Shutter (2004 film)

Shutter
The Thai movie poster
Directed by	Banjong Pisanthanakun Parkpoom Wongpoom
Produced by	Yodphet Sudsawad
Written by	Banjong Pisanthanakun Sopon Sukdapisit Parkpoom Wongpoom
Starring	Ananda Everingham Natthaweeranuch Thongmee Achita Sikamana
Music by	Chartchai Pongprapapan
Cinematography	Niramon Ross
Editing by	Manop Boonvipat Lee Chatametikool
Distributed by	GMM Grammy
Release dates	September 9, 2004 (2004-09-09)
Running time	97 min.
Country	Thailand
Language	Thai
Box office	$6,989,456[1]

Shutter (Thai: ชัตเตอร์ กดติดวิญญาณ) is a 2004 Thai horror film by Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom; starring Ananda Everingham, Natthaweeranuch Thongmee, and Achita Sikamana. It focuses on mysterious images seen in developed pictures.

The film was remade in 2008 under the same title.

Plot

After celebrating at a drinking party with his close friends, Tun (Ananda Everingham), a photographer, and Jane (Natthaweeranuch Thongmee), get into a car accident. Jane hits a young woman. With much fear and bewilderment, Tun prohibits her from getting out of the car: they drive away, leaving the girl lying on the road.

Tun begins to discover mysterious white shadows and what appear to be faces in his photographs. A suspicious Jane thinks these images may be the ghost of the girl they hit on the road. Tun, who has been experiencing severe neck pains since the accident, visits a specialist. While a nurse attempts to measure his weight, to his dismay, he weighs approximately 120 kilograms (264 pounds). While collecting his medication via the counter, he hears a woman's voice that accuses him of being a liar and he runs away, traumatized. Unconvinced of the existence of the supernatural, Tun dismisses the idea of being haunted although his friends are also being disturbed by this mysterious girl.

Jane begins to investigate in the school's lab and discovers that the girl was Natre (Achita Sikamana), a shy young woman who had attended the same college as Tun. After confronting Tun, Tun admits that he and Natre were in a relationship, which Tun had kept secret from his friends. Natre loved Tun dearly and threatened to commit suicide when Tun abruptly broke off the relationship. Tun witnesses his friend, Tonn, committing suicide by jumping from his apartment balcony. Tun discovers that his two other close friends from college have also committed suicide. Believing that they have been coerced into doing so by Natre's ghost, Tun becomes convinced that he will be next.

The haunting of Tun by Natre's ghost escalates, so he and Jane visit Natre's mother. At her house, they discover the decaying body of Natre in her bedroom. They learn that Natre had committed suicide by jumping off the roof of a hospital, but her mother could not bear to have her cremated. Tun and Jane spend the night in a hotel, where Tun wakes up and is confronted by Natre's ghost. Tun tries to escape but is pursued; ultimately, while trying to get away, he falls off a fire escape and is injured. Natre's funeral is held the following day, after which Jane hopes that everything will return to normal.

However, on returning to Bangkok, Jane collects some photographs. One of the films shows a series of shadowy images of Natre crawling towards the bookcase in Tun's apartment. Investigating further, Jane finds a set of negatives hidden behind the bookcase. She develops the negatives to find photographs in which Tun's friends—the ones who committed suicide—are sexually assaulting Natre. Utterly disgusted by her findings and now convinced that Natre tried to warn her, a teary Jane confronts Tun. Tun admits that he witnessed the rape but did nothing to stop his friends, and that he was the one who had taken those photos. He says he did it out of peer pressure and has never forgiven himself, but Jane leaves him.

Knowing that he is still haunted by Natre, Tun takes a series of Polaroid photographs in his apartment in an attempt to find her. Having no success, he throws the camera across the room in a rage, only for it to go off, taking a photograph of Tun, revealing Natre sitting on Tun's shoulders. In the ensuing confrontation, Tun jumps from the window, trying to escape from Natre.

The final scene shows a badly bandaged Tun slumping over in a hospital bed while Jane visits him. As the door swings closed behind Jane, the glass reflection shows Natre still sitting on his shoulders.

Reception

Critical response

Based on 25 reviews, it holds a 56% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Public response

The film has 7.1 out of ten stars on IMDb^[2] and has received an 81% rating from the audience on Flixter^[3] The film opened at #1 at the Thai Box Office grossing $867,800 and remained at the top in its second weekend grossing $607,300.^[1] The film grossed a total of $2,584,600 in Thailand becoming the 5th highest grossing film of the year.^[1]

The film was nominated for the 2005 Golden Kinnaree Award for best film at the Bangkok International Film Festival and has won various awards at smaller festivals around the world. The movie was especially well received in Thailand and Singapore.

Remakes

In addition to the 2008 American remake, there have been several interpretations in India and elsewhere. A Tamil remake of the film called Sivi was released in 2007, and a Telugu version with the name 'PHOTO' was produced in the same year. A Hindi remake titled Click, starring Shreyas Talpade and Sadha, was released in 2010. Another remake called "Shutter One" was produced in Thailand in 2009, starring Surachai Sangakas and Narawan Nirattisai.

References

External links

• Shutter at the Internet Movie Database
• Shutter at allmovie
• Shutter at Rotten Tomatoes