THE PROMISE (2017)

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Sophon Sakdaphisit
Cast: Numthip Jongrachatawiboon, Apichaya Thongkham, Thunyaphat Pattarateerachaicharoen, Panisara Rikulsurakan, Duentem Salitul
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Rating: PG13 (Horror)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 16 November 2017

Synopsis: In 1997, the financial crash, known in Thailand as the Tom Yum Goong Crisis, was a disastrous event that crept over Asia and left millionaires bankrupt overnight. A bright future which two best friends, Boum and Ib, pictured together fell apart when they found out that their families were going bankrupt. All of their assets were seized to satisfy their debts. The construction of a premium luxury condominium, which their parents jointly invested in, had been suspended. Unable to accept the harsh truth, they decided to end their lives together at the unfinished tower, where they promised to be together forever. In the end, Ib died all alone. Twenty years later, Boum (Numthip Jongrachatawiboon) becomes a successful real estate entrepreneur. One day, she gets to visit the abandoned tower with her beloved daughter, Bell (Apichaya Thongkham). That night, however, Boum wakes up and finds Bell sleepwalking and talking to herself in the dark. Bell’s sleepwalking condition continues to worsen every night. What concerns Boum the most is that Bell’s action and words in her sleepwalking state frighteningly remind Boum of Ib. What measures will Boum take to release herself from the promise that binds her? “Promise me you won’t leave me.”

Movie Review:

The 47-storey scalloped architectural project that is Sathorn Tower is like the Titanic. It was to be the tallest and most luxurious of buildings in Bangkok, commanding priceless views its prime position. But Thailand’s financial crash in 1997, nicknamed the Tom Yum Goong Crisis, sunk the development and everything was brought to an abrupt halt.

The iconic high-rise fell into disrepair and became a horror location goldmine, with crumbling walls, dank corners, mouldy ceilings and dark corridors. And as all abandoned places tend to, ghostly encounters inevitably started to emerge.

20 years on, Director Sophon Sakdaphisit cashes in on the urban myths that have arisen from the forlorn structure, and against the sad backdrop, invents his own depressing tale of friendship and betrayal in his latest film The Promise.

Boum (Thunyaphat Pattarateerachaicharoen) and Ib (Panisara Rikulsurakan) are your average BFFs. The two girls do everything together, and even their fathers are partners in the promising Sathorn Tower development. All goes well, until the crisis hit.

Faced with bankruptcy, the family situation quickly deteriorates, and to avoid their harsh fates, the girls make a suicide pact. Grim stuff. Worst of all, when Ib goes ahead and ends her life with a shot to her head, it frightens Boum and she backs out from promise. See where this is going?

Twenty years pass and Boum is a real estate entrepreneur. One of her projects pushes her to the edge of closure so she decides to develop her inheritance of the Sathorn Tower. As she convinces Ib’s family to sell their share and goes on-site to spearhead the new project, her daughter Bell (Apichaya Thongkham) also has a relapse and begins sleepwalking. It’s not long before Boum realises that her promise to Ib has come back to haunt her.

Sakdaphisit has a few good notches in the Thai horror department, most notably being the writer for Shutter. His turns at being director has been more mediocre. The Promise is co-written by him, but his directorial curse has followed through and made this offering a little unsatisfying.

The Promise has a great dark premise and it was unfortunate that Sakdaphisit could not fully extract the terrifying elements from the themes of suicide, depression and sacrifice. There are great reveals that stun, such as the plot arc on the fathers, where Sakdaphisit’s trademark turn-of-the-knife keeps things gut-wrenching. But beyond those moments, the movie fails to ripen.

The creepy tower, such a key draw to this film, never really gets its full potential drawn out. There’s a few rooms and corridors being shown but they seem disconnected, making them feel more like sets than a fully realised building.

Some folks who like their jump scares will no doubt be grateful for the earlier part of the film, where audio crashes ensure some seat-jumping action. There’s also an interesting segment where a young boy named Mon (Teerapop Songwaja) with a certain “seeing eye” gets coerced to help Bouem. But these promises of thrills don’t get fully realised and makes The Promise... a little empty.

Movie Rating:

(The macabre storyline sits well in the terrifying iconic tower. But The Promise doesn’t milk both assets for their worth and ends up a little unfulfilled)

Review by Morgan Awyong