March is mourning his wife Nat who has recently passed away due to dust pollution. He discovers her spirit has returned by possessing a vacuum cleaner. Disturbed by a ghost that appeared after a worker's death shut down their factory, his family reject their unconventional human-ghost relationship.
Trying to convince them of their love, Nat offers to cleanse the factory. To become a useful ghost, she must first get rid of the useless ones.
Trying to convince them of their love, Nat offers to cleanse the factory. To become a useful ghost, she must first get rid of the useless ones.
Director
Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke is a filmmaker of Teo- chew-Hainanese descent. Born, brought up and based in Bangkok. He graduated from the film department of Chulalongkorn University. Currently he works fulltime as a scriptwriter for the studio, writing commercial features and television series. Apart from writing he also teaches film theory and scriptwriting in the universities and works as a film critic.
In 2020, Ratchapoom was selected to participate in Berlinale Talents program. His short film “Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall” was selected for Locarno in 2020 and won Junior Jury Award – Leopards of Tomorrow (International Competition). Most recently he has been nurturing his own project, a film series of varying length investigating the colonial history and postcolonial situation of Thailand. “A Useful Ghost”, the latest film of this series and his first feature. The film will have its World Premiere at Cannes Semaine de la Critique.
In 2020, Ratchapoom was selected to participate in Berlinale Talents program. His short film “Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall” was selected for Locarno in 2020 and won Junior Jury Award – Leopards of Tomorrow (International Competition). Most recently he has been nurturing his own project, a film series of varying length investigating the colonial history and postcolonial situation of Thailand. “A Useful Ghost”, the latest film of this series and his first feature. The film will have its World Premiere at Cannes Semaine de la Critique.
Cast & crew
CAST
Davika Hoorne (Pee Mak, Heart Attack)
Witsarut Himmarat
Apasiri Nitibhon
PRODUCERS
185 FILMS (Morte Cucina, The Edge of Daybreak, Ten Years Thailand)
HAUT LES MAINS (Where the Wind Comes From)
MOMO FILM CO (Don’t Cry, Butterfly, Dreaming & Dying)
Festivals and awards
- CANNES CRITICS WEEK 2025 - GRAND PRIZE
“A phenomenal new filmmaker has arrived from Thailand… The Most Elegant Human-Vacuum Romance You’ll Ever Watch… Unlike his protagonist, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke's directorial debut does not suck."
“Yorgos Lanthimos relocated to Thailand... Takes big risks and comes out swinging... A filmmaker to watch.”
“A tremendous achievement! One of the year’s most surprising debuts, and quite possibly one of the funniest films in some time.”
“Contemporary Southeast Asian cinema is made even richer and stranger by the addition of Boonbunchachoke’s debut... Entertaining and moving... It isn’t quite like anything you’ve seen before!”
