Cannes Film Reveals a Ghost Vacuum Cleaner and Hidden Socio-Political Secrets

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A woman passes away and reincarnates as a vacuum cleaner to remain near and be intimate with her husband. This might sound unusual, but it’s the premise of Thai writer-director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s “A Useful Ghost,” which will make its world debut in the Critics’ Week lineup at Cannes during the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. However, this ghost story offers much more than just a supernatural tale.

Following the tragic loss of his wife, Nat, due to air pollution, March finds himself overwhelmed by sorrow. An intriguing premise for Boonbunchachoke’s first feature film unfolds: “After her passing, Nat’s spirit is said to have been reborn in a vacuum cleaner.” Boonbunchachoke, a TV writer and creator of short films (“Red Aninsri” and “Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall”), pens this extraordinary tale. “Their connection finds new life, stronger than ever, despite the absurdity,” the synopsis reveals. However, not everyone is pleased with this supernatural bond. Plagued by the unfortunate death of a factory worker, March’s family disapproves of this unconventional relationship. In an attempt to prove their love, Nat takes it upon herself to clean the factory as a helpful ghost, even if that means exorcising some lost souls…

185 Films’ production from Bangkok features Davika Hoorne and Witsarut Himmarat in the lead roles as a couple. This movie is being marketed internationally by Best Friends Forever. The diverse cast also includes Apasiri Nitibhon, Wanlop Rungkumjud, and Wisarut Homhuan.

The movie draws its inspiration from the popular Thai folk tale of Mae Nak, a ghost story. According to this legend, a young woman’s unwavering love for her husband drove her to such lengths that even death could not part them. When he was called away to war by the Thai army, she became pregnant. Upon his return from the battlefield, wounded and weak, he found himself back in a home where his wife and their newborn child were waiting for him. Despite neighbors warning him that he was living with spirits, he was oblivious to the fact that he was cohabiting with ghosts due to his deep love and longing for his deceased wife and child.

Boonbunchachoke shares, “This character is well-known in Thai pop culture and has been featured in various TV shows, plays, and narratives,” he tells THR. “Being intrigued by socio-political matters, I revisited this tale to find new insights. I began considering how ghosts would fit into modern society. For instance, do they have to work like humans to earn a living? A striking initial thought was a ghost commuting to an office. This blends the legend with today’s capitalist environment.

The film is also an appeal for not burying our past unaddressed. Boonbunchachoke explains, “In Thailand, there’s an abundance of small-scale history that gets overlooked.” People tend to avoid or suppress the past, as if trying to make it vanish like a troubling memory. However, we might want to discuss these historical events more openly and address the marginalized history, as it could resurface in a harmful way. As humans, perhaps we owe it to those who have gone before us to acknowledge their stories and respond to them.

Filming the sequences involving a vacuum cleaner required careful coordination, as the director clarifies. We had two types of vacuum cleaners at our disposal. One was equipped with an internal motor for remote control, enabling it to move across the floor but not manipulate the hose. For scenes where the vacuum was simply placed in a trunk, we could choose between two positions: either facing upwards or downwards. However, controlling the movement of the hose required three individuals, which was later eliminated during post-production.

Boonbunchachoke decided on using a vacuum as his character in the story because he had initially envisioned her as a human-like ghost. Typically, in movies, ghosts are portrayed in various ways – they might float or lack feet, be transparent, or only be heard rather than seen. In some cultures, the ghost doesn’t even appear visibly but moves objects around instead.

He ultimately found the concept intriguing, as it suggested the ghost might reside within household items such as furniture or electrical appliances. Boonbunchachoke elaborates on this connection to Thailand: “The vacuum cleaner’s relevance stems from a distinct Thai context,” he says. “Air pollution is indeed an issue in Thailand, and it has been discussed for over a decade. However, the word ‘dust’ also carries another connotation in the Thai language. To call someone ‘dust’ signifies they are insignificant, easy to move or eliminate by those with power or authority. In essence, this refers to an individual who lacks control over their own life.

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2025-05-17 20:24