Spirits (2004)

Please don't spend money on this.

Admirable film.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

I bought the DVD in a shop in Bui Vein during an afternoon spent looking for some Vietnamese movie; except some co-production I couldn't find anything. Anyway this is an American-Vietnamese co-production following the success that Asian horrors had in western countries in the last years. It can be divided into three different parts. In the first: a writer arrives in a house where a girl seems to live alone, he falls in love with the girl but discovers she's a ghost. In the second: he's sick, shocked by his experience, but with the help of his nurse, he will win the sickness, write his story and became a successful writer; then he will marry the nurse. In the third: the house of the couple is haunted and a false diviner is called in help, she has a scaring meeting with the ghost but her son not believe her until he will discover the terrible truth about the writer. I don't know how it's possible make a Vietnamese low budget movie with American money but this is a low budget with no special effects and few changing of locations. Anyway the photography is good and the director can manage to carry on the plot. Not for gore-horror fans, but for those who like ghost stories.

1) "The Visitor": The drifter writer Tran Thanh Loc (Tuan Cuong) arrives in an old house and is lodged by the gorgeous Hoa (Kathy Nguyen). Along the days, he falls in love for her and discloses the truth about the hostess. 2) "Only Child": Loc is sick, totally disconnected of the world, but his nurse Linh (Kathleen Luong) heals him. He writes the best-seller The Visitor about his relationship with Hoa and becomes a successful writer. He proposes and marries Linh, but when he decides to have a baby, Linh is haunted by her hidden obscure past. 3) "The Diviner": Linh's parents send the fraudulent diviner Lan (Catherine Ai) to use her pretentious knowledge of Feng Shui to help Loc, and she sees ghost in the house. Her son and aspirant writer Bao (Michael Minh) does not believe on his mother until he finds a surprising secret about Loc."Spirits" is a low-budget low-paced Vietnamese movie, with an interesting ghost story. The production is very simple, using practically the same location along the whole story, but is also very engaging and intriguing. The tales are timeless, i.e., there is no reference when they take place; the characters are developed along the plot, without a previous development, but I liked this supernatural tales. Kathy Nguyen and Kathleen Luong are extremely beautiful women and good actresses. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Sobrenatural" ("Supernatural")

Based on the tradition Vietnamese ghost stories, Spirits is reminiscent of stories told around the campfire. The creepy introduction of the characters and the culmination of their fate leaves you numb until hours later when a scene or an image (mine was in the second story about Linh) sends shivers through you. It's not a Hollywood movie and doesn't rely solely on special effects to sell (although there are a few effects similar to those used in movies like The Ring or The Sixth Sense). Victor Vu used some familiar accents to draw in his audience but stayed true to the unique 'Spirit' of this story, which is what makes it so good. If you like ghost stories, see this movie!

A fairly well done movie. The director does a good job at bringing together a series of events into one story. Some of the scares were downright freaky too! I didn't know what hit me. I didn't really know what to expect when i went in the theatre to watch it. But after all was over with, I was a happy movie goer. Give it a try, and i'm sure you'll find something to like about it as well. Don't go in expecting too much and you'll be pleased. A decent popcorn flick. "Spirits" rivals among The Sixth Sense and other dramatic horror pieces. If you're a horror movie fan, or like dramas with a few scares thrown in, this is worth your time.