Nang Nak

Title: Nang Nak
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Horror, Romance
Starring: Intira Jaroenpura, Winai Kraibutr
Director: Nonzee Nimibutr
Language: Thai

I did warn that I would be returning to Thai horror before too long, and whilst this doesn’t strictly fit, combining horror with a strong romantic element, it nonetheless feels appropriate to restart my exploration here for reputedly one of the key films in starting the Thai ghost film phenomenon. Originally based on a Thai Legend (though it should be noted that the story is believed truthful rather than mythical), it is proceeding the events of the Chiang Toong War (read: ~1870) that Mak returns to his wife (Nak) and her recently born child, but all is not as it seems. The pleasant situation he observes an illusion created by his wife who died along with her stillborn child, wishing nothing more but to be with her husband. As people try to warn him, he responds with disbelief whilst the infuriated spirit of Nak fights to prevent him from discovering the truth, eventually resulting in the village’s decision to take more direct action.

Despite being released in 1999 it visibly looks constrained for a film of this time, the effects and style more reminiscent of what was available to the average 70’s slasher film maker, but don’t mistake this for something with such a shallow premise. Breathing life into a film to stand up to competition with a notable technological advantage is not an easy challenge – particularly in the modern Western market – but it is through the story that the realism emerges, and the manner in which the effects have been used to their maximum potential more than compensate. The most apparent use of this is the cinematography and use of location in themselves, feeling like a separate entity unto themselves; next to the river amidst the lush grasslands and bamboo forests of Thailand, working in the rice fields by day for food and living of the fruits of the forest, even their homes are constructed from readily found woods and natural resources and this element feels prominent throughout.

It is this exposure to the elements, the feeling of being at the peril of the beautiful and yet often hostile environment that becomes an integral part of the story being told; the gentle movement of the snakes through the trees, the spiders slowly crawling in through the gaps and the various other wildlife making themselves as much at home as you are. Painstakingly shot to perfection in order demonstrate this, the delicate consideration of camera angles – whether close and personal or distant like a fly on the wall – as well as use of light and darkness, the small budget and limited resources whilst observed at no point hinder the end result which has made more of an impact than most modern equivalents.

There are no big-shot stars here either, even by Thai standards both leads debut with this film and yet it’s none the worse off for it, the performance provided by the two unknowns far exceeding expectations. Everything feels natural; the actors are given minimal make-up or costume, forced to rely on their physicality throughout the simplistic setting, outlining the manner they value what many now would consider for granted; the monk’s status shown simply without the need for extravagant piercings or make up and the leaves that are chewed, staining their teeth black is never made so painfully obvious that it feels anything but second nature to the cast.

But what really clinches this for me is not just that how the horror element was performed but how genuine the romance felt, often overpoweringly so as – like the characters – you are distorted between the empathy for the characters losing all that they have and the necessity for her departure from this world. It is this well elaborated plot element that transcends it above the average ‘the ghost is scaring us because that’s what ghosts do’ type plot device into one that actually has strong reasoning behind it, and for all her horrific actions not one that fails to feel at least partially justified, the legitimate reasoning only further the observed torment. This is the film that may have kick-started the Thai fascination with ghost stories and it’s not difficult to see why; this is probably amongst the best put to film.