Alone ( แฝด )

In Thai with English subtitles
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom
Cast: Masha Wattanapanich, Ratchanoo Bunchootwong, Vittaya Wasukraipaisan
RunTime: 1 hr 35 mins
Released By: GV
Rating: PG
Official Website: www.faddthemovie.com

GV ‘BLOG ALOUD’ at CINEMA EUROPA: Featuring directors of Shutter in their new horror film

Opening Day: 27 July 2007

Synopsis:

From the first moment she arrives back in Thailand Pim experiences extremely vivid flashbacks of painful memories that she has tried so hard to forget. The flashes conjure up a sense of innate warmth that is similar to the feeling of “someone” close to her… this is just the beginning of a horrifying realization that Pim will never be allowed to ever forget… what does not want to be forgotten!

Movie Review:

Asian horror is dying a slow death if not for these two guys to pick it from its deathly doom into cliched scare tactics and cheesy storyline that's laughable at meer thoughts. And who are these two guys so highly apointed? They are none other than the directing duo behind Shutter – currently in the midst of a US remake, Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom, who comes a second helping of supernatural thrills, Alone. Alone is about the surviving sister, a formerly conjoined twin who goes from Seoul to Thailand to see her dying mother. This sets in motion a sequence of creepy, unexplained events that leads her to believe that she indeed may have a ghostly stalker following her everywhere, someone she knows intimately.

With plenty of expertly-crafted scary sequences and a slow-burning storyline that gradually draws the audience into its web of intrigue before knocking them sideways with a wholly unexpected plot twist towards the end of the movie, Alone has the potential to become a second smash hit at the box-office for Pisanthanakun and Wongpoom. Certainly, with its intriguing storyline and a wholly impressive lead performance from Wathanapanitch, the film is accessible and has crossover appeal.

 
Helming previously in Shutter, the directors know a good story when they see it and they are masters at manipulating tension, even if you know what’s coming but still make you jump when they deliver. Thanks to their previous success, they now have a decent budget, resulting a fantastic film. Beautifully shot grand mansion that slowly seeds Aloneperfectly bolster the whole story. Playing the first half as a series of straight up, very effective jump scares before it moves into the real meat of the story on the back stretch. Once again the directors succeed in taking some of the basic tropes of the Asian ghost story, already well familiar to audiences, and then subverting them into something slightly different, something new and fresh thats built upon universally recognizable emotional ground such as sibling rivalry, family guilt and romantic jealousy.

Aside from the generally serious tone, what makes Alone different from the standard Thai horror film is the presence of star Marsha Wattanapanich with her killer performance. This is the pop singer's first film role in fifteen years. At 36, Marsha is significantly older than the actresses one usually sees in Thai horror films, but her maturity suggests a greater depth to the film.

Alone is a terrifying tale of horror. Just like Shutter, once Alone has you in its claws, it doesn't let go. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end credits start to roll. Even with an all too fashionable twist placement in every horror film, this one actually has a proper ending which not only entertains, but satisfies on many levels.