Not Everything Stays Buried Forever

MOVIE REVIEW
A Useful Ghost (Phi Chidi Kha)
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Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 2h 20m
Director(s): Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Writer(s): Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Cast: Davika Hoorne, Witsarut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon, Wanlop Rungkumjad, Wisarut Homhuan, Sarut Komalittipong, Wachara Kanha, Teepisit Mahaneeranon
Where to Watch: shown at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival

RAVING REVIEW: There’s bold, and then there’s bewildering—and this one walks that line with an uneven but undeniably curious confidence. A USEFUL GHOST presents a premise that’s strange enough to be memorable, yet it stumbles when translating that novelty into something emotionally satisfying. It’s the kind of film that feels like it’s reaching for meaning, but never quite gets there, even when its intentions are admirable.

The story hinges on March (Wisarut Himmarat), a grieving husband who discovers his late wife Nat (Davika Hoorne) has returned—but not in any traditional ghostly sense. It’s a premise that’s as bizarre as it gets, and it's played straight, aiming to be more contemplative than comedic. The ambition to make her feel like a real character is commendable, but the emotional stakes never rise enough to justify the film’s dramatic weight.

Hoorne lends her voice to Nat, and her performance has an understated quality that works in isolated moments. However, the setup doesn’t allow her—or the character—to develop beyond the concept. Nat’s desire to be seen and useful even after death is a thoughtful starting point, but the execution often feels more like an idea than a fully formed arc. The surrounding cast delivers the needed reactions, but they’re mostly there to support the concept rather than challenge or complicate it.

What holds back A USEFUL GHOST the most is its refusal to settle into a swing. The story folds in dreams, narration, and layered framing devices, creating a structure that tries to be poetic but comes off as unfocused. Instead of enriching the narrative, these elements scatter it. The film wants to explore simultaneously grief, labor, memory, and protest, but the lack of cohesion makes each theme feel half-hearted.

There are moments of intrigue scattered throughout. With its exaggerated design and vintage flair, Nat's costume gives her presence a visual identity that intentionally clashes with her surroundings. These choices help give the film a surreal, dreamlike flavor and hint at a more effective version of this story that fully embraces its absurdity or emotional stakes. Unfortunately, it never quite commits to either.

The film introduces some layered metaphors around dust, which is presented both as an environmental danger and a social commentary. In contemporary Thai slang, “dust” refers to people rendered invisible or powerless, and the film tries to tie this concept into its broader exploration of labor and loss. There’s something here, particularly the link between haunting and exploitation, but the message often gets lost in the fog of the film’s structure. Instead of making a sharp statement, it settles for vague gestures.

The central conflict—Nat trying to be accepted again by her family and society—should feel weighty, but it’s underdeveloped. Her family’s reaction to her presence lacks nuance, moving too quickly from disbelief without enough time to explore the emotional complexity that should accompany such a reunion. This keeps the audience at a distance, watching rather than feeling. Without deeper investment in the characters’ emotional responses, the metaphor loses its grounding.

There’s no doubt that director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke is reaching for something personal and political here. You can feel the desire to challenge traditional storytelling and to use cinema as a space for memory and resistance. But the film’s scattered expression and inconsistent tone make it difficult to stay engaged. It’s like a half-remembered dream—at times beautiful, but ultimately hard to hold onto.

A USEFUL GHOST is at its best when it lets its weirdness breathe without overexplaining. But even then, it struggles to connect the parts. There are glimpses of a stronger film within it, one with sharper focus and a clearer sense of who it’s speaking for and why. As it stands, it feels like a draft of something bolder.

Ultimately, it’s an experience that’s more interesting to describe than to watch. It doesn’t collapse under its ambition, but never accomplishes it either. The concept sticks with you, but the emotion fades. And for a film about ghosts who refuse to be forgotten, that’s a contradiction it never quite resolves.

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[photo courtesy of BEST FRIEND FOREVER, 185 FILMS, MOMO FILM CO, HAUT LES MAINS PRODUCTIONS, MAYANA FILMS]

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