Opening Day: 3 March 2011

Synopsis: Affair and love triangle happen. It is inevitable that one has to lose the love in the end. What would happen if the loser isn’t human and not willing to give in? Will they ever find a way out? Can this kind of entwining love be resolved?

Cee (“Koy” Ratchwin) is a younger sister of Bowie (“Bowie” Atthama), a famous movie star. Bowie is determined to push her sister into the spotlight. She introduced her sister to everyone in the movie business she knows. Her effort finally paid off when Cee is offered a role in upcoming high budget film.

Aof (“Big” Thongpoom), Cee’s boyfriend, is in debt as he lost a huge bet on a football game. When he knows about his girlfriend’s budding movie career, he pesters her to get a share of her money. His behavior is something unbearable to Bowie.

It is not until when Cee found out Aof’s affair with Ying (Marion Affolter) that she ‘s determined to end it with Aof. Aof tries to reconcile with Cee and promised that he will leave Ying. While Cee is considering if she should patch things with Aof, Ying committed suicide. Cee is in greatly saddened that a woman chose to end her life for an unfaithful man.

Since Ying’s death, Cee has this creepy feeling that something, someone is following her. Bowie suspects that it is Aof, who has been trailing Cee to get back together. To bring her sister away from the mess, Bowie brings Cee and her friends to Koh Chang, where she’s shooting a movie.
The beautiful seaside getaway gives Cee some peace of mind. The sisters are introduced to Karn (Pete Thongjua), the resort’s handsome owner, who is also a close friend of Boyd (Bodhin Duke), the director. Not only is Karn of a great help, by allowing Boyd to use his resort as the shooting location but he is also very attentive to the beautiful sisters.

Movie Review:

Thai horrors have been famed for their ability to throw you off your chair and keep you paranoid for the next few days. There are also a number of them that do not make this mark. In this latest instalment of ‘My Ex’, it fits in nicely to the latter category. It has made a miss as much as it did the previous film.

‘The Ex 2: Haunted Lover’ comes from the same director of The Ex, Piyapan Choopetch. He once claimed an award for best effects for Necromancer, also a Thai horror and thriller in 2005. He has been in the scene since 2001 and is often involved in the screenwriting as well. One would expect much better horror flick from such a veteran.

However, the ‘meat’ is barely there. At the beginning you are hoaxed to believe that Cee is a pleasant and harmless lady that got betrayed and cheated on by an unfaithful boyfriend. Later on, a pretty predictable twist leads on to a bloody massacre. One word can be used to summarize this: disgusting. It is a desperate attempt to (repeatedly) use the battered faces and gory images to flood and scare the movie watcher. In this respect, it is rather annoying as it does no good other than it pricks the eye.

These tactics could be marginally accepted if the actors’ and actresses’ acting are affective and emote sympathy from the audience for their plight. However, the acting was so amateur that it often misleads and at times, comical. The shock tactics were also pretty juvenile. It is only as good as a little kid hiding at the corner of a turn and then shout ‘BOO’ straight in your face. Well, at least be glad that you are granted good rest even after watching the movie.

Shock and scare tactics aside, Thai horror movies that left deep impressions surely did not win with blood and being excessively violent and graphic; rather they won hearts due to the their ability to tell a proper story (even if it relates to the spirit). Evidently, this is lacking from this movie.

Disappointingly, there is only a slight improvement in its production value. It was easy to spot the discontinuity and inconsistency thanks to Dolby surround sound system, typifying a movie shot on low budget. Some camera angles are pretty awkward, but there were a few good establishing shots that helps create the right mood for the audience.

The conclusion of the movie is a typical one and reiterates the golden rule: do unto others what you want others to do unto you. It was short and brief, hence hasty and insufficient clean-up of the messy scenes that we were made to sit through. If you are ever interested, there is a sneak peak to a possible instalment nearing the end of the movie. Surely by then, you will know the wise choice to make. Quickly make your exit!

Movie Rating:



(Where’s the beef?)

Review by Tho Shu Ling