The paranormal don’t get much respect from the living in “A Useful Ghost,” but spirits are revered by writer/director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke who doesn’t necessarily see them as a malevolent force. They are instead the keepers of history, which could be seen as a threat to red-blooded humans who don’t want to be reminded of the past or have something better buried there, but could also come as a comfort for those who are ready to let go, as is the case for March (Wisarut Himmarat), who recently lost his wife Nat (Davika Hoorne) and is literally worried sick as his mother Madam Saman (Apasiri Nitibhon), a supervisor at a factory with a poor track record of safety, has to make amends for a recent death on the floor. While she is haunted by the ghost of Tok, the employee who succumbed to the pollutants he was around every day after clocking in, his demise has seemingly opened the door for other apparitions to emerge, taking an unusual form that makes Boonbunchachoke’s debut feature as much of a delight as it becomes poignant.
Structured similarly as “The Princess Bride,” the gently fantastical tale of the family beset by ghosts is related from a distance as a man with a wonky vacuum cleaner’s call to customer service is answered quickly by Krong (Wallop Rungkumjad), who arrives at his doorstep to explain that what he thinks of as a technical issue in fact is more of a spiritual one. His Hoover was likely manufactured on the same line where Tok died and the various products that were made there are now quirky to say the least, some more cantankerous than others. Still, Krong describes at least one device that improved upon taking on a new life as Nat’s soul migrated to a vacuum cleaner and while befuddling March’s immediate family who wonder why he’s so amorous towards a typically inanimate object, she revives his lust for life and can provide guidance for Madam Suman to put Tok, now a volatile air conditioner, to rest.
As the vacuum cleaner roams around Thailand on its own volition, “A Useful Ghost” may remind a bit of another Cannes Critics Week premiere that proved a breakout from 15 years ago when Quentin Dupieux’s murderous tire ran wild in “Rubber,” and like the French absurdist filmmaker, Boonbunchachoke makes the most of the comic potential of the premise, operating in a deadpan style akin to Aki Kaurismaki where the oddity of conversing with a vacuum doesn’t seem any more weird than personal interaction in general amidst surreal still compositions of everyday life. But he also delivers on a different front when considering the actual presence of ghosts and the instant desire for humans to eradicate them rather than do the work involved in understanding them, making any fear coms across as more and more irrational.
Perhaps audiences outside of Thailand may need a little more context than Boonbunchachoke offers when referencing the year 2010, which will need no explanation inside the country that was roiled by political protests and the military was brought in, leading to thousands injured and at least 90 civilians dead. But the metaphor proves potent nonetheless without that familiarity when it is sadly all too recognizable globally that those most eager to eliminate ghosts appear to have the most incentive to hide their past as the wealthy have amassed power from ill-gotten gains. An opening sequence of an ancient artwork committed to marble bulldozed for the construction of a modern mall takes on greater resonance as the film wears on and Nat’s success at taming Tok for Madam Suman, essentially protecting corporate interests, leads to an invitation from a seemingly kindly doctor to quell other tempestuous ghosts. Yet it becomes obvious that no individual is in immediate peril, but rather a class system and business interests that require protection from any pesky parts of the past that don’t align with a limited notion of progress.
The fact that “A Useful Ghost” is unapologetically queer is a rebuke on all fronts, with its central character with his wily vacuum never directly named but describing himself as an “academic ladyboy” and besides asserting a place in this world for generally marginalized communities, Boonbunchachoke not only enjoys dramatically upending a narrative pushed forward by those who think they have the power to rewrite history, but does so structurally as well as the film dips into various genres, defying easy classification. Shifts in tone can feel slightly erratic and a mark of relative inexperience, particularly when arriving at an understandably horrific finale that seems a little out of character given what’s come before, but the resolute nonconformity also proves cunning when any scene that could become too sentimental or self-serious is abruptly undercut with some other impulse and in unsettling times, the film lines up well to meet the moment.
“A Useful Ghost” will screen again at the Cannes Film Festival as part of Critics Week on May 18th at 8:30 am at Miramar, 2 pm at Studio 13 and 8:30 pm at Alexandre III.