Mini review: A Useful Ghost

As A Useful Ghost goes on, you may find yourself surprised about how a film, beginning with the premise of a man in love with a vacuum cleaner housing his wife’s spirit, could become something with such emotional and political resonance. But by its end, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s bizarre and ambitious story leaves a lasting and unforgettable impression. 

Ghosts are central, treated as a natural fact rather than an unbelievable spectacle

From intimate interactions between the living and dead, to dream sequences and family drama, the film explores its Thai character’s relations to the afterlife through many different strands. Ghosts are central, treated as a natural fact rather than an unbelievable spectacle, evoking both private pasts and national histories, managing to speak to ideas stretching from queerness to the exploits of capitalism.

So many ideas are at play, constantly evolving throughout the film, yet always staying rooted in a central, grounded focus: even as we move forward, our ghosts should not be forgotten. Among a backdrop of metropolitan dust pollution, factory worker exploitation and the demolishment of smaller businesses, the film comes to some exhilarating thematic conclusions. 

It is something intimate, surreal and indescribable, making for one of the best – if not criminally underwatched – films of last year.