Opening Day: 12 January 2006 (Cathay Cineplex Causeway Point, Orchard and Overseas Princess)

Synopsis:

A new twist on a legendary ghost story, set in modern Bangkok, shows how love transcends death.

Mak and Nak, a young newlywed couple in Bangkok, acquire an antique brooch and an old abandoned house that soon bring them into contact with Mae Nak Phrakhanong, a figure of horror and despair from one of Thailand's most enduring ghost legends. While Mae Nak's ghost protects the couple from an unscrupulous real estate agent as well as a pair of burglars, it becomes apparent that she expects a terrible favour in return. Mak, the young groom, is incapacitated by a powerful coma, and his bride Nak must exhume the Mae Nak's corpse from its hidden grave so that the skull can be restored using the antique brooch. Only in this way can Mae Nak's spirit finally be set free.

Movie Review:

Let me tell you a story, unknown to some. In Thai folklore, a beautiful young woman from the Phrakhanong district married a man called Tid Mak. While she was pregnant of their first child, he was called to join the army in the north of Thailand. During his absence, mother and baby died but when he returned, he found them waiting for him.

When they embraced he was shocked to feel her unusually cold and thin body but thought nothing of it. She prepared food for him and they sat down for dinner. A sudden gust of cold wind made him drop his spoon and Mae Nak lengthened her hand to catch it. Tid Mak wondered about that and his wife cried out and told him that she had died, and only then did he realize that his wife and child were ghosts. Mae Nak refused to leave him so he called for an exorcist.

Now back to reality of the silver screen, we’re introduced Mak and Nak, a young newlywed couple in Bangkok, acquired an old abandoned house that soon brings them into contact with Mae Nak. While Mae Nak's ghost protects the couple from unscrupulous contacts, it becomes apparent that she expects a terrible favor in return.

Although The Ghost of Mea Nak is a twist on a legendary ghost story, nothing sort for new develops in this ever growing birth of Asian scare-feast. Sudden scares with loud noises and dream-within-a-dream tactics may have been a thing of past now was it grows ever typical of a horror film. This may be a little harsh but Mark Duffield pace of this well-known horror has its speed so slowed down that most of the audience was fidgeting in their seats. It doesn’t help either when you see several unnecessary scenes that develop to nowhere. At times, the script seems forced and felt like a direct translation from an English written ones. With all these faults, it might be forgivable as this was Mark’s first attempt into directing after being behind the scene in several features. On the plus side though, with him working as a cinematographer in his previous films, Ghost of Mea Nak urban shots shows pretty much close to the real cosmopolitan life of Thailand.

Casting of the feature are all too familiar but effective. Secondary cast did their role but kudos to the priest’s assistant for being the most obnoxious, having the audience rooting for him for be killed off.

Overall, Ghost of Mea Nak attempt of a new chapter in this folklore has been mediocre. There’s a lot Mark needs to brush-up on especially on pacing and the message it conveys, as it tends to get lost in translation.

Movie Rating:

(One of the most feared folklore of Thailand comes alive with a new twist!)

Review by Lokman B S