In 1868, Mak (Winai Kraibutr) is summoned to the war and leaves his beloved wife Nang Nak (Intira Jaroenpura), who is pregnant, alone in their isolate house in Prakanong. Mak fights with his friend Prig that dies while Mak is seriously wounded. He miraculously survives and after a long time, he returns to Prakanong.

He meets Nak and their son and they live happily together until the day that a friend of Mak visits him and tells that Nak had died in the delivery and he is living with the ghost of his wife and his stillborn son. Mak does not believe on his friend until the day that he discovers the truth about his family.

"Nang Nak" is a movie about a Thai legend of a faithful wife that dies but does not live the world of the living waiting for her beloved husband that is missing in action in the war. The story of eternal love is a touching ghost story with a melodramatic farewell in the end. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Vidas do Além" ("Lives from Beyond")

I caught this one night on SBS fully expecting it to be an average horror movie. I had never heard the story of Nang Nak before, and up to that point, everything I knew about Thailand, I learned from the movie 'Ong Bak' (no offence to any Thai readers).

'Nang Nak' turned out to be much better than I had anticipated. The story of Nak, a pregnant woman whose husband Mak has been sent to war, wounded and is resting in Bangkok. While in labor, Nak and her child die. The villagers rob Nak of her possessions, but Nak doesn't move on. She can't stay in this world, but she loves Mak too much to leave.

A touching story, 'Nang Nak' is beautifully shot and the performances powerful. Some terrifying scenes accompany a tragic tale of love being eternal, even in death. The movie makes you empathize with Nak, even though what she does is wrong, she is justified in her actions.

'Nang Nak' is a great movie, and a moving story. I intend to read the story sometime, and I urge anyone who likes the movie to do the same if they haven't - 9/10, I would encourage anyone to see it.

Here we have something totally unique: an Asian ghost story! That's not unique at all, I hear you say? Well, it is if you bear in mind that "Nang Nak" comes from Thailand and hasn't got anything to do with the overrated and rather weak stream of Japanese horror movies, such as "Ringu", "Ju-On The Grudge" and "The Eye". The film is based on a perennial Thai legend that apparently everybody knows over there and finally received a reasonably well-budgeted and international-orientated film version now! The legend revolves on the happily married couple Mak (the man) and Nak (the wife) and is set in the second half of the 19th century. Mak is very reluctant to leave his pregnant wife to go and fight in the war, more particularly because she's expecting their first child. When he returns home, still recovering from the loss of his best friend in battle as well as a near-fatal chest wound, Mak finally hopes to find peace and quiet with his beloved family. But something changed here, too… Friends and neighbors keep telling that Nak died whilst giving birth and that Mak only lives together with the spirits of his wife and child. "Nang Nak" is one of those extremely rare films that successfully blend romance and genuine drama with horror! This film is as moving as it is frightening and, trust me, it's REALLY frightening at times! The story is pretty intense and heartbreaking, mostly thanks to powerful performances, yet the horror elements are definitely not ignored and multiple images are almost too grisly to process. For example: One minute, you observe the romance between two people and the next; you're watching eerie rats eating the corpse of a murdered woman! Near the end, the film becomes even more horrific, with exorcisms and burials all around, and STILL the story remains incredibly poignant. Not only the substance is amazing, mind you. "Nang Nak" might easily be the most stylish and beautifully photographed Asian film ever made! A giant amount of sequences, albeit unrelated to the basic story, are truly mesmerizing to behold and illustrate sunsets, animals, wildlife and agriculture. It's almost like watching an educational National Geographic documentary AND a great movie at the same time! Highly recommended!