A Useful Ghost Review: Thai Anti-Capitalist Surrealist Fantasy Comedy-Drama With Possessed Vacuum Cleaners Will Break Your Heart

by

The city is filled with dust from the constant demolition of old buildings, creating dangerous levels of pollution. Officials claim this destruction is necessary for progress, stating that ‘there’s no progress without dust,’ and that sacrifices are sometimes required for a modern city. But it’s hard to ignore the unsettling image of vacuum cleaners found in the homes of those who have died – a stark reminder of the cost of this ‘progress’.

I have to say, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s first feature is a fascinating piece of work. It disguises a surprisingly complex political message within a really quirky, over-the-top melodrama. On the surface, it’s about everyday objects suddenly coming to life, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find a sharp critique of modern capitalism. It’s also a moving story about the importance of embracing queer identity, remembering the past, and challenging outdated traditions that prevent progress. It’s a film that really asks us to consider what it means to move forward.

It’s true, the film tries to cover too much ground, and Boonbunchachoke seems aware of that – it feels crowded as a result. This mirrors the way things feel in the world today, where everything seems linked by a complex web of problems. A Useful Ghost isn’t always successful, but at its best, it blends the quirky comedy of Wes Anderson with the dreamlike atmosphere of Apichatpong Weerasethakul to create a uniquely moving story about love and loss.

A Useful Ghost Takes On Too Much. That’s Part of Its Bizarre Charm.

The story of A Useful Ghost feels like a modern folktale. It centers on Wisarut Homhuan, a gay man who’s having trouble with his new vacuum cleaner – it won’t hold the dirt! To make matters stranger, he begins to hear a man coughing at night, and it sounds like the noise is coming from the vacuum itself. When he calls for help, he meets Krong, a technician who shares a wild story about other haunted cleaning machines and the dust storms that accompany them.

The story centers around Nat (Davika Hoorne), who unexpectedly dies from dust while living with her mother-in-law, Suman (Apasiri Nitibhon), the owner of a vacuum factory. Immediately after her death, Nat’s spirit inhabits a shiny new red vacuum cleaner with a long white hose. Though her body is gone, her love for her husband, March (Witsarut Himmarat), remains, and she wants to comfort him in his grief. March can see Nat as a spirit, appearing in a large, bright blue blazer reminiscent of David Byrne in the film Stop Making Sense, but to everyone else, she appears only as a red square.

Suman has encountered possessed appliances before, and surprisingly, no one seems particularly surprised when it happens. This world is one where ghosts are real, lingering spirits face consequences for unresolved issues, and even the afterlife isn’t safe from the pressures of money and bureaucracy. Boonbunchachoke cleverly and humorously illustrates how even ghosts are burdened with paperwork and the need to stay financially afloat.

While people accept that Nat’s memory lives on, everyone is disturbed by March’s attempts to pursue a relationship – even a sexual one – with a vacuum cleaner. This continues until Suman’s controlling parents, who always dress alike, see an opportunity: they can use the ghost of Nat to get rid of another problem. They’re motivated by money. A similar situation happened with March’s brother, who is gay; his parents disapproved of his sexuality until they realized his husband could open doors to business opportunities in Australia.

In “A Useful Ghost,” March and Nat attempt to rebuild their lives, but quickly realize their efforts come at the cost of others’ well-being. The film explores the importance of collective memory and whether dwelling on the past can negatively impact the future. Ultimately, writer and director Boonbunchachoke suggests that financial systems are recklessly discarding our shared history in pursuit of profit.

Visually stunning, with a palette reminiscent of early Pedro Almodóvar films, A Useful Ghost is one of the most beautiful films of recent years. It’s also a thought-provoking exploration of our constant desire for the new. The film immediately establishes its core idea – the value of effort and memory – with a scene of a beautiful, hand-carved fresco being carelessly discarded during new construction. The director suggests that things made with thought, dreams, and manual labor are truly valuable, while everything else feels artificial.

Read More

2026-01-13 16:11