The Medium (Thailand, 2021)

A horrifying story of a shaman's inheritance in the Isan region of Thailand. What could be possessing a family member might not be the Goddess they make it out to be.

The Medium will immediately grab any horror fans attention just by the names behind the film. Director Bangjong Pisanthanakun gave us the spooky Shutter (2004), and South Korean screen-writer Na Hong-jin made a huge splash in the industry with his fantastic The Wailing (2016). The Medium digs into possessions and has a documentary team follow a small village shaman in the midst of strange and disturbing events. 

While you'd be correct to expect nothing else than a milestone in Thai horror, given the credentials of the people involved, The Medium doesn't reach heights it should. The main possession that we're following feels like it could be a sub-story in the previously mentioned The Wailing which was much deeper. I thought the documentary hand-held camera style was unnecessary and when people start to die there's really no justification for trying to keep filming the action. That aside, the director captures some great amount of atmosphere and the setting of rural Thailand looks to be perfect for a story of this kind. 

I've read some people got terrified of this film, and while that's very far from my own experience, it's still worth a look if you want to see the latest in Thai horror. 

Genre: Horror. 2h 10min.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010, Thailand)

Suffering from acute kidney failure, Uncle Boonmee, who lives in a house on a farm with his sister-in-law Jen and his nephew Tong has chosen to spend his final days surrounded by his loved ones in the countryside. Surprisingly Huay, the ghost of his deceased wife appears to care for him, and his long lost son returns home in a non-human form. Contemplating the reasons for his illness, he treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave - the birthplace of his first life.

Uncle Boonmee can be a very difficult film to get into, and if you're not invested from the start it's going to be a tough watch. The reason I say that is because the pace is really slow and scenes come and go very much like a slow, meditative walk through a thick forest. I'm not even sure I grasped it all on a first viewing so it's definitely one of those films you need to watch again to get the whole picture. It's a story about life and death, it's about rebirth and facing one's mortality. 

At the Cannes film festival people reportedly walked out after only six minutes, but it still won the most prestigious award of them all, the Palme d'Or.  

Genre: Drama/Fantasy

Chocolate (Thailand, 2008)

When Zin, former girlfriend of a Thai mob boss, falls for Masashi, a Japanese gangster in Thailand, the boss banishes them: Masashi to Japan, and Zin, with her small daughter Zen, to live next to a martial arts school. Zen is autistic, with uncanny swift reflexes. She watches the students next door and Muay Thai movies, absorbing every technique. She's now a teen, and her mother needs chemotherapy. Zin has taken in a chubby kid, Moom, who watches over Zen. Moom finds a ledger listing business men who owe Zin money; he goes to them one at a time to collect in order to pay for Zin's treatment. Zen, with her martial skills, becomes his enforcer. 

First things first, Chocolate is directed by the same man who gave us Ong-ak (2003) and The Protector (2005), and if you know anything about martial art movies that should immediately peak your interest. Awesome action, a  sweet and quirky story but not without emotional depth and the camera work to back it up. Chocolate should be seen by anyone who's looking for a fight-heavy film with a lot of heart. 

Genre: Action/Drama

Tropical Malady (Thailand, 2004)

Tropical Malady explores the passionate relationship between two men with unusual consequences. The film is divided in two parts. The first half charts the modest attraction between two men in the sunny, relaxing countryside and the second half charts the confusion and terror of an unknown menace lurking deep within the jungle shadows.

When Tropical Malady screened at the Cannes Film Festival, some of the audience members left in the middle of it, and those who stayed until the end booed it. Now, I know that doesn't exactly makes one terribly excited to see it, but I'm highly surprised at the negative response to this film. I guess some of it could be due to the fact that the film completely changes setting halfway through to a story line which isn't as interesting as the first one, but that isn't enough reason to bash it in my opinion. I recommend giving it a fair chance, especially if you're interested in Thai cinema.

Genre: Drama/Romance

Syndromes and a Century (Thailand, 2006)

A story about director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's parents who were both doctors, and his memories about growing up in the hospital environment.

Syndromes and a Century is one of those films that requires you to be in a certain mood before seeing it. The plot moves like a slowpoke, and there seem to be no hurry at all in advancing the story. If you can accept that, this film is actually really great, and much thank's to how it's filmed. Many static shots and long scenes, just the way I like it. A few times we may get a montage of different rooms and halls of a hospital where the lights are going out, and people that exercises in the park. So bring along a chunk of patience before watching it, and you will hopefully appreciate this meditative experience.

Genre: Drama

Meat Grinder (Thailand, 2009)

Buss is a disturbed woman who hears voices in her head and is tormented by visions. Having been taught some pretty dubious and unconventional food preparation and cooking skills by her mother, she decides to open up a noodle stall, using the body of a man left over from a riot as the main ingredient. Soon enough, the customers are turning up in droves for her delicious meals, and life is starting to look good for her. However, her past comes back to haunt her, and as her mental state breaks down, yet more people end up on the chopping block.

Meat Grinder is a horror film where the visual presentation is a cut above the rest, and we're treated to some really beautifully shot scenes and use of colors. Sure it's also nasty with some dismemberment and bloody killings, but it's nice to see a horror film where the camera work is as interesting as the gore.

Genre: Horror

The Protector (Thailand, 2005)

In Bangkok, the young Kham was raised by his father in the jungle with elephants as members of their family. When his old elephant and the baby Kern are stolen by criminals, Kham finds that the animals were sent to Sidney. He travels to Australia, where he locates the baby elephant in a restaurant owned by the evil Madame Rose, the leader of an international Thai mafia. With the support of the efficient Thai sergeant Mark, who was involved in a conspiracy, Kham fights to rescue the animal from the mobsters.

If you've seen Ong-bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003), you know what to expect from Tony Jaa, who plays the main character. And with The Protector, he delivers yet again, with explosive violence and so much bone crushing fist fights that you wonder if they really can keep it up all the way? The answer is yes. Plus, The Protector features one of the best fight sequences ever made, all shot in one take. 

Genre: Action/Crime

Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (Thailand, 2003)

The story begins in a small and peaceful village. One day a sacred Buddha statuette called Ong Bak is stolen from the village by a immoral businessman who sells it for exorbitant profits. It soon becomes the task of a young man, Ting, to track the thief down to Bangkok voluntarily and reclaim the religious treasure. Along the way he uses his astonishing athleticism and traditional Muay Thai skills to combat his adversaries.

Ong-Bak is without a doubt one of the grand champions of martial art movies. It delivers a huge amount of both satisfying fist fights and chases full of crazy stunts through the narrow streets of Bangkok. 

The actor playing Ting trained for four years in preparation for the film, and it clearly shows in every bone breaking punch and face destroying kick. 

Genre: Action/Thriller

Alone (Thailand, 2007)

Alone tells the story of Pim who moved from Thailand to Korea to escape the guilt of being the surviving half of a conjoined twin. Flashbacks to Pim's childhood show how the bittersweet relationship with her sister, and their commitment to stay together forever, transforms into a repressive bond that ultimately leads to a separation. After she returns to visit her dying mother, the spirit of her dead sister angrily thrusts herself into Pim's life.

A ghost story that isn't half bad, though it relies heavy on jump scares. Just tell yourself that you're not going to see anything groundbreaking or particular new that hasn't been done before in the asian horror genre, and you might enjoy it more for what it is. 

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Last Life in the Universe (Thailand/Japan, 2003)

A mysterious, obsessive-compulsive, suicidal Japanese man living in Bangkok, Thailand, is thrown together with a Thai woman through a tragic chain of events. The woman is everything he is not. He is a neat freak who keeps his dishes washed and his books neatly stacked and categorized. She dresses like a slob, smokes pot and never picks anything up. It's a match that somehow works.

If you want quality cinema, look no further. A story of two very different people coming together in the wake of personal tragedies. One of Tadanobu Asano's (The Taste of Tea, Ichi the Killer) best roles. Very melancholy, and very beautiful. 

Genre: Drama/Romance

Shutter (Thailand, 2004)

Young photographer Thun and his girlfriend Jane discover mysterious shadows in their photographs after fleeing the scene of an accident. As they investigate the phenomenon, they find other photographs contain similar supernatural images, that Thun's best friends are being haunted as well.

One of the scariest films I've ever seen. Good acting and a thrilling story, definitely a movie you'll want to revisit whenever you're in the mood for petrifying moments of terror. Though it's mostly jump scares, and we're once again visited by ghosts who are young girls with long black hair, Shutter still conveys a genuine sense of dread. Hell, even the opening credits is the stuff of nightmares. It also has a fantastic ending.

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller