A Useful Ghost, 2025 - ★★★★
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Someone should have told me that A Useful Ghost isn’t really about romance but rather about Thai society and politics. When I watched the trailer, I expected some peculiar romance. After a two-hour gym session, I hoped it would lift my spirits and warm my heart after a day filled with fitness training. I was so mistaken. LOL
This movie demands mental energy and critical thinking to grasp its storytelling. It’s truly an indie/art house film in terms of structure, story, and dialogue, requiring your full attention—something I lacked while watching with an exhausted body and mind. My eyes were closing; I nearly fell asleep a few times during the two-hour runtime, which felt long and filled with contemplative moments.
Had I known how much mental energy this movie would require, I might have chosen a different day to watch it, which would have greatly enhanced my appreciation of the film. At the same time, I feel you shouldn’t read too much about the movie beforehand to fully enjoy how the story unfolds.
You should simply know that the film critiques Thai society and politics through questions, bizarre jokes, and analogies. This approach pulls us out of reality, allowing us to view the issues from a different perspective. It also prompts us to consider the causes and histories we try to forget but shouldn’t—like ghosts haunting us so we won’t forget their existence.
This movie is perfect for those who enjoy thought-provoking content, engaging in discussions, appreciating unconventional storytelling, and appreciating cinematic experiences. It’s an indie film that somewhat challenging to digest, with two main stories told concurrently. Though some might find it confusing, they complement each other well, and both deserve their place.
You can follow the story without extensive knowledge, but to fully appreciate it, some understanding of Thailand and a grasp of filmmaking and storytelling are truly beneficial. It also helps if you’re interested in political discourse and sociocultural debates.
Therefore, if you’re seeking something lighthearted or purely entertaining, this may not be the film for you. Expect quirky dialogue, deadpan jokes, unconventional pacing, and thought-provoking content that demands active participation throughout.
Some Spoilers Ahead:
As I mentioned, A Useful Ghost isn’t really about romance. It’s actually about Thailand’s societal and political landscape. It employs the analogy of ghosts to represent the silenced and erased individuals by the system, government, and those in power.
The movie highlights how people from the past—and minorities today—should have a voice without needing to fight for it. Minorities are depicted as having to prove their worth and usefulness, as suggested by the movie’s title, to earn society’s respect. In an ideal world, they shouldn’t have to struggle for recognition as individuals. Unfortunately, in reality, this struggle is an unspoken norm in society.
I appreciate how the film shifts its perspective from oppressed minorities—reduced to haunting ghosts—to those in power, who exploit their positions for personal gain, pushing the silenced into oblivion. It effectively employs ghost metaphors to convey these themes, presenting two main stories that illustrate the different scales of impact—micro and macro—of being forgotten. I also like how the film offers two distinct conclusions for these stories: one where persistent reminders lead to eventual remembrance (with spectacular comeback!), and another where, despite all efforts, and one is slowly and completely forgotten.
You might also find that, though _A Useful Ghost _ may not be about romance, it’s still about love after all. For love gives us reasons to fight, and without love, we wouldn’t struggle or resist. Love—whether for someone or something—is why we keep holding on, even when others desperately want us to let go. And sometimes, if we endure long enough and lucky enough, we might find our way back to that love.