Asian On Demand

Posted on Sep 2, 2010

THE VICTIM(2006)

Directed By: Monthon Arayangkoon

Review Written By: Colleen Wanglund
Mondo Film & Video Guide Contributor
IMDb.com Link

Ting is an aspiring actress who is hired by Lieutenant Te of the police department for crime scene reenactments. This technique helps the police solve crimes—how it works I don’t know but I’ve seen it in movies from Southeast Asia before. These reenactments are staged in the actual spot the crimes occurred. Ting is recruited to play the female victims of violent crimes. Worried about angering the spirits of the dead women, Ting says a prayer after every reenactment. She goes on to do these reenactments for other police stations in the city and eventually gets a role on a soap opera. Ting soon becomes interested in the case of Meen, a former Miss Thailand who is missing and believed dead.

The police have found bits of human tissue identified as Meen’s and they believe her husband is responsible. Lieutenant Te originally decided to have a female police officer play Meen in the reenactments but she mysteriously dies before they can begin. Ting is brought in and eventually it seems as though Meen’s ghost has possessed her. Ting then begins having nightmares in which the ghosts of other female murder victims beg for her help in solving their cases. This drives Ting to confront the actual killer, Meen’s closest friend and lesbian plastic surgeon. What ultimately occurs however is far from expected.

Trust me I’m not giving away anything. In the movies reality and fantasy can merge and blur and THE VICTIM is no exception. What you start off watching is not what you think it is. I had already decided that THE VICTIM was a good horror film when it almost literally took a one hundred and eighty degree turn and went in a completely different direction—which was great! When it happened I was stunned…I never saw it coming. It’s a ghost story but with a mighty big twist. I thought there was some brilliant storytelling and directing from Arayangkoon. I can’t say anymore because I don’t want to ruin anything. There are many horror movies made in Thailand but unfortunately only so many get to Hong Kong which is the jumping off point for the Western audience. It all has to do with DVD encoding and what regions’ films can play in what players and it can cost money. Anyway, I’m glad THE VICTIM was one of the good ones to make it to the West. I watched it on the Sundance channel and there is an Asian movies On Demand channel on cable. There’s always catching it online, too. If you can find it, watch it…I highly recommend this one.

Colleen Wanglund is a horror book reviewer for The Horror  Fiction Review  and monsterlibrarian.com. She also writes a monthly column about Asian  horror films for cinema knife fight.com.  She can be reached at goregeisha@gmail.com