A Useful Ghost

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A Useful Ghost

Jan 2026

2h 10m

Comedy

Drama

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

March is mourning his wife Nat who has recently passed away due to dust pollution. He discovers her spirit has returned by possessing a vacuum cleaner. Disturbed by a ghost that appeared after a worker's death shut down their factory, his family reject their unconventional human-ghost relationship. Trying to convince them of their love, Nat offers to cleanse the factory. To become a useful ghost, she must first get rid of the useless ones.

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Critics Consensus

Putting a bracingly unique spin on poltergeists, A Useful Ghost is a refreshing genre-bender that distinguishes debut writer-director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke as a filmmaker to watch.

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Amy Nicholson

Los Angeles Times

Feb 4

This snaky, surprising fable starts with a sneeze and explodes into a saga about bureaucracy, modernization and moral corruption. It’s electrifying.

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Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

Jan 15

A bawdy metaphor for democracy under threat, “A Useful Ghost” has a delightful, frisky energy that coexists peacefully with the beautiful melancholy of its central love affair as March comes to terms with his wife’s new job.

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Namrata Joshi

The New Indian Express

Jan 14

A Useful Ghost stands out in the way Boonbunchachoke marks a gradual transition from the poetic and romantic to the larger grim, contentious issues confronting his nation and its history.

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Paula Vázquez Prieto

La Nación (Argentina)

5d

3/5

...Boonbunchachoke's risk pays off, its epic is visually ambitious and his gamble unfolds into a whole bouquet of stories...all working to focus the clear reflection he's aiming to spark in the viewer. [Full review in Spanish]

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Emiliano Basile

EscribiendoCine

6d

8/10

Queer film, fantasy film, dark comedy with absurdist humor: all of sums up A Useful Ghost. But above all, it's a film that invites you to break free from conventional narratives and let your imagination run wild. [Full review in Spanish]

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Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

Feb 2

Because Boonbunchachoke has taken the time to tell us the stories of these workers...they are the dust that many see as garbage but which is, in reality, a testament to life, work, and community. They are the engine, not the waste.[Full review in Spanish]

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Daniel Y

@daniel69 Feb 24

Inconsistant. It starts out as absurdist comedy but the latter half devolves into a political allegory about the decline of democracy and the danger of government over control of information. The idea is certainly timely but it is a difficult connection between the two halves, really pushed by the total change of the main ghost in form and personality to the point her husband no longer recognized her. One strange thing occurred to me. All the main characters and primary supporting characters were heterosexual but all the nude and sex scenes involved gay men. The only hetero make out scene was between the protagonist and a vacuum cleaner possessed by his late wife. The revenge of the ghosts at the end was a messy plot device, probably an attempt at a feel good ending but it felt disjointed from the rest of the movie.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jan 25

The worldwide gross is $2,620.00.

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avner k

@aka10003 Jan 20

An entertaining fantasy about ghosts, memories, and sexuality. While inventive and humorous, it does not know when to stop, injecting Thai politics in a simplistic way and stretching the work into tediousness. Some hilarious gay content. An impressive effort.

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yanika T

@RT03954596 Aug 30

เป็นหนังที่ดูเกี่ยวกับความรักและความเชื่อเหนือธรรมชาติ แต่จริงๆ มันเป็นการจิกกัดสังคม ทั้งเรื่องการเมือง แรงงาน และคน ในสังคม โดยมีเครื่องดูดฝุ่นที่มีสิงอยู่ พาไปยังเรื่องเหตุการณ์ต่าง ๆ ที่เกิดขึ้น ตลกร้ายสุด ๆ การดำเนินเรื่องค่อนข้างนิ่ง ๆ ช้า ๆ ทำให้คนเบื่อได้ เป็นที่เฉพาะกลุ่ม ฉันชอบเนื้อหา การเปิดเรื่อง การเล่าเรื่องผ่านเรื่องเล่า แต่ในเรื่องเล่ามันมีบางช่วงที่ไม่จำเป็นเท่าไหร่

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Dave J

@Dj51florida Aug 29

I’m 73 and this was the worst movie I have ever seen. Shockingly unentertaining. After hour and 40 minutes and nearly falling asleep twice, we just couldn’t take it anymore. Some people had already walked out and we decided to follow. So bad all we could do was laugh once outside. Mind numbingly boring, poorly scripted, confusing, a $12 wardrobe budget, and acting like they were selected from random people with no desire to try.

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Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke

Director

Davika Hoorne

Nat

Witsarut Himmarat

March

Apasiri Nitibhon

Suman

Wanlop Rungkumjad

Krong

Wisarut Homhuan

Academic Ladyboy

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Synopsis

March is mourning his wife Nat who has recently passed away due to dust pollution. He discovers her spirit has returned by possessing a vacuum cleaner. Disturbed by a ghost that appeared after a worker's death shut down their factory, his family reject their unconventional human-ghost relationship. Trying to convince them of their love, Nat offers to cleanse the factory. To become a useful ghost, she must first get rid of the useless ones.

Director: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Producer: Cattleya Paosrijeroen, Soros Sukhum
Screenwriter: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Distributor: Cineverse
Production Co: 185 Films, Haut les Mains Productions, Momo Film Co
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Original Language: Thai
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 16, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 2h 10m

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