In the Thai horror film Ghost Lab, Thanapob Leeratanakachorn plays Wee, an introverted young residency doctor who spends all of his time at the hospital. When he’s not on duty, he’s quietly caring for his comatose mother. Wee’s coworker Gla, played by Paris Intarakomalyasut, is quite the opposite, a lighthearted prankster and charismatic boyfriend. But every time Wee is at his mother’s bedside, Gla is working on a secret project all his own.
The premise is captivating, but the execution and overall story leave much to be desired.Tonally it’s all over the place, one moment dabbling in paranormal horror and gore, the next in soap-opera drama and comedy. Because it’s a Thai film, Ghost Lab refreshingly steers clear of stereotypical Christian horror symbols; instead of demons and upside-down crosses, some of the scares come from fear of suicide, losing hope in reincarnation, and other essential human questions about the afterlife (the latter dampened by being depicted as the cliché blurry white space). Leeratanakachorn and Intarakomalyasut perform perfectly well, although hindered by the lack of cogent character motivation throughout. It would have benefited from being much more rooted in both science and religion, rather than just scratching the surface.
117 min., Netflix
