The Medium, 2021
This is a kind of Thai and South Korean mockumentary of a supernatural horror movie produced and co-written by Mr. Na Hong-Jin with the director Banjong Pisanthanakun. The movie is the co-production of South Korea’s Showbox and Thailand’s GDH 559.
Cast Lists
Narilya Gulmongkolpech performed as Mink
Boonsong Nakphoo performed as Santi, the shaman friend of Nim
Sawanee Utoomma performed as Nim, Mink’s aunt and a shaman
Sirani Yankittikan performed as Noi, Mink’s mother and Nim’s older sister
Yasaka Chaisorn performed as Manit, Mink’s uncle and Nim’s older brother
Narrative
The Thai documentary group travelled to the northeastern side of Thailand, Isan for some documentation of the daily life of the people and the local medium, Nim, the one who was possessed by a spirit of Bayan, the local divinity whom the villagers are worshipping. Bayan is the ancestral God and was possessing women in the family of Nim for generations now. The latest in line of the series was Noi, Nim’s sister. But, Noi didn’t wish to be the medium and then turned to Christianity. Bayan’s spirit moved onto Nim then stay with her since then.
While in the road going to Wiroj funeral, the husband of Noi, Nim revealed misfortune always happening with the guys in the family of Wiroj; the father’s factory had been broke and he performed suicide after being caught setting some fire into his own factory for some insurance fraud. Mac, the son, died from one motor accident. Noi has only a daughter left, and that is Mink, who doesn’t believe in the Shaman and attended Church together with the mother. The family and friends of Mink and also these documentary crews, noticed Mink displaying aggressive and strange behaviors, together with showing many personalities like one of the old man, a child, a prostitute and a drunkard. She started to have odd dreams, perceiving voices in the head, and encountering debilitating vaginal and abdominal pain. She was fired from the job after the boss saw her having sex with almost all the men in their work. Nim was initially convinced Bayan wished Mink to thrive Nim, but Noi refused to allow Nim to perform the Acceptance Ceremony so they can move the spirit of Bayan onto her daughter.
Then later Nim starts to think Bayan is not really involved. She discovered that Mink had that incestuous connection with Mac, the late brother, and that he hadn’t really died from the motor accident but drape himself. She concluded that Mac was trying to murder Mink and engaged in the ceremony of convincing Mac to not kill Mink. In the meantime, after seeing Mink inside the shower with the wrists slit, Noi was convinced that Bayan was really punishing Mink for the refusal of Noi to become the successor and arranged for an Acceptance Ceremony that will be performed by one more shaman without the knowledge of Nim. The acceptance ceremony failed and Nim realized, really late, that Mac was not also involved. The condition of Mink deteriorated after that ceremony and she beat Noi with the camera from a crew. Nim went up into a mountain for prayer and was distressed when she discovered that someone had decapitated Bayan’s statue, the sign of mockery with the sacred idol.
Writer’s Notion
This Thai-Korean supernatural terrifying movie burns slowly but it is intense all throughout. It had all the fundamentals of an Asian horror unique movie to the Thai and Korean genres, like the darkly saturated filter and creepy music. The film loses steam at times due to the flaws with its mockumentary style, however, Pisanthanakun succeeded far more when Pisanthanakun concentrated on the difficulties of the family links and what most of the key revealed imply for every character.
The movie was well made and a good-looking one, with the interesting set-up, there was really nothing special or new with it. The running around and screaming of the people who are acting possessed in their final act became tedious after some time, as there is barely any touch involving with the characters. Those characters that made it up to their final act were not really all that good.
Not often this can be said about a horror movie, but this could be been improved by really being subtle, and also leaving out most of the mayhem.
