The Medium 2021 Is A Thai Possession Movie (Shudder)
If you’re a fan of Asian movies, you have probably seen and loved The Wailing. The Wailing and The Yellow Sea are films Mother of Movie personally really enjoyed. The Medium 2021 is a Thai movie whose producer and co-writer Na Hong-jin is the director of that cult-classic horror Wailing film. The Medium is directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun. Thai movie director Pisanthanakun is no stranger to accolades and his directorial debut in 2004, Shutter, became an American remake in 2008.
The Medium movie dropped on the Shudder platform on October 14th, 2021. It sets off in Northern Thailand as a documentary-style film. It opens with the background and history of shaman culture in the Isan area and explains the idealism behind spirits being present in everything. From the rice fields and homes to people, animals, and artifacts, both evil and good spirits affect everything we do. Nim is the focus of the story and she has been blessed with a possessing spirit, passed down from generation to generation. This blessing affords her the status of a shaman in her village.
The Full Medium Movie Has An Exorcism
What is immediately obvious having seen a few of Na’s previous films, is that his ability to influence the creep factor within events in his story. It’s an invaluable asset. By flushing religion and culture into The Medium in such a factual way, it convinces you that what you are watching could be based on real events. Anecdotal evidence and religion make it feel far more atmospheric. Like you are getting an inside view into something ancient and long-ingrained.
Whether you believe the religious aspects and how these themes eke their way into the lives of the people it embraces becomes an experience that can cause you to doubt what you think you believe in. As Nim explains what her role is as a shaman and how it influences things and people, there is obvious concern about her perceived “powers.” But when things outside the scope of that creep in, it’s her beliefs that help her through everything that life throws at her.
For those who love their films to have elaborate and well-thought-out storylines, what develops will satiate that desire. The story quickly devolves into a heavy-set possession film when Nim’s niece shows symptoms of what is initially believed to be an inheritance of the same spirit that she was given in her youth. Performances are quite good and I particularly enjoyed Sawanee Utoomma’s Nim.
The Medium is on Shudder
The Medium is creepy, violent, and the type of horror movie I enjoy. My main gripe was with a character called Manit who through either terrible language translations or a subpar attribute falls headfirst into one of my least favorite tropes. As Mink begins to slowly lose control of whatever spirits are taking over her, he constantly shouts at her about being crazy. With so much lead-in about the history and belief systems, his behavior during these moments was super annoying. There were other ‘stupid decision-making’ scenarios that wore thin as well.
There is no doubt though, that The Medium has all the ingredients for a solid exorcism movie. But I will warn you, if you are sensitive to animal death this may be one to skip. For more details on what happens see the spoiler section below.
I give The Medium
3.5 Exorcism movies out of 5
Is The Medium 2021 on Shudder
You can watch “The Medium” movie in most countries on the Shudder horror streaming platform.
Does the Dog Die in the Medium Movie?
Trigger warning THE MEDIUM 2021 spoilers
The Medium ending involves Noi who owns a little white dog despite running a dog meat business. They point out that people keep fish as pets but still eat fish. Noi says having a pet dog is not so strange. When Mink is heavily influenced by her possessions, she is shown creeping around the house, eating things from the fridge, and generally making a mess. One night cameras capture her killing the dog and eating it.
There is also the death of a baby towards the end of The Medium 2021, but this is off-camera.
“The Medium” is a shaman chiller exorcism movie
The Medium cast: Sawanee Utoomma, Narilya Gulmongkolpech, Sirani Yankittikan.
Written by:
| Cha-won Choi |
| Chantavit Dhanasevi |
| Na Hong-jin |
| Banjong Pisanthanakun |
| Siwawut Sewatanon |
