Necromancer

Whenever you are dealing with films from around the world you have to worry about cultural specificity. Are there things that make perfect sense in the country the film hails from that simply do not translate into your own? The cultural problem is one that pops up frequently in Thai horror films, with a great many Thai films drawing on spiritual beliefs that are completely foreign and unknown to western viewers. This is definitely an issue with Necromancer. Don't know your vedas, yantras and talismans? You'll probably still be able to follow the film but only in broad terms and certain images will lack the fear-trigger punch that I imagine they would have for people closer to this culture.

Itti is a necromancer, a master of dark magic so powerful that he is impervious to bullets, can control people from a distance and can turn himself invisible at will. Although Itti is captured and imprisoned by police officers using mysterious means of their own it is not long before he is able to use his skills to orchestrate an escape from his cell and a return to his home town.

In that town is Santi, a young hotshot cop, already promoted to lieutenant and placed in command over many officers on the force for far longer than him. Santi is a realist, believing only in what he can see but what he is seeing is increasingly making little sense to him as he keeps finding himself in pursuit of criminals with apparently supernatural powers. When the task of tracking down and capturing the escaped Itti falls to him Santi finds himself increasingly drawn into the world of black magic.

Necromancer does an awful lot of things right. Santi and Itti are a pair of compelling, well matched leads with surprising twists and turns to their characters. The film itself is shot in a casual, very naturalistic style and features some of the very best effects work I've ever seen in a Thai production. Making the effects even more effective is just how flawlessly they are blended into the natural environment. The magic sequences are incredibly strong because they never seem like fantasy, they are blended so smoothly into what is so clearly a real world setting that you never question them at all. The film also has a depth uncommon in this sort of genre fare with the director - a former monk - digging deep into matters of karma, personal responsibility and the corrupting nature of power.

Now, with so much good stuff I really wish I could declare Necromancer an all out success but I can't, and I really can't put my finger down on why. Are there pacing issues? Perhaps, but I can't really isolate any obvious intances. Problems with the plotting? Well, there are definitely some points that felt a bit over complicated and in need of streamlining but I don't think that's quite it, either. For the run of the film Necromancer had the feeling of something that just never quite found its stride. While there were lots of strong individual elements they just never felt as though they clicked together for me, it always felt as if the big a-ha moment that would pull everything together was just around the corner but it was a corner that we never quite reached and I really have to wonder if this is where the cultural issues come into play.

My own - admittedly limited - experience says that karma just doesn't translate well into western culture. I understand the idea behind it, yes, but that understanding just never makes the move from an abstract concept to something that can provoke emotional responses.

Necromancer is an intriguing film, well crafted and well executed - an impressive accomplishment from a first time director who I'm certain we'll be hearing from again. It's a film that I like quite a lot but can't stop wishing I liked more.

Check out the official website for background info on the magic used in the film and for a downloadable trailer.