A Useful Ghost, 2025.
Written and Directed by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke.
Starring Davika Hoorne, Witsarut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon, Wanlop Rungkumjad, Wisarut Homhuan, Gandhi Wasuvitchayagit, Ornanong Thaisriwong, Kritpahat Srimangkornkaew, Katanyu Swangsri, Dhyan Ho, Wachara Kanha, Krittin Thongmai, and Supravee Jantanasavedol.
SYNOPSIS:
A spirit possesses a vacuum cleaner, causing many consequences.
While the premise of writer/director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s debut feature, A Useful Ghost, fixates on a ghost possessing a vacuum cleaner, that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how zany, idiosyncratic, and weirdly delightful this film is. It is also sprawling and ambitious, which doesn’t always work out. Sometimes, it sends the overall narrative into a confounding tailspin, with its points having long been made or diverging from the central premise, making it feel like watching a different movie in some respects.
Still, with its abundance of ideas, endearing quirk, poignant commentary on capitalism, the loss of loved ones, memory, and a third-act plunged into cartoonishly violent vengeance (all elevated by an upbeat score leaning into the playful absurdities), it’s also a memorable journey that leaves one on a high, even with missteps along the way. During those stumbles, there is still the lingering sensation that one is watching the birth of an ingenious and cleverly warped filmmaker, blending elements of supernatural comedy, high-concept melodramatic romanticism, tried-and-true revenge storytelling, moral dilemmas weighing heavily on key characters, and an eruption of violence that comes across as a satisfying punchline to everything that comes before.
The plot of A Useful Ghost shouldn’t be delved into much, as its unpredictable nature is a force unto its own. However, it can be said that there are multiple threads, with stories taking place inside other stories, which inevitably connect into something larger. Upon purchasing the previously mentioned haunted vacuum to clean up dust (something that is becoming a serious medical concern in this part of the world, making for some political subtext), Wisarut Homhuan’s Academic Ladyboy is visited by repairman Krong (Wanlop Rungkumjad) to take a look at it. It should also be noted that this is a world that has accepted ghosts are real, with many of these specters communicating with the living in nefarious or comical ways.
From there, Krong begins telling the story of how this vacuum became possessed in the first place, which involves some deaths in a shady manufacturing company. It also leads to March’s (Wisarut Himmarat) deceased wife, Nat (Davika Hoorne), taking control of the vacuum while also using its suctioning capabilities for intimacy. Essentially, the relationship is allowed to continue under the most bizarre but sweet circumstances, at the expense of March alienating his family. Their solution is electroshock therapy to force him to forget a loved one.
It shouldn’t be spoiled how these threads come together into a cohesive, ambitious whole, but rather that even when A Useful Ghost feels like it’s getting away from its initial concept and trying to do too much (it’s one of those situations where a filmmaker is under the impression this might be the only movie they will ever get to make, so they might as well throw every idea they have into it), Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke doesn’t lose charm or imagination.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
