And now for something completely different: an absurdist comedy about ghosts inhabiting home appliances that is simultaneously a rousing, radical work of historical excavation. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s film is a wacky, whimsical look at Thai politics, from the distant past to its recent history. The film opens with the purchase of a vacuum cleaner revealed to contain a dead man’s spirit; soon, a repair man is explaining its backstory, which unfolds in flashbacks recalling worker exploitation, subversive ghosts, and a government program devised to investigate citizens’ minds while they sleep.
Ratchapoom seeks sometimes to amuse, sometimes to galvanize, and always to entertain. His film is eclectic enough to merit many comparisons: his choreographed physical humour evokes the spirit of the silent era; bizarre scenes of deadpan humour carry a whiff of sketch comedy; and the allegorical rendering of Thai history recalls that nation’s reigning arthouse auteur, Apichatpong Weerasethakul. From its sardonic opening to its slam-bang conclusion, this is a jaunty, captivating work of cinema.
Grand Prix: Critics’ Week, Cannes 2025; Oscar Submission: Thailand
Supported by
Media Partner
Davika Hoorne, Witsarut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon, Wanlop Rungkumjad, Wisarut Homhuan
Thailand/France/
Singapore/Germany
2025
In Thai with English subtitles
At International Village & VIFF Cinema
At The Rio
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Chayamporn Taeratanachai, Kip Tiaviwat, Annie Yang, Tanat Tananivit, Rachel Y. Wu, Kris Eiamsakulrat, Nopadol Srikieatkajohn
Producer
Cattleya Paosrijaroen, Soros Sukhum
Screenwriter
Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Cinematography
Pasit Tandaechanurat
Editor
Chonlasit Upanikit
Production Design
Sim Hao Jie
Original Music
Chaibovon Seelukwa
Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke is a filmmaker of Teochew-Hainanese descent who was born and raised in Bangkok, where he currently resides. He works as a full-time scriptwriter, writing commercial features and television series while also teaching university film theory and scriptwriting. In 2020, he was selected to participate in Berlinale Talents program. His short film Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall was selected for Locarno in 2020 and won the Junior Jury Award — Leopards of Tomorrow (International Competition). Most recently he has been nurturing a film series investigating the colonial history of Thailand.
Filmography: Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall (2020)
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
A. Rimbaud
Patrick Wang (The Bread Factory) presents the life of French poet Arthur Rimbaud in this staggeringly adventurous and deeply considered movie, a three-hour, one-man show quite unlike anything we have seen before. "Poetic, audacious and singular."
The 39 Steps
In our new film studies series, FRAMEWORK, film scholar Michael van den Bos explores the work of Alfred Hitchcock, across four monochrome masterworks. This week: The 39 Steps (1935), a witty and fast-moving spy thriller from Hitchcock's English period.