'Samui Song' Trailer: Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Cult Thriller

It’s been a little while since we’ve paid attention to Pen-ek Ratanaruang. At one point, the Thai director behind “6ixtynin9,” “Last Life In The Universe,” and “Headshot“ seemed like he was going to break out into bigger international recognition, but that never quite happened. He’s steadily been making movies, but we dropped off a few films ago. However, at the Venice Days sidebar of the Venice Film Festival he’s back with “Samui Song,” and it certainly looks intriguing.

The new movie dives into the world cults, and follows a Thai soap opera star whose husband falls under the spell of The Holy One. With the woman in the sights of the cult leader as well, she plots her escape. It’s a nifty premise, and one that the filmmaker aimed to make as cinematic as possible.

“Though nominally a dark noir, I want the film to be surprising and unexpected – an ode, if you will, to cinema itself. Using Hitchcock as a starting point, the film serves as an homage to the kinds of movies I enjoy, from Buñuel to Thai cinema from the ‘60s,” Ratanaruang told Screen Daily.

We’ll keep an eye for the reactions out of Venice for this one. Check out the trailer and some stills from the film.
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