Nak

The fact than an animation film for children is included in a programme with several hard-core horror films may need some explanation. Nak is not only enjoyable and entertaining as a film. It also depicts an old legend and introduces several figures and characters that are characteristic of the ghost and spirit stories from this part of Asia. On this occasion, the demonic sides of the characters have been omitted. For instance, the charming protagonist Nak is based on the very famous yet gruesome legend Mae Nak Phra Khanong, which everyone in Thailand knows. Keaw is a spirit without a head. In the film he does have a head, even though it falls off his body time and again. Ud is based on the myth of the Prade spirit who can extend his body to enormous lengths. And there are more spirits, such as the dog spirit Thong and the girl spirit Kaem.
Together they form a kind of gang led by Nak that does good and fights evil.
The film shows how much the ghost stories have become part of the viewers’ general knowledge. A film like this would be also conceivable in other Asian countries such as Thailand. Thanks to the instructive way in which the film introduces a whole family of ghosts, it serves a useful yet also enjoyable place in the programme. (GjZ)

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