Siam Square is a popular shopping area in Bangkok. I have not been there, but I'm sure those that have will recognize it. The story explores an urban legend about the area. I have not found out if it is authentic or made up for the movie.
Even though many scenes are shot around Siam Square, I'm mildly disappointed about not feeling the pulse of it. The main location is also not the square but a cram school there. This is unusual, and a good idea since it has a couple of advantages over a normal school: that it is open in the evening, which fits a horror movie, and that the students are from different schools, forming groups with different uniforms, not knowing everyone else from the beginning. The cram school lacks personality and is poor as a setting, but that might be how they are in reality.
The cast is larger than usual, making it lively, but confusing, since some of them look almost the same. E.g. The students Terk and Moowan, and May and Fern. It also takes some time until a main character is established, distributing the responsibility among a few of them.
The acting is wooden, with everyone speaking slowly and clearly, with a pause between every line. This could be an advantage for anyone wanting to learn the Thai language. There is only one good actress, the one playing the crybaby Nid, the only one expressing any emotions, thus owning every scene she is in. It turned out that she later got the main role in the much more expensive-looking horror movie The Maid (2020), which I saw recently.
Otherwise, there are a couple of memorable characters - the amusingly disagreeable Jublek, and the smart guy Newton. The main character May is vapid, and her implied backstory and character arc should have been fleshed out more. But I think the director is more to blame than the actress.
The price for the worst acting goes to Moowan and Fern in an awfully cringe scene in a CD shop.
Another source of disengagement is that some dialogues are done through texting in an app. This feels even more impersonal since it is unclear who is who to begin with. It is relatively uncommon to portray Internet communication in movies because it is considered to not fit the medium. Still, it is realistic in showing how people socialize nowadays, and how they walk while looking more at the phone than the street.
The first time I saw the movie, I didn't expect much, and felt bored during the first half. Then when May visited Nid's house and some acting finally happened, I slowly became more and more engaged during the second half.
It is almost like there are two directors or editors. Half of the scenes are poorly built with sloppy editing that makes it confusing who is who and what they are up to. But there are also beautifully crafted scenes, especially those with backstory or more dreamlike sequences, with an unique style. Those also has simple but atmospheric music. Sometimes I wonder if the movie could be remade by a better crew, but it is hard to imagine that it could be done without losing the magic in the good scenes.
By the way, I looked up the director, and he has also done the first episode of Girl from Nowhere, which is not surprising, since I already thought that Siam Square felt like an episode from that series.
While there are a few typical scary horror scenes, it could be fitting to just call it a ghost story. As such, it is logical with fewer plot holes than usual, though some marginal ones exist of course. Digging into it, one could say that it has its own magical system that it follows. It is possible to exactly classify it with a word from Japanese mythology, or another word from German spiritism.
I like to compare powers and power levels of ghosts and monsters, and this was an interesting and well-defined specimen.
I want to stress that the movie is very unique, with its own style and tempo, and does not copy much from other horror movies, except for a few tropes. There's no long hair, no scary mirror, no evil doll, and not even a shower scene!
Apart from the ghost story, there is some friendship drama, which is not well done, but is refreshing in that it does not follow the usual tropes but arrives at its own conclusion.
It is by far my favourite Thai horror movie, but I would feel ashamed if I didn't lower the score a point due to all its flaws.
If by some chance I will end up in Bangkok, I will be sure to visit Siam Square to look for the filming locations.
