Directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom
Written by Banjong Pisanthanakun, Sopon Sukdapisit, and Parkpoom Wongpoom
Starring Ananda Everingham, Natthaweeranuch Thongmee, and Achita Sikamana
No MPAA rating - violence, disturbing images, sexual content
Hell hath no fury like a woman killed. Tun (Ananda Everingham) and his girlfriend Jane (Natthaweeranuch Thongmee) learn this lesson after a car accident on the way home from a party one night. Jane is driving and, in a moment of distraction, hits a young woman. Seeing her still body on the road behind them, Tun freaks out and screams at Jane to leave the scene. Drive, Jane, Drive! See Jane drive away. Bad Tun bad! See Tun and Jane haunted mercilessly by a ghost.
You’ve probably figured out by now that I’m not talking about the shitty American Shutter starring Joshua Jackson from 2008. That film is a remake of this far superior 2004 original from Thailand. That film was nominated for the 2005 Golden Kinnaree Award for best film at the Bangkok International Film Festival. That is a big deal. Thai film is taking off and this film festival was just started in 2003. Some Hollywood celebrities such as Catherine Deneuve, Jeremy Irons, Michael Douglas, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Christopher Lee, Oliver Stone, Terry Gilliam and Joel Schumacher have even attended the festival.
Shutter is not entirely original. The film borrows elements from modern Japanese horror classics, chief among them the crazy bitch ghost that lumbers along haltingly with long black hair covering her/its face (see Ringu, Ju-on: The Grudge, and others). There’s even a creepy scene that takes place in a public bathroom (ala Ju-on). However, Shutter still carves out its own niche in this genre of eek. There are some truly creepy moments as Tun and Jane experience nightmares in their sleep and waking hallucinations (or are they?) during the day. One of the more memorable scenes involves a head of black hair slowly emerging from a sink amidst the red glow of a darkroom.
As you can probably guess from the title, Shutter has a lot to do with photography. After the hit and run, Tun begins to notice ghostly images he can’t explain in the photos he picks up from the lab. When Jane is at a photography class at college, the professor explains “…photography does not reproduce reality. It depends on how the image is framed, what is revealed, and what is concealed.” And there is a lot to be concealed here. The hit and run brings up an ugly incident from Tun’s past that he has kept from Jane. It may explain a lot about what is going on with them.
Many good horror films are morality tales packaged in creeps, chills, and thrills. Shutter is no exception. Tun is hiding a great sin from his past that goes way beyond the hit and run. The scenes depicting how he and his friends bullied another human being are disturbing. Ananda Everingham is very effective as Tun. Even though he has done a terrible thing in his past (he was more of a bystander who refused to intervene, but what he did is still unforgivable), and has made things worse by becoming party to a hit and run, Everingham still elicits empathy as he deals with extreme regret and guilt.
There is a scene towards the end where a Polaroid is taken. Shutter is an eerie, moody buildup to what that photo reveals, and it is a fantastic payoff. If you choose to see the American remake over this one, you need serious counseling.
Add A Comment