The Victim (2006 film)
Encyclopedia
The Victim is a 2006 Thai
horror
-thriller film written and directed by Monthon Arayangkoon
. The film stars Pitchannart Sakakorn as a struggling young actress who takes a job working for the police department, re-enacting crime scenes, but starts to have frightening experiences when she takes on the role of a murdered beauty queen.
Lieutenant Te, who heads up the crimes re-enactment unit and is always on the look-out for fresh talent. Ting is put to work playing the victim in photo shoots with the hand-cuffed accused killers and rapists at crime scenes. The photos are published in Thai newspapers as a means of the police publicizing that they have closed the case and done their jobs.
Ting takes a liking to her job, and is so convincing that even the criminals are moved to remorseful tears. Her popularity soaring, Ting is signed to play the lead in a film based on one of her true-crime re-enactments - the murder of Meen, a former Miss Thailand
whose husband, Dr. Charun, is accused of the crime. Ting then starts experiencing some scary visions that lead her believe that Meen's longtime friend, Fai, is responsible.
Then it is revealed that the events were actually entirely a film about Meen's murder, and Ting is merely a character being played by another actress named May.
But while on the set filming the movie, in real life May was really possessed by a spirit that is very obsessed by her.
, in which the crimes are re-enacted by handcuffed convicted criminals for the Thai media
. Such photos are regularly seen in the mass-circulation daily newspapers of Thailand
.
"It all began when I watched the police investigating key criminal cases by using stand-ins to re-enact crime scenes," director Monthon Arayangkoon
said in the film's production notes. "I wondered how those actors or actresses could handle such a horrifying task. Didn't they feel scared at all? For some scenes, like a rape scene, I can't help but wonder why they have to use a real woman to impersonate the victim. Didn't those who acted as the dead feel anything at all?"
Another location is a deserted house in Bang Len, where in late 1990s the poorer suitor of a wealthy family's daughter was killed by the young woman's father, who opposed his daughter's relationship with the man. The dead man's family then hired a gunman to kill the father. The abandoned house was also the scene of a woman's hanging
death.
A third location is an abandoned hospital building at Bang Len, where illegal abortions were once performed and a seven-months pregnant woman was raped and killed. The woman's ghost was later seen at her own funeral, and the hospital has been abandoned since.
At all the locations, film crews reported experiencing strange phenomena, such as noises, odd wind and faint images of faces on the film.
The use of the locations was significant in Thailand
, where belief in ghosts is common.
. The film had its North America
n premiere at the 2007 Fantasia Festival
in Montreal
. It was then released on English-subtitled DVD by Tartan Asia Extreme
on September 18, 2007.
critic Richard Kuipers, who reviewed the film at the 2006 Pusan International Film Festival
called The Victim "an entertaining and suspenseful merger of ghost story and crime thriller", and praised the "neat back-flip" of a mid-film twist.
Jeff Allard, writing for the horror-genre website, Shock Till You Drop, was more muted in this response, saying the film "is a moderate time waster that sports its share of interesting moments but thanks to a convoluted script, it can't deliver the cumulative effect that a good ghost story needs."
Cinema of Thailand
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by Francois-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited...
horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
-thriller film written and directed by Monthon Arayangkoon
Monthon Arayangkoon
Monthon Arayangkoon is a Thai film director, screenwriter and producer. His credits include Garuda, the first all-digital Thai film production. His other films include The Victim and The House...
. The film stars Pitchannart Sakakorn as a struggling young actress who takes a job working for the police department, re-enacting crime scenes, but starts to have frightening experiences when she takes on the role of a murdered beauty queen.
Plot
Ting is a struggling young actress who one day is noticed by Royal Thai PoliceRoyal Thai Police
The Royal Thai Police are the national police of Thailand.-About:Primary responsibility for the maintenance of public order through enforcement of the kingdom's laws was exercised by the Thailand National Police Department , a subdivision of the Ministry of Interior...
Lieutenant Te, who heads up the crimes re-enactment unit and is always on the look-out for fresh talent. Ting is put to work playing the victim in photo shoots with the hand-cuffed accused killers and rapists at crime scenes. The photos are published in Thai newspapers as a means of the police publicizing that they have closed the case and done their jobs.
Ting takes a liking to her job, and is so convincing that even the criminals are moved to remorseful tears. Her popularity soaring, Ting is signed to play the lead in a film based on one of her true-crime re-enactments - the murder of Meen, a former Miss Thailand
Miss Thailand
Miss Thailand is a beauty pageant held in Thailand for single Thai women, first held on December 10, 1934 in Phra Nakorn province or The National Capital, under the name of Miss Siam ....
whose husband, Dr. Charun, is accused of the crime. Ting then starts experiencing some scary visions that lead her believe that Meen's longtime friend, Fai, is responsible.
Then it is revealed that the events were actually entirely a film about Meen's murder, and Ting is merely a character being played by another actress named May.
But while on the set filming the movie, in real life May was really possessed by a spirit that is very obsessed by her.
Cast
- Pitchanart SakakornPitchanart SakakornPitchanart Sakakorn is a Thai actress. Her starring film roles include Pattaya Maniac, Buppah Rahtree Phase 2: Rahtree Returns and The Victim.She has a Bachelor's degree from Assumption University.-Filmography:* Butterfly in Grey...
as Ting/May - Apasiri NitibhonApasiri NitibhonApasiri Nitibhon is a Thai actress. Among her starring roles is as Angsumalin in Sunset at Chaophraya in 1996. She has also been featured in Bullet Wives and The Victim....
as Meen - Penpak Sirikul as Fai
- Kiradej Ketakinta as Lieutenant Te
- Chokchai Charoensuk as Dr. Charun
- Sompong Tawee as Lieutenant Bee
- Rashane Limtrakul as Director
- Sompop Vejchapipat as Screenwriter
- Benjaporn Punyaying as Shooting crew manager.
Origins
The concept of the film is based on an actual technique that is used in crime investigations by the Royal Thai PoliceRoyal Thai Police
The Royal Thai Police are the national police of Thailand.-About:Primary responsibility for the maintenance of public order through enforcement of the kingdom's laws was exercised by the Thailand National Police Department , a subdivision of the Ministry of Interior...
, in which the crimes are re-enacted by handcuffed convicted criminals for the Thai media
Media of Thailand
Thailand has a well-developed media sector, especially by Southeast Asian standards. Compared to other countries in the region, the Thai media have historically been relatively free, although the government has always exercised considerable control, especially over broadcast media...
. Such photos are regularly seen in the mass-circulation daily newspapers of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
"It all began when I watched the police investigating key criminal cases by using stand-ins to re-enact crime scenes," director Monthon Arayangkoon
Monthon Arayangkoon
Monthon Arayangkoon is a Thai film director, screenwriter and producer. His credits include Garuda, the first all-digital Thai film production. His other films include The Victim and The House...
said in the film's production notes. "I wondered how those actors or actresses could handle such a horrifying task. Didn't they feel scared at all? For some scenes, like a rape scene, I can't help but wonder why they have to use a real woman to impersonate the victim. Didn't those who acted as the dead feel anything at all?"
Locations
Some of the filming locations were actual famous crime scenes. These include "The Haunted House at Nong Jork", an unfinished house where a construction worker was killed during a drunken brawl. Work then stopped on the house and it has been used since as a place where criminals dump dead bodies.Another location is a deserted house in Bang Len, where in late 1990s the poorer suitor of a wealthy family's daughter was killed by the young woman's father, who opposed his daughter's relationship with the man. The dead man's family then hired a gunman to kill the father. The abandoned house was also the scene of a woman's hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
death.
A third location is an abandoned hospital building at Bang Len, where illegal abortions were once performed and a seven-months pregnant woman was raped and killed. The woman's ghost was later seen at her own funeral, and the hospital has been abandoned since.
At all the locations, film crews reported experiencing strange phenomena, such as noises, odd wind and faint images of faces on the film.
The use of the locations was significant in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, where belief in ghosts is common.
Release
The Victim was released in Thai cinemas on October 12, 2006, and was screened on October 17 at the 2006 Pusan International Film FestivalPusan International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
. The film had its North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n premiere at the 2007 Fantasia Festival
Fantasia Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. It was then released on English-subtitled DVD by Tartan Asia Extreme
Tartan Films
Palisades Tartan is a US and UK film distribution company, founded by US-based Palisades Media Group to take over the film library of Tartan Films after it folded in Summer 2008.-History:...
on September 18, 2007.
Reception
VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
critic Richard Kuipers, who reviewed the film at the 2006 Pusan International Film Festival
Pusan International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
called The Victim "an entertaining and suspenseful merger of ghost story and crime thriller", and praised the "neat back-flip" of a mid-film twist.
Jeff Allard, writing for the horror-genre website, Shock Till You Drop, was more muted in this response, saying the film "is a moderate time waster that sports its share of interesting moments but thanks to a convoluted script, it can't deliver the cumulative effect that a good ghost story needs."