User Reviews

"Nang Nak" is set in the late 1860s and is based on a Thai legend of the supernatural. When war comes to Thailand, a young husband, Mak, leaves his newly pregnant wife and goes off to fulfill his duty as a soldier. A serious wound leaves Mak convalescing in Bangkok for many months, but eventually he becomes strong enough to return home. There he reunites with his devoted wife, Nak, and finally sees their infant son. However, it soon becomes evident that Nak's labor pains caused a singular transformation in her. The other villagers have come to fear Nak--and for good reason.

"Nang Nak" set box office records in Thailand when it was released in 1999. It even managed to outsell James Cameron's "Titanic" in that country, and it is easy to see why. Filmed among menacing rivers and lush jungles, "Nang Nak" is a visually stunning film grounded in a solid story line. From the beautiful shots of Thailand's flora and fauna to the chilling supernatural scenes (which occasionally have the slightest--and rather surprising--hint of Sam Raimi's distinctive cinematic style), director Nonzee Nimibutr immerses his audience in an enchanted world. If the film can be criticized for one thing, however, it may be said that the devotion paid to Image is too zealous. The actors chosen for the two lead roles sport close-trimmed modern hairstyles and ideal physiques, and this works against their credibility as village peasants. Also, some of the most evocative nature sequences in the film are edited too aggressively; hence these images are denied some of the power they might have achieved in the hands of, say, Werner Herzog or Terrence Malick. Even so, "Nang Nak" has plenty of power and poetry to spare.

(A cultural/historical note: The unusual and rather startling blackened teeth of the villagers in the film are due to the practice of chewing beechnuts. Notice that at a certain point in the film one of these nuts is placed in a corpse's mouth as it is prepared for burial.)

Here we have something totally unique: an Asian ghost story! That's not unique at all, I hear you say? Well, it is if you bear in mind that "Nang Nak" comes from Thailand and hasn't got anything to do with the overrated and rather weak stream of Japanese horror movies, such as "Ringu", "Ju-On The Grudge" and "The Eye". The film is based on a perennial Thai legend that apparently everybody knows over there and finally received a reasonably well-budgeted and international-orientated film version now! The legend revolves on the happily married couple Mak (the man) and Nak (the wife) and is set in the second half of the 19th century. Mak is very reluctant to leave his pregnant wife to go and fight in the war, more particularly because she's expecting their first child. When he returns home, still recovering from the loss of his best friend in battle as well as a near-fatal chest wound, Mak finally hopes to find peace and quiet with his beloved family. But something changed here, too… Friends and neighbors keep telling that Nak died whilst giving birth and that Mak only lives together with the spirits of his wife and child. "Nang Nak" is one of those extremely rare films that successfully blend romance and genuine drama with horror! This film is as moving as it is frightening and, trust me, it's REALLY frightening at times! The story is pretty intense and heartbreaking, mostly thanks to powerful performances, yet the horror elements are definitely not ignored and multiple images are almost too grisly to process. For example: One minute, you observe the romance between two people and the next; you're watching eerie rats eating the corpse of a murdered woman! Near the end, the film becomes even more horrific, with exorcisms and burials all around, and STILL the story remains incredibly poignant. Not only the substance is amazing, mind you. "Nang Nak" might easily be the most stylish and beautifully photographed Asian film ever made! A giant amount of sequences, albeit unrelated to the basic story, are truly mesmerizing to behold and illustrate sunsets, animals, wildlife and agriculture. It's almost like watching an educational National Geographic documentary AND a great movie at the same time! Highly recommended!

In 1868, Mak (Winai Kraibutr) is summoned to the war and leaves his beloved wife Nang Nak (Intira Jaroenpura), who is pregnant, alone in their isolate house in Prakanong. Mak fights with his friend Prig that dies while Mak is seriously wounded. He miraculously survives and after a long time, he returns to Prakanong.

He meets Nak and their son and they live happily together until the day that a friend of Mak visits him and tells that Nak had died in the delivery and he is living with the ghost of his wife and his stillborn son. Mak does not believe on his friend until the day that he discovers the truth about his family.

"Nang Nak" is a movie about a Thai legend of a faithful wife that dies but does not live the world of the living waiting for her beloved husband that is missing in action in the war. The story of eternal love is a touching ghost story with a melodramatic farewell in the end. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Vidas do Além" ("Lives from Beyond")

When I first studied in the university for movie productions, I was taken away by Bram Stoker's Dracula, the beautiful settings and play of shadows. I thought that all such romantic horror films should take on similar cinematography to make the film beautiful.

However, when I watched Nang Nak after graduation, I really salute to the director for making such a beautiful story. The story behind the legend was true, and it was the perfect choice of the director to choose the production of this film as a love-story instead of a horror movie.

Basically it all started out of love, the love of a woman to her man, bearing his child and yet, before they could get together again as a family, they had to be separated by heaven and earth as she dies during child birth. The female lead did a wonderful job to be so constrained, so soft and almost to the point of pitiful loving which makes it truly understandable why she could not leave her husband despite her death.

To intensify her longing to be with her husband, we saw how she was robbed off her belongings at the point of her death while she was giving birth, a young woman who had to bear the pain of childbirth without the support of her husband by her side. During that time, there were no modern hospital facilities and giving birth in itself is a dangerous labor of love. Her courage beaten, her life taken, and yet she had not been able to see her husband for the last time.

It is no wonder that such a loving woman would bring her child along with her to meet with her husband once more, just so that they can live together again as a happy family. Everyone in this world hopes for such a happy family life and yet this very basic human right had been taken away from her. Despite her coming back to haunt the village, as a viewer I can only pity her for her everlasting love for her husband and her strong will to keep herself within this realm of existence just to be with him, defying all laws of nature.

I just wanted to react to a previous Thai commentator meaning that "foreigners will not understand the legend behind this film". Come on... Of course this movie sets a traditional tale of Thai culture. But if you know a bit about tales generally, you will realize that there is one or more versions of this particular one in almost every culture and western ones are not an exception to the rule (go to a Tales Festival and you'll find out for sure). I am not saying anything extremely original here : Carl Jung found out about the universality of messages included in tales way back in time... I saw this movie at the Brussels Independent films festival yesterday (nov 12, 2000) and I can assure you that the western public reacted extremely favourably and that there was nothing particularly difficult to understand about it. It has flaws (problems of rythm) but it sounded extremely sincere, emotional, fresh. It is undoubtedly worth seeing (the photography and actors are extremely beautiful as well). Too bad that it'll probably never get distributed around here...

This film begins in rural Thailand during the 19th Century with a young man named "Mak" (Winai Kraibutr) saying goodbye to his wife "Nak" (Inthira Charoenpura) due to his being conscripted into the army. Mak obviously doesn't want to go and Nak, being pregnant at the time, is even more emotional about it. The scene then shifts to several months later with Mak being seriously injured in combat and, although he is not expected to survive, he is subsequently transferred to a Buddhist temple where some monks can tend to his wounds. Meanwhile, at that exact same time, Nak goes into labor but begins to experience problems which endangers her life as well. The scene shifts once again with Mak sufficiently recovering from his wounds and finally going home where Nak is there to greet him with a young baby in her arms. Needless to say, both Mak and Nak are extremely happy to be together again. Things change, however, when a friend tells Mak something really awful about Nak which calls him to question his relationship with her from that point on. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this is the third film I have seen that is based upon the popular Thai legend with the first one being "Ghost of Mae Nak" produced in 2005 and the second one "Mae Nak 3D" produced in 2012. Personally, I liked this particularly movie the best as it has more real emotion than the two that followed it. Likewise, the musical score was quite effective too. In any case, viewers looking for a film that is both sad and haunting might want to check this one out, and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

Dull. Romantic / emotional aspect is overwrought and unconvincing. The horror story seems simply random. Jumping between scenes and times didn't help.

Acting is fairly unconvincing, in keeping with the emotional content.

There is a lot more to this film than immediately meets the eye. Most Thai historicals or ghost stories are loaded with anachronistic pop culture cliches. This one wasn't; people spoke with their mouths filled with betel (maak), the lead actress didn't have lipstick, the houses were quite realistic, etc. In addition, the rural monks switched between high-level speech and country slang. The point is that this film is a serious attempt to do justice to both the original tale and the time period it is set in.

The empathy for Nak far surpassed the scariness. What stood out for me is that Nak's justification for her actions seemed quite defensible, adding to the anguished poignancy of the situation.

Asian ghost stories, when done well, have a strongly moral character. This is one of the finest examples I have seen.

Based on a Thai legend this is the story of a man who returns to his wife and child unaware that they are long dead. Its considered a great story of ever lasting love, I call it dull. Call me cultural heathen but this movie bored me. Certainly this is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen, the portrait of life on the river and in the jungle is breath taking. If I could simply watch the visuals I would be very happy, unfortunately the story of love undiminished by death gets in the way, or rather the way its told. The way its told is very soapy. Its overwrought and gaspy with wonderful declarations of love that are repeated so frequently you'll want to scream. Its a bad romance novel come to life. I hate to be negative since I wanted to like this but I was too busy snoozing to care.

Revised: The films visuals still haunt me several weeks after writing that review. A second viewing, sparked after a discussion with a friend who loves the film, made me more appreciative of the film, and while I am still no fan of the film, I can recommend it for adventurous viewers. I still find it slow but find that its worth a shot for those who want to try something decidedly non American in flavor.

It's not often you're going to see a horror film that leaves you crying. This is a beautiful movie about the undying love between a young man conscripted into the army, and the devoted and pregnant wife he leaves behind. The photography alone, under Nattawut Kittikhun, is so delicately executed that you would think the film must be printed on rice paper.Though not essential to enjoyment of the movie, it helps to understand that its basis is the Buddhist concept of "Hungry Ghosts," souls that have become so attached to this world that they cannot make the transition to their next incarnation. In fact, the whole story is suffused with Buddhist ritual and belief -- in particular that attachment to the transitory and illusory must only result in pain. Director Nonzee Nimibutr has created a work of art that I believe will stand the test of time. If "Nang Nak" is indicative of Thai cinema's potential, then I hope we see a lot more of it.

This movie becomes landmark of the birth of Thailand as baby boomer in Cinema Industry. Yes, it's so Asian. It has a national and cultural identity. You can feel the atmosphere of Thai's village and its society. You can taste the mystical east here. But the dominant nuance in this movie is Theravadic Buddhism. It becomes an important keyword from this movie, and it becomes the problem solver for the conflict.

Nang Nak tells us about a folk legend in Thailand around 19th century. It is a beautiful horror story about a man named Mak, whom his wife (Nak) is dead with her baby when she gives birth. Mak don't know about it, because he was in war when his wife dead. When Mak return to his home, he is life happily with his wife and their baby. Things' getting worse when Mak's friend tells him that Mak is currently living with ghost. Mak discuss this issue with Nak, and Nak is adding that is so sad because people around her tell bad rumors about her. She says people accuse her doing affair with another guy when Mak is serving at war. After that, Mak's friend is suddenly dead.

You can guess what happened next, it's not so complicated nor so unusual, but how Nonzee Nimibutr use the plot is so interesting. We are made keep guessing and never know what actually happened till the mid of the movie. And next are quite horrifying scenes, and ended with so emotional ending. Although the visual effects are not so special, the setting, costumes, and make up are quite good. It has a quite good moral value about mortality and impermanence. This movie is not only a high quality horror. It's a drama of Dharma.

Thai movies are not often shown on the big screen in Montreal. When I saw that Fant-Asia was screening the first Thai film in the history of the festival, I was really keen to see what kinds of movies are being produced there.

It turned out that this romantic/ horror film was one of my favorite of the whole festival. The images are beautiful and the story is so touching. This is an old Thai folktale that I had heard before. I was concerned that it would be too dark and that the love story would get lost in the ghost story. However, they manage to convey both the sweetness and the horror of the tale without compromising either.

If you get the chance, I highly recommend this film.

Very powerful, heartrending movie..

Eternal love... Love beyond the grave..

til death do us part... this film covers all those bases and more.

Have you ever been in love? Maybe you should watch this movie and ask yourself this same question again...

I am moved.... please consider...

I am seriously moved, if you get a chance to catch this movie, please do.

AMAZING

An awesome introduction to the world of Thai ghost stories, much more so than Bangkok Haunted or Lhorn which are both mildly entertaining but nearly devoid of any true cultural significance (save Lhorn's tale of the 'paup') - not to mention their shared lack of scares.

"Nang Nak" or Miss Nak translated to English, is a brilliantly filmed atmospheric tale of love that goes well beyond this mortal world. I personally was entranced by the film, and even though it's not terrifying, there are enough chills to be had if one gives themselves over to the story. Filmed many times before, but never with the grace and power brought by director Nonzee Nimbutr, Nang Nak tells a famous Thai cautionary tale set in the 1860's of young husband Mak who is called away to war leaving newly pregnant wife Nak alone in their remote river bank village.

While fighting Mak is seriously wounded and suffers a menacing recovery lasting many months as Monks in Bangkok nurse him back to health. Returning home he joyously reunites with devoted wife Nak and their newborn son, beginning life anew as a father. But things may not quite be what they seem.

Shown to viewers using artfully done jump-cut flashbacks and disquieting imagery of Nak in labor, it becomes clear while giving birth something went horribly wrong. The mystery takes a dark turn as husband Mak begins to hear very disturbing things from close friends regarding his bride, who has become shunned and hated since Mak left to fight in the war. Ever the model husband, Mak refuses to believe or even discuss the possibility Nak is to blame for the fear holding an entire village in its grip. Is it possible even the village elders have succumbed to mass hysteria...or is there a very real reason everyone is terrified of the beautiful Miss Nak? In my opinion Nang Nak scores very high marks across the board for Cinematography, Story, Cast and even in the Chills department. Those few detracting elements I can argue are trifling at best - most focus on my want for the existing (and fully capable) scares to have been jumped up a notch or minor stylistic arguments that are best left unsaid.

Nang nak had been made for many times in Thailand both for TV series and films. Therefore, most of them express the scary part of Nak but they don't mention anything about her deep true love to Mak. So I think this version is very touching and great. I love it. Though, there were many versions made but none of them gives good facts like this one. Two thumbs up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An extremely artistic thriller is probably the best description of this Thai urban legend about the most loyal wife who serves her husband even after she has died. This film has drama competing with the likes of classics like Bichunmoo and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The suspense aspect is not too shabby either with great music and outstanding character depth.

[9.0\10]

Mac returns home form the war to live with his wife Nak and newborn baby after being nursed back to health by some monks. When he gets home he's unaware that both his wife and child are ghosts. So, when his neighbours and friends try to warn him, he doesn't believe them and also contributing to it is that his wife tells him that their friends treated her poorly when he was gone.

A damn right weird, but beautifully told and directed horror feature from Thailand. It's quietly intriguing and also it flows with some originality. Something about this film is just plain hypnotic with its change of moods, moving score and luminous locations. The cinematography was rather provocative and relentless in its treatment. This added to the film's whole uneasy feel, which somehow really gets under your skin rather effectively. The actual plot is a tale of everlasting love and loyalty to the one we care for and share our life with, no matter the circumstances. This is portrayed in such a haunting and subtle way and the direction follows the same suit. So when suddenly some frantic scenes of violence and bizarre makeup effects pop up, it just felt out of place compared to the overall tone that was created to begin with. The pace of the film because of it was a bit bumpy, but nonetheless it's hard to find a massive fault about it. No matter if nothing was really happening on screen, you just can't keep your eyes off it. One reason for that is the good performances, and that's especially from Winai Kraibutr as Mak and Intira Jaroenpura as Nak. You do care for these characters. Although, sometimes maybe the dialogue was a bit of a stretch and tad melodramatic, but a dreamy experience with some nightmarish occurrences creates some unsettling moments and develops a decent and meaningful drama within. Even if it's a tad slow. But, hey it did deliver a unique story and also the tension that was built was well sustained.

This unusually tragic love story was a wonder to view.

Nang Nak is the first Thai film that has got Thai people back watching Thai films. It is Director Nonzee Nimibutr's second film.

Unfortunately foreigners will not understand the legend behind this film. It is a true story and the legend is very much alive in every Thai person's mind. The Temple (Wat MahaWoot) is still an active temple and even today people flock to the temple to get good luck (lucky numbers) for their lottery tickets.

The story has been told many times in film and also for television - but it still has a great impact on the Thai.

The film is well worth watching. The sound is excellent. There are a few problems with English sub titles but overall the Director did an excellent job. Small budget, good casting, excellent sound.

I've seen a lot of Thai movies and about every 10 years or so they come out with a gem like this. If you have ever spent some time in Thailand, this movie offers a lot of insights into the culture and superstitions of the country. It also offers genuine insights into the history of the times. Set in the 1860s, the movie moves between two locations—Bangkok and Mak's village. All in flush forest, these two places are part of modern, high-rise Bangkok. It takes a bit of getting used to.

Not so much a horror story (it's not really scary at all) as a love story, many westerners might be surprised that superstitions portrayed in the film are still alive and well. Many Thais believe in ghosts such as Nang Nak to a degree not seen in the west. And having lived here for 20 years, I have seen some things that are utterly inexplicable unless there really is a spirit world.

Beautifully shot, well acted and in my opinion, very real to life, this is a good movie—not your Hollywood-style movie but something different. Well worth spending some time with this one.

As always, I never bothered to check any movies that would force me to READ - the subtitle that is any foreign language other than English. Nang Nak was introduced to me by my wife... It is because the publicity in the newspaper telling about how this movie has made an impact at one of the European countries movie awards - it's a horror movie but with strong love story message. (How scary, indeed!).

Infact for a moment (till the labouring scene)... I was still doing my work while my wife kept on yelling at me every five minutes to join her...

So, I was kind of surprised how good the movie was. Especially the scene when Mak took a refuge in the monastery and Nak followed him there. The most scary part is when she hung on the ceiling....

Me and my wife had a trouble for a moment to even try to glance at our own house ceiling!

Nang nak.... is GOOD! (I'll watch it from the beginning this sunday...) FROM : LELAKILAH