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Released by: Palisades-Tartan
Released on: 10/20/2009
Director: Paul Spurrier
Cast: Suangporn Jaturaphut, Narisara Sairatanee, Opal, Pisamai Pakdeevijit
Year: 2005
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The Movie:
The first Thai film ever to be directed by a westerner, Paul Spurrier's P (which translates to 'ghost') might be a bit on the slow side, at least to start with, but it pays off nicely and turns out to be a surprisingly effective story of supernatural nastiness.
When the film begins, a teenage girl named Aaw (Suangporn Jaturaphut) is swimming and after seeing a ghost takes solace with her grandmother who is practiced in magic and the supernatural, which causes many of the local kids to believe Aaw is a witch. Her grandmother is sick, however, and when Aaw can't afford to buy her the rice she needs to eat, she takes a job offer and finds herself at a go-go bar in Bangkok where the matron changes her name to Dau to make her more appealing to the foreign men who patronize the bar. Initially Dau just has to dance but she's soon pulled into the world of prostitution and after some coaching from her friend Pookie (Opal), she becomes quite good at what she does. This causes some of the other girls in the club to get jealous, particularly when Dau uses her knowledge of magic to make herself more desirable to men.
After an altercation with another dancer, May (Narisara Sairatanee) that leaves the dancer disfigured, it becomes obvious that Dau's use of magic is starting to show some rather unusual repercussions. Her grandmother warned her to follow three simple rules when using her abilities, but after getting caught up in her new world, she seems to have forgotten about them as she begins a transformation from a cute go-go dancer into a sinister, evil thing.
The first thing you need to know about this film is that it starts off pretty slowly. The supernatural/horror elements don't really kick in until well past the half way mark and the first half of the picture plays more like a troubled teen drama. Once it picks up, however, the determined pacing of the film pays off quite nicely as we've got a central character who we're actually able to sympathize with. This makes her inevitable transformation as tragic as it is frightening, making P a film that toys with more emotions than just simple fear.
A few gory spots keep things interesting as does the sexualized nature of a few scenes and the strong lesbian overtones between Dau and Pookie that come into play later in the picture and seemingly seal Dau's fate when she inadvertently breaks one of the three rules her grandmother gave her. A couple of bloody set pieces stand out as does a scene in which a man is attacked in the worst possible way by a snake. The scenes in which Dau's evil side manifests are also handled well, keeping enough in the shadows to ensure that things look creepy enough without giving too much away. A few bad CGI spots stick out like a sore thumb but aside from that, Spurrier has crafted a pretty interesting slow burn of a horror film.
Video/Audio/Extras:
P is presented in a 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that is perfectly watchable if far from perfect. There's some smearing in some scenes and a few of the darker moments lose detail and show some compression artifacts. There isn't much in the way of print damage to note and colors look alright, if at times intentionally muted. Everything's watchable enough but a few authoring quirks prevent this one from scoring too highly in the visuals department.
Thai language audio options are provided in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with optional subtitles available in English only. This isn't an overly aggressive mix but the surrounds do kick in during some of the scenes where the girls are dancing at the club and during the more spectral scenes where Dau's doing her evil thing that remind you that this is a 5.1 track. Dialogue is clean, clear and easy to follow and the levels are properly balanced. No problems here at all.
The most substantial supplement on this disc is a commentary track with writer/director Paul Spurrier. This is a pretty interesting track, particularly when Spurrier starts relaying some of his own experiences while researching this film in various go-go bars in the Bangkok area. He talks about casting the film and working with many of the girls who were dancers rather than professional actresses and he talks about some of the cultural significance of the supernatural elements in the film, many of which will likely be lost on a western audience. He also talks about the very real dangers of working with snakes on this film and about an unfortunate incident that came about because of this, as well as what it's like to film in Thailand as a western director.
From there check out the first of two features, the five minute Soi Cowboy Go-Go Bars bit where author Dean Barrett, who plays one of the patrons at the club in the film, takes us around the Bangkok neighborhood of Soi Cowboy which is infamous for its sex clubs patronized almost entirely by foreign men. Barrett gives us a mini-tour of the area and makes the case for the women who work there. The second documentary is a minute and a half fly-on-the-wall look behind the scenes of the picture. It's presented without narration or context but at least gives us a look at what it was like on the set of the picture while it was being made.
Rounding out the extra features are a trailer and a teaser for the feature, a still gallery, animated menus and chapter stops.
The Final Word:
If the transfer isn't perfect, P is still a pretty boss movie. It builds nicely and takes its time but the final half hour ensures that the payoff is worth it. Tartan has thrown in a few interesting extras highlighted by a good commentary track that adds some value to the disc, and fans of odd supernatural horror films ought to give this one a shot.