Yuthlert Sippapak ยุทธเลิศ สิปปภาค’s 2003 Buppha Rahtree (Flower of the Night) is not only apowerful exploration of avery persistent female ghost — as the character will come back to haunt no less than four sequels, with the she-ghost transporting herself all the way to Japan in the last one (2017): it also illustrates how the Khmer spiritual medium exerts respect and fascination upon Thaiartists.
“Because she couldn’t bear the fear of ghosts any longer, Sister See ran out of options, so she decided to call the best Khmer shaman: Let’s deal with the evil ghost!”, reads the movie’s release kit in 2003. At the end, though, even the spiritual force coming from Ancient Angkor (depicted through tourist posters in the movie) won’t assuage the spirit of awronged girl.
In her perceptive “dystopia as liberation: disturbing femininities in contemporary Thailand” (Feminist Review, No. 116, dystopias and utopias, Sage Publications, 2017, pp. 64 – 83) Rachel V. Harrison gives the following analysis of themovie:
“A contrasting, and innovatively dystopian, alternative to the orthodox conclusion of the horror film genre, whereby the monstrous-feminine is restrained and the patriarchal status quo restored, however, is provided by Thai male director Yuthlert Sippapak’s blockbuster Buppha Ratree, Flower of the Night (2003). Buppha Ratree is from alower middle-class, rural and sexually abusive background, all of which contributes to her introverted isolation when she becomes astudent at aBangkok university. There she is romantically pursued by cosmopolitan posh-boy Ake, unaware when she finally agrees to sleep with him that she is merely the stake in awager between him and his wealthy male friends. Ake wins abottle of scotch for bedding Buppha, who is shown to have silently sobbed her way through the sexual encounter as aresult, we later discover, of having been abused by her stepfather. Buppha falls pregnant. Ake expresses some remorse for treating her as apawn in abigger game and promises to marry her, but instead he follows his mother’s instructions to take her for aback-street abortion, deserting her once he has dropped her back home and immediately leaving, unbeknown to Buppha, to study abroad. Alone in her dreary apartment, Buppha bleeds to death, only to return as avengeful ghost to haunt her neighbours. Astring of male ghostbusters are sent in to relieve the terrified residents of Oscar Apartments, the apartment block where much of the film is set. As the cover image of the DVD release of the movie indicates, various forms of exorcism are attempted to purify flat 609 where Buppha lives: first asham Chinese shaman; then ajumpy Brahmin priest; then aThai Catholic Father and his Western sidekick, Brother (nod-to-The Exorcist ) Damian; and finally aKhmer spiritual healer of superior magical powers. However, each and every one of their interventions proves futile, and unlike in Nonzee Nimibutr’s Nang Nak (1999), Yuthlert does not introduce the viewer to the final resolution of asuperior Buddhist monk. Hence the ghost of Buppha cannot be put to rest. The closing scene depicts Buppha in full control of the deserted terrain of Oscar Apartments, watching over her mutilated ghost-partner Ake, who has rejoined her following his death from adrug overdose in London. He lies crippled on the floor, having had his genitals scalded with hot rice soup and his legs hacked off by Buppha to punish his philandering. Ake pleads for forgiveness as Buppha ‘lives’ on, having achieved akind of pyrrhic victory, reigning dejectedly over adystopian urban landscape. […] Buppha Ratree registers afailure in patriarchal, spiritual control, allowing the ‘monstrous-feminine’ to persist. Yuthlert’s Buppha transforms from adisempowered and abused young student to the emboldened and vengeful regulator of adystopian urban space. It would be imprecise, however, to read this portrayal of Buppha as agenuinely feminist representation. Created by asuccessful, Bangkok-based filmmaker of originally rural, Isan origins, Buppha’s purpose is to serve as an admonition, in Yuthlert’s own view, to Thai men who fail to treat women fairly. For Yuthlert, Buppha is therefore less afeminist heroine in her own right than she is an educational tool for male sexual etiquette, one through whom men learn how to respect female purity and not besmirch women’s ‘honour’ with the threat of sex. Nevertheless, she is open to reinterpretation when refocussed through the lens of self-avowedly feminist Thai thinkers such as KhamPhaka.”
In an interview with UCLA International Institute magazine shortly after the release of the movie, the director was to remark: “Religions, I’m trying to have some.… Islam, we got that to try to…but yeah well, what kind of questions do you.. it’s kind of deep to the…Um… Idon’t know, it’s different. Sometimes religion is different, but one thing that’s similar is the belief in ghosts. Every religion got ghosts but the way to treat, to prevent, to try to fight the ghosts is adifferent style, and the system of religion might be fit just for some country, you cannot…there is adifferent culture, even if it goes with the same system. Different religions must be something different. [.…] And yes, this is alove story, like love never dies – something like that – is the theme of the movie, but people might get it, because people enjoy horror and comedy and something like that. But Istick with love.”
Cast:
- Chermarn Boonyasak เฌอมาลย์ บุญยศักดิ์ (b. 15 Sept. 1982 — Bangkok, Thailand). Actress and model. Other names: Laila Bunyasak, Ploy พลอย. Starred in mega production Pattaya Heat (2023).
- Krit Sripoomseth asAke.
- Chompunoot Piyapane asMuay.
- Sirisin Siripornsmathikul as Mrs.See.
- Ampon Rattanawong asMaew.
- Sakchai Sriboonak as Khmer Shaman1.
หนังผีสยองขวัญ — บุปผาราตรี (Horror Ghost Movie — Night Flower) See the movie in Thai.
