Ghosts
are as important to Thai culture as Buddhism and Muay Thai. Logically, the
former frequently plays a role in the nation’s ghost stories. Fittingly, the
Thai installment of HBO Asia’s anthology of stories inspired by national
supernatural myths and urban legends focuses on a ravenous ghost. Much to his
frustration, the spirit’s haunting will become unusually complicated in Folklore:
Pob, directed by Thai auteur Pen-ek Ratanaruang, which screens this Friday
in DC, as part of the Sackler/Freer’s Thai Buddhist Ghost Stories film
series.
Manop
is a crime blogger for a news site that apparently does not pay well. He cannot
afford to get his car out of the shop and he is behind on his ailing mother’s
hospital bills. However, opportunity might be calling when he arrives at the
scene of a newly arrived American PR executive’s grisly murder. Much to his
surprise and trepidation, Mena the ghost (or pob) offers to explain how John
Conrad met his gory demise (Conrad—nice touch, right?).
Presumably,
the Pob is responsible, because he is a pob. Yet, initially Conrad throws him
off his ghostly game. In fact, the garrulous American does not recognize Mena
is a supernatural entity when he awakens, so he offers the spirit a beer and a
sandwich. As the night progresses, Conrad pulls Mena into more Earthly misadventures,
which causes the pob to start losing his ghostliness.
The
opening and closing of Pob are creepily atmospheric, but most of the
guts in the middle are quite droll, in a pitch black humor sort of way. As
director and screenwriter, Ratanaruang (a.k.a. Tom Pannet, known for Headshot),
offers up some sly commentary on East vs. West culture clashes that mostly
avoids the typical shopworn clichés. Plus, Chankij Chamnivikaipong’s
black-and-white cinematography is eerily stylish.
