Alone – Review

This film made tons of buzz from Thai media before its release, and the more I read about Alone the more I wanted to see it. This horror film from Thailand has an interesting premise. It’s a story about a pair of conjoined twins. It is the feeling of being attached to another person by an organ that bonds two lives in such a way that she could never be free. She is the sole survivor of conjoined twins, who is thrown face first into her old life as both painful and beautiful memories resurface when she moves into her old house. The typical supernatural scares are executed with all effectiveness you could desire.

Unfortunately, Alone is not currently available in the U.S, like most of the films I review but the directors know a good story when they see it and they are masters at manipulating tension. I think they’ve taken a page out of most domestic horror films and if you get a chance to see this film you can and will catch a lot of similarities. At the heart of the film though, is an emotional core of sisterhood bonding and this is what makes the film float above mediocrity. Even if a horror film doesn’t provide enough chills for me, I can always appreciate a well written plot. In addition to the script, what makes Alone different from the standard Thai horror film is the presence of actress Marsha Wattanapanich who gives audiences a great performance.

The direction and the performances are top-notch, with limited but efficient use of special effects. It demonstrated that as long as you deliver the product with great technical skill and respect for the medium, it’ll still be as enjoyable as watching it all for the very first time. A lot of the scariness is pushed to the last few minutes of the movie, such is the pattern with most horror movies.  And of course the twist, when you think about it, wasn’t that big of a twist.

Asian horror is dying a slow death but thank God for Thai films. Each one I watch seems to get better and better. It is a smart movie above all else and we never really know if the main character is haunted psychologically or literally – by the ghost of her deceased conjoined twin. The make-up on the dead sister is pretty creepy and there are a couple moments of decent tension, which alone makes this film get high marks. Strong story, strong cast dealing with recognizable themes such as rivalry between sisters, romantic jealousy and good old family guilt. A cut above all other scary movies in recent years.