Some movies start out as one thing and then become something entirely different. The problem is the result is usually something where one half or the other will appeal to different audiences, but neither will be happy with the whole thing. Such is the case with the 2021 film from Thailand, The Medium.
The first half is a somber exploration of a family suffering as one of their own is coming undone. This part of the film has gorgeous photography and languid pacing.
It is interesting to see so much of Thailand in this picture, as that is a place I haven’t been. A great deal of Thai culture is on display, especially aspects of religious life there. In one notable scene, a bend in a road reveals a statue of a God several stories high peeking over the treetops.
Another scene has a traditional ceremony in a forest. This is contrasted with elements of Christianity, and I was left with the impression you can’t have a cross there unless it is made out of neon. Must make wearing a crucifix difficult.
Under the guide of this being a documentary on traditional Thai religion, we meet Nim, a shaman for the god Ba Yan. Generations of women, and only women, have served as a vessel for this deity for what I assume is centuries.
Nim often acts as a healer, but is grounded in reality. One of my favorite moments here is when she explains that, if somebody comes to her with cancer and expects to be healed, that person is going to die. She’s funny, pragmatic and repeatedly demonstrates a no-nonsense, straight-forward way of dealing with issues. In one scene, she charges blinding into the woods and I realized this is somebody I wouldn’t mess with under any circumstances.
At that point in the movie, she’s looking for Mink, a niece who has been acting increasingly odd until she disappears entirely. Nim initially believes the young woman has been chosen as the next vessel for Ba Yan. Soon, she comes to believe Mink is actually under possession by something else.
This is where the picture starts a slow decline, in my opinion. I enjoy watching horror films from outside of what is usually described as western civilization yet, in its second half, The Medium stoops to every possession cliché from American films.
I found that disappointing, but not much as I was disheartened to see this become some sort of zombie thing. I guess the monsters are instead some sort of mass possession, but it scans as zombies. When her transformation is complete, Mink becomes that kind of twitchy evil being we have seen in too many movies, music videos and video games of this century.
I should also mention this is a “found footage” movie, though I found myself forgetting this at different moments in the movie. I wasn’t keeping track, but I’m not sure the filmmakers adhered to that concept for the entire runtime. If anything, I’m confused as to how the camera operators completely disregard their own safety when filming violence at close range. And how they keep the camera so steady. And in focus.
The first half of The Medium is so interesting that I hated to see it reduce itself to the lowest common denominator of American horror films in the second. I realize there are others who will say the first half is a slog you have to endure just to get to what they believe is a stellar second half. Like I said, you basically get two pictures for the price of one here, but I can’t imagine who will thoroughly enjoy both.
Dir: Banjong Pisanthanakun
Starring Narilya Gulmongkolpech, Sawanee Utoomma, Sirani Yankittikan
Watched on Kanopy