Wednesday Night Southeast Asia Movie: Thailand

May 6, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Mānoa Campus, 1881 East-West Road Center for Korean Studies

Pee Mak Phrakanong

Thailand (2013, 115 min)
Thai w/English subtitles

Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun
Screenwriters: Chantavit Dhanasevi, Nontra Kumwong, Banjong Pisanthanakun
Cast: Mario Maurer (as Mak), Davika Hoorne (as Nak), Nattapong Chartpong (as Ter), Pongsatorn Jongwilak (as Puak), Wiwat Kongrasri (as Shin), Kantapat Permpoonpatcharasuk (as Aey), Sean Jindachot (as Ping)

Re-inventing a classic Thai ghost story into a goofball comedy romance, seasoned director Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter and Alone). has scored a huge box office hit in his native Thailand. Pee Mak Phrakanong (or simply Pee Mak) is a playful, often anachronistic retelling of the famous Thai ghost story, Mae Nak Phra Kanong (Lady Nak of Phra Kanong). Set roughly 100 years ago, during the turbulent Rattanakosin Kingdom era, a young man, Mak (Mario Maurer), is sent off to war, leaving behind his beautiful pregnant wife, Nak (Davika Hoorne). While Mak is away fighting, Nak and her baby die during childbirth. Mak is wounded but vows to make it home alive. On his return, Mak discovers his wife and child waiting for him, and he refuses to listen to the villagers who try to inform him he is living with a ghost.

That said, after enduring a number of recent Thai horror films without much gratification for my trouble, Pee Mak makes for a refreshing and enjoyable experience. It is never scary, but it is frequently laugh-out-loud funny and populated by characters who for the most part, we actually care about. The film is quintessentially Thai, riffing on historically significant cultural touchpoints, while shooting squarely for a modern, contemporary crowd pleaser and hitting its mark dead on. If you want a perfect signifier for where Thailand's film industry is at right now, Pee Mak Phrakanong is it.

James Marsh, Twitch


Ticket Information
Free and open to the public

Event Sponsor
Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Mānoa Campus

More Information
956-2682, cseas@hawaii.edu, http://cseashawaii.org

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