4BIA

A four-part horror film made up of more or less independent short films. Back home, this omnibus film became an unexpectedly large hit. That may be because of the participating directors. They were all young, but also successful directors who had earned their spurs and been involved in films such as Shutter, the classic among modern Thai horror films. The co-directors of Shutter, Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom, each made one part of the four. Wongpoom made the last part, the psychological thriller The Last Fright and Pisanthanakum made the gruesomely funny The Middle.
But the other two parts are also by skilled and talented directors. The first part, Happiness by Youngyooth Thongkonthun, is an ingenious story that manages to evoke a very frightening atmosphere with just one actress and further only text messages. In terms of the narrative of the story, it's one of the most virtuoso parts. Tit for Tat is the second part and was made by Paween Purikitpanya (also present at the IFFR with Body). The age-old theme of bullying by classmates that gets out of hand acquires an element of black magic here.
All parts were written by the film makers themselves and they were given more freedom than usual in most commercial productions. Yet they all stuck to the laws of the genre, making 4BIA (pronounced as Phobia) a very entertaining film. (GjZ)