they are made by people who grew up believing in ghosts – not in a religious sense, but in a spiritual, supernatural and even metaphysical sense. In line with ghost films from other Asian countries, Siamese spirits are often wretched females who were wronged in their lives and return to settle scores. Of these, the most famous is Nang Nak, a legendary figure whose story has been retold at least 30 times on film and TV. Nang Nak (a real person who lived 150 years ago) died while giving birth to her child. Her husband was away with the army at the time, but when he returned home, Nang Nak and her newborn were waiting for him. The family continued to live in bliss – until someone informed the husband that he was living with ghosts.
As horror and comedy are the two most reliable genres, in recent years there’s been a Thai trend of combining both into a new breed. Comedy horror, or vice versa, is an indigenous Siamese cinematic creation. A familiar scene in any of these films features a group of people scampering away from a pursuing ghost. In some extreme cases, another potent ingredient is added: homosexuality. The result is a colourful amalgam of camp, horror and comedy, typically involving gay people haunted by ghosts in a movie that’s also funny. A weird concoction, yes, just like so many experiences in Thailand.
Kong Rithdee is a film critic for the Bangkok Post.
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A harbinger for the Thai film industry was Nonzee Nimibutr’s 1998 release of Nang Nak, an exquisite retelling of the Mae Nak Phrakhanong legend, in which the spirit of a woman who died during childbirth haunts the home of her husband. This story has had no fewer than 20 previous cinematic renderings. Nang Nak not only features excellent acting and period detailing, but manages to transform Nak into a sympathetic character rather than a horrific ghost. The film earned awards for best director, best art director and best sound at the 1999 Asia-Pacific Film Festival.
In 1999 director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang came out with his second feature, a finely crafted thriller set in Bangkok called Ruang Talok 69 (6ixtynin9). Like his first film, it was a critical success that saw relatively little screen time in Thailand.
The 2000 film Satree Lex (Iron Ladies) humorously dramatises the real-life exploits of a Lampang volleyball team made up almost entirely