Cinema, capturing moving images in time and space, projecting them and promising endless reanimation, is the ghostliest of all media. Ghosts, in literature and films, in large part, have been staple stand-ins for the unfinished businesses. With that in mind, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke's feature debut, A Useful Ghost tells a very queer ghost story within a story about the importance of remembering. Set in modern day Thailand, the layered film takes the traditional Asian vengeful ghost story horror trope, but told with a great deal of deadpan humor. It suggests that remembering the dead, in our exploitative neoliberal world on the brink of environmental catastrophe, can be an act of resistance.
A Useful Ghost starts with our protagonist (Wisarut Homhuan) introducing themselves only as an 'academic ladyboy', having trouble with their vacuum cleaner. A handsome repairman shows up at their doorstep and starts telling an enchanting ghost story. His yarn unfolds in a factory which makes household appliances. A worker dies of an illness at the job and his ghost haunts the place, by taking over various machines and appliances. The owner, Suman (Apasiri Nitibhon), who inherited the factory from her dead husband, has to shut down the factory until the place is exorcized.
In the meantime, Suman's son March (Wisarut Himmarat), a grieving widower, is visited by the ghost of his dead wife, Nat (Davika Hoorne), who died of air pollution related illness, in the form of a red vacuum cleaner. It's not a good sight as March makes out with a vacuum cleaner while the company elders tour the haunted factory. Suman and the elders try to stop this unholy relationship in various ways (including electroshock therapy). They only tolerate their reunion when she becomes useful in driving out other pesky ghosts, just like Suman’s first born gay son whom they accepted- only, when his Australian born husband turns out to be useful as business liaison.
Soon the rich and powerful friends of Suman seek Nat's exorcising service, as they are haunted by the ghosts of people who died in government crackdown under military dictatorship, industrial accident, etc. In turn, they will grant Nat and March to conceive a child through artificial insemination - because ghosts have no legal rights.
At this point of storytelling, our ladyboy protagonist is furious. “Nat is a traitor to the other ghosts!” He only relents at the charm of the handsome repairman as the story continues.
A Useful Ghost speaks volumes about how the neoliberal society operates: the rich and powerful trying to erase inconvenient truths and their misdeeds while only feigning tolerance when it's financially beneficial to them. The electroshock therapy scenes are both hilarious in its absurdity and frightening-- frightening because they are reminders of the sex-conversion therapy pressed upon the young LGBTQ community and also the frequent torture tactics under a military dictatorship.
Boonbunchachoke not only takes the Asian horror trope of a vengeful ghost, but plays with the concept of ghosts both physically and metaphorically to get his message across. He understands the ghostliness of the film medium, as many transition shots resemble overexposed burnt out last frames of a film as they roll out of the film gate of the camera leaving the ghostly image.
The cold, urban liminal spaces mise-en-scene, as well as retro design of appliances, practical effects and deadpan delivery of the actors, all add to the success of this absurdist, yet poignant comedy. Great mix of humor and messaging, A Useful Ghost is an accomplished debut film by a promising director.
A Useful Ghost makes a world premiere in Critics Week section of Cannes 2025.
