The Forest (2016 Thai film)
A bullied girl finds a wild boy in the forest.
The Forest (Thai: ป่า) is a 2016 Thai supernatural horror film. English filmmaker Paul Spurrier wrote, directed, shot, and edited it, assisted by his wife Jiriya. The cast includes two first-time child actors and Asanee Suwan. The story centers on a former monk who becomes a teacher and is sent by the education ministry to a rural Isaan village school. It also follows a bullied schoolgirl who cannot speak and is mocked by classmates. She meets a wild boy living alone in the nearby forest, naked and without tools or shelter, yet articulate and well-groomed—like a living idea. She can only communicate with him.
The cast includes Wannasa Wintawong as Ja, the bullied girl; Tanapol Kamkunkam as the forest boy; Asanee Suwan as teacher Preecha; Pongsanart Vinsiri as the headmaster; Thidarat Kongkaew as teacher Nittaya; Vithaya Pansringarm as the village headman; and schoolchildren played by Natpatson Lhakkum, Papada Chompurat, Jantimaporn Punkok, and Pawina Netta. Also appearing are Ramphai Wintawong as Ja’s father, Kan-ha Khamkhunkham and Tanapol Kamkunkam as poachers, and Nirut Romyen as a scary villager. Preeyaporn Chareonbutra translated the original-language screenplay, as she had for Spurrier’s previous Thai film, *P*.
For production, Spurrier drove 3,000 km (1,900 mi) across Isan to find a filming location, eventually choosing a school in Udon Thani. He cast the film by auditioning local residents, including schoolchildren.
- title
- The Forest (2016 Thai film)
- director
- Paul Spurrier
- country
- Thailand
- language
- Thai
- genre
- Supernatural horror
- release_year
- 2016
- starring
- Wannasa Wintawong, Tanapol Kamkunkam, Asanee Suwan
Lore & Background
The screenplay was translated into Thai by Preeyaporn Chareonbutra, who had previously translated Spurrier's Thai film P. The story centers on Preecha, a former monk turned teacher assigned by the education ministry to a grade school in a small Isaan village. It also follows Ja, a bullied schoolgirl who cannot speak, and her encounters with a mysterious boy who lives alone in the forest, subsisting without clothing, tools, or shelter, yet is articulate and well kept. The forest boy is the only one with whom Ja can communicate.
Reader's Guide
The Forest is notable as Paul Spurrier's second Thai-language film, following P. To choose the filming location, Spurrier drove 3,000 km in Isan and eventually settled on a school in Udon Thani. He cast the film by auditioning local residents, including schoolchildren. The film features a cast of mostly first-time actors, including Wannasa Wintawong as Ja and Tanapol Kamkunkam as the forest boy, alongside veteran actor Asanee Suwan. The film's significance lies in its use of local talent and its exploration of isolation and communication through a supernatural lens.
Did You Know?
- Paul Spurrier wrote, directed, shot, and edited the film himself.
- The film's screenplay was translated into Thai by Preeyaporn Chareonbutra, who also translated Spurrier's previous Thai film P.
- Spurrier drove 3,000 km in Isan to find the filming location, eventually choosing a school in Udon Thani.
- The forest boy character is described as the human embodiment of an idea, articulate and well kept despite living without clothing or tools.
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