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Thai Film 'A Useful Ghost' Wins Grand Prize at Cannes Critics’ Week

Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s debut feature blends queer romance, political satire, and environmental critique, marking a milestone for Thai cinema on the global stage.

Overview

  • Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s debut film, 'A Useful Ghost,' has won the inaugural AMI Paris Grand Prize at Cannes Critics’ Week.
  • The film uses an absurdist premise—a ghost reincarnated as a vacuum cleaner—to explore themes of grief, memory, and political erasure in Thailand.
  • It critiques Thailand's history of suppressing dissent, with allegorical references to the 2010 Red Shirt protests and environmental injustice in Bangkok.
  • Davika Hoorne stars as the ghost-turned-vacuum, with the story blending supernatural comedy, LGBTQ romance, and class conflict.
  • The win highlights Thailand’s return to prominence at Cannes and underscores the global appetite for politically engaged, genre-defying cinema.